Hugo

I am almost ashamed to say that this is the first film I have seen directed by Oscar winner Martin Scorsese although I have been trying to see “The Aviator”. Despite this fact, I can tell that “Hugo” is personal for him. Just as Albert R. Broccoli (producer of the first three James Bond movies) decided to make "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" in 1968 for his kids, Scorsese in turn wanted to create something that his kids could see. His experience with storytelling and his obvious love for moviemaking creates a wonderful show that captures the audience’s attention. The 3D was well used in that it did not distract from the central story. It is the best 3D I had seen since "Avatar" and "Up". The acting was very good also. Evidence of this is the fact that I did not recognize some of the actors in this movie until after it was over. I can also feel Johnny Depp’s contribution. I understand one of the messages of this film because of my time studying for my film degree. The central theme of repairing broken machines is also powerful. Some movies spoil their best parts in the trailers and TV ads but Scorsese is smarter than that. In order to appreciate the themes in “Hugo”, we must not be ahead of him by way of the advertisements.

I first saw part of “Le Voyage Dans la Lune” as a kid when I saw an old Walt Disney TV special about space travel. Then in university I saw more of that film plus I also studied about the Lumiere brothers and Georges Melies. There is some historical accuracy in “Hugo” so that is nice. Through this story, Scorsese is able to share the magical feeling that surrounded the art form of filmmaking when it first was being introduced and explored. Before we experience the magic of silent cinema however, we must have an appealing protagonist that will help us see early moviemaking as those in the early 20th century saw it. When Hugo’s notebook is taken, we sense its high value although we don’t fully understand why. Scorsese is able to create a genuine character that we root for and feel attached to. It is extremely important in storytelling. The design of the automaton is very intriguing. Thanks to Scorsese’s direction, you almost believe that it is another character in the film. You wait for it to talk. Another important character in the film is Isabelle. To me, she resembles Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” in that she loves books and wants to have her own adventure. This familiarity allows the audience to further connect with the story. When Hugo starts to work for Melies at the toyshop, it is an enjoyable scene because Melies’ is putting aside his distain. When “Le Voyage Dans la Lune” is first mentioned, it is done inconsequentially and I like that. Its surprise relevance to the whole story makes for great entertainment. By way of various scenes, I really felt I was watching a personal statement by Scorsese concerning his love of movies. I enjoy the exhibition of various silent movie masters such as Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton. “Hugo” also has foreshadowing in three instances. The Harold Lloyd film is used to set up Hugo on the clock during the climax. Also, the plot point of the train in the silent film frightening the audience relates to our viewing of Hugo's dream. We, as an audience, watch a train in 3D crash through the station. This all in turn alludes to the moment when Hugo is almost hit by the train during the climax. As an editor, I understand the magic tricks that can be done in post-production and I am not talking about big budget special effects shots. While I like films like “Avatar”, I am most entertained by special effects that you never recognized at first such as those on “The Social Network”. The flashback scene of Melies editing shows the origin of special effects and the power of editing. The same flashback shows the humorous aformentioned scene of people being afraid of the train on the movie screen but this is historically accurate in the story of the Lumiere brothers’ career. As we watch this group of people, there is some irony that Scorsese applies because the people are much more afraid of the train not in 3D than we are as we watch the train later in the movie in 3D. I enjoy the fact that the station inspector is also a “broken machine” both physically and emotionally. Hugo fixes both his leg brace and his heart and that is touching. I really love the edit during the climax where we cut from Ben Kingsley to the real Georges Melies. Also, the conversion of his films to 3D was very special at the end of “Hugo”. It is probably one of my favorite 3D sequences. "Hugo" is full of old footage converted to 3D and I love that. I also am impressed with how clean those silent movies look with no scratches.

There are other factors that make this film great to watch. Asa Butterfield reminds me a lot of Elijah Wood and so I believed him as the main character. I recognized some actors in this movie but others performed so well, as I said, that I did not identify them. True their costumes tend to disguise them but not completely; their acting does most of the trick. Christopher Lee was a welcome sight in this film and I recognized Frances de la Tour from “Harry Potter”. Ben Kingsley was one actor I did not notice because his performance was so good. You really feel the pain and passion of his character. I also completely missed Helen McCrory, Richard Griffiths (both also from “Harry Potter”), Jude Law, Emily Mortimer and Ray Winstone. Because the story was so well executed, these familiar actors of mine did their job without other personas intruding. Even when I saw the movie for the second time, I forgot about them. I should have known that someone like Howard Shore was the composer of the musical score. While watching “Hugo”, I could sense the high level of quality of the music and it has become one of my favorites even though it is at the bottom of my long list. It reminds me a lot of Michael Giacchino's work on "Ratatouille".

"Hugo" received more Oscar nominations than any other movie of that year with eleven. I knew it would win Best Art Direction and I was happy it also won Best Cinematography, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. I was expecting "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" to win Best Visual Effects but "Hugo" got the honors instead. I have no problem with that. Filmmaking is an art form and we are in danger of forgetting that with today’s blockbusters and crude comedies. The world tends to view moviemaking as a way to make millions of dollars but some in Hollywood like Spielberg, Jackson, those at Pixar and of course Scorsese see it as a art form/storytelling medium. It is the reason why they are so successful at what they do. Hopefully “Hugo” will remind the world of the artistic and storytelling possibilities that exist because of filmmaking. Scorsese is known for adult dramatic films and his Oscar win for “The Departed” is evidence of this. “Hugo” exhibits his genius because it his first family film and 3D motion picture yet it is very well done as if Scorsese has been doing these kinds of movies for years. It made sense when he was nominated at the Golden Globes for Best Director but when he won, I was so happily surprized. He also deserved yet another Oscar nomination for Best Director for this film. "Hugo" shows that he has the power to pull off other genres and that is impressive. The themes are powerful in “Hugo” and everything about this movie furthers and supports the story.

4.5 Stars