Hugo: The Beautiful Oscar Favorite

Written by Brennan.

2011 seems to be the year of movies about making movies. There’s the Best Picture Oscar favorite “The Artist”, featuring silent movie stars transitioning into the “talkie” era, there’s “Super 8” which shows the adventures of a group of young, film-makers in the 70’s. Then there is “My Week With Marilyn”, featuring the flawed but breath-taking Marilyn Monroe during the shooting of “The Prince and the Showgirl”, and then “Hugo” which showcases the work of legendary director Georges Méliès. These movies served as a reminder to us movie-lovers of the reasons why we love cinema, and of the power of movies to turn dreams and imaginations into reality. No movie does this more strongly than “Hugo”, directed by probably the greatest director of our time, Martin Scorsese.

“Hugo” is a film about a young boy of the same name living in the clock tower of the Gare Montparnasse train station in 1930’s Paris. Hugo (played by Asa Butterfield) faces challenges every day as he steals food to eat and barely manages to avoid capture by the straight laced Inspector Gustav (Sacha Baron Cohen) and the cranky toy shop keeper Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley). We follow Hugo’s adventures and discoveries along with his new friend Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz).

There is nothing very flashy or complicated about “Hugo”. Its brilliance lies in a simple innocence and a child-like wonder of the magic of cinema. Essentially the movie is Martin Scorsese’s ode to movies and a manifestation of his love for cinema. He does this with the use of 3D, which almost always is a huge turn-off for me. Instead of using the 3D technology as a cheap gimmick to sell tickets at a higher price (Star Wars: Episode I) or to compensate for the lack of a well-written and interesting plot (Avatar), Scorsese uses the technology to add to the experience of the film. He creates a deep, visually impressive world that the viewer feels a part of. Scorsese does this so well in fact, that I can’t really imagine “Hugo” being as good without the 3D. Mark my words, that is the first (and likely last) time that I will ever say that about a movie.

Along with the perfect use of 3D, Scorsese directed the actors to perfection. In my opinion, Scorsese is a great actors’ director; he writes characters that play well off of actors’ and actresses’ strengths, and “Hugo” is no exception. Sacha Baron Cohen’s Inspector Gustav provides some grateful comic relief, both Asa Butterfield and Chloë Grace Moretz do well, and Christopher Lee and Ben Kingsley give natural and typically strong performances.

It is however a subtle, quiet movie, meaning it doesn’t rely on brash humor, physical comedy, or loud, gimmicky action like other kids’ movies. To me, this is a welcome change. I highly recommend “Hugo” to any audience. It is, in essence, a movie directed towards children, but even adults will not be able to help but get lost in Scorsese’s world and feel like kids again.





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