Scorsese's first kids' film is an absolute delight - not only a touching fable about reclaiming a broken soul but a truly magical ode to cinema.
Based on the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Hugo is Scorsese’s first proper attempt at a kids’ film, and he nails it. Set in 1930s Paris, we’re introduced to young Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), an orphan living and working in a train station. Hugo lost his father (Jude Law) in a tragic museum fire and had to work with his alcoholic uncle maintaining the station clocks, less he be sent to the orphanage by the station master (Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat).
The film is long, especially for a kids film – 126minutes and perhaps could have done with a 15minute trimming, as it’s very much split into two distinct sections. For the first 40minutes Hugo plays out like a Dickens’ adaptation, as we’re introduced to the fantastical world of clockwork that Hugo works with and lives within, and his daily struggle to make ends meet – pilfering food when he can while avoiding the station master. He also has a few run-ins with the station’s grumpy toyshop owner, Mr. Melies (Ben Kingsley) as he needs parts to fix a mechanical man that he and his father were working on before he died.
For a film lover like me, the movie really kicks into gear when we start delving into Mr. Melies backstory – if you recognise the last name it’s with good reason, as Melies is none other than the great early film pioneer, George Melies – who pretty much singlehandedly invented film special effects. It’s fitting that Scorseses’ first outing with 3D is a movie about the birth of film wizardry.
The latter parts of the film see Hugo teaming up with Melies’ god-daughter Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) as they investigate what may have happened to her godfather in the past to leave him such a broken man. What they discover is an absolute joy to behold, unearthing some of cinema’s greatest works. It’s also tragic, as we learn how Melies went from being one of the most prolific film-makers around to a forgotten man running a small toyshop.
The 3D effects are some of the best since Avatar, the technology bringing to life dozens of well-known classic films from the pre 1920s. It also allows Scorsese the freedom to manoeuvre the camera in imaginative way; the opening sequence in particular is a true spectacle.
Tonally the film reminds me of Finding Neverland, one of my favourite movies of all time. Both embrace the importance of imagination and wonder, and how it’s important to not lose sight of that as you get older and cynical.
It also has plenty of magical flourishes, like the interaction between a cafe owner and a patron – it’s clear they want to start a flirty conversation but the owner’s dog is determined to prevent this from occurring. Just wait and see how the patron gets around this…then there’s the stationmaster who clearly wants to wow the flower lady but is mortified over what she might think of his war wounds.
Performances are solid across the board, but Kingsley in particular is great, a world away from his recent straight to DVD work. Chloe Grace Moretz is still on the way to stardom, with her Isabelle showing such passionate enthusiasm for adventure, speaking the same language as the adventurers she reads about. Jude Law doesn’t have too much to do but Sacha Baron Cohen gets great laughs out of his small role as the stationmaster.
Knowing Melies’ backstory and importance to film history before seeing Hugo enhanced my enjoyment, but even those with no knowledge of the period will appreciate the magic of his films. Scorsese even uses this as an opportunity to press the cause for film preservation – it would be a tragedy if pioneers like Melies were not appreciated years later. For many people their film history starts in the 80s – if anything I hope Hugo encourages people to explore the thousands of fantastic films from earlier eras.
I fear that as good as Hugo is – and it really is fantastic, it may struggle at the box-office. It’s PG rated so automatically comes under kids-friendly entertainment, but there are no high-pitched chipmunks or toilet humour gags to keep the youngsters interested. There’s an important message about not losing touch with your true self, and the 3D effects are spectacle enough but how do you market a film like this?
January and February are traditionally golden months for film fans in NZ, as we get all the award candidates being released to capitalise on Oscar buzz. With Hugo the 2012 cinematic year has gotten off to a brilliant start. Do not miss.
4 1/2 Stars
Andrew Cozens