Scorsese's Valentine to Cinema

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Martin Scorsese’s ‘Hugo’ expresses the filmmaker’s  passion for the magic of the movies.

By Lori Hoffman 

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Nov. 30, 2011

Scorsese’s ‘Hugo’

For filmmakers and all  passionate movie buffs everywhere, there is likely a moment that first sparked that devotion. With the family film Hugo, Martin Scorsese, who is not only one of the world’s finest filmmakers but also a noted film historian and film preservationist, unleashes his devotion to the magic of movies with a zeal that is enchanting. 

Based on the children’s book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, with a screenplay by John Logan, the titled character (played by Asa Butterfield) is an orphan who lives in the bowels of a train station in 1930s Paris. When his clockmaker father (Jude Law) died, he became the ward of his uncle Claude (Ray Winstone), a thoughtless drunk who teaches the boy how to do his job, keeping the station clocks running, then disappears. 

Hugo has learned how to survive, stealing food as needed and keeping an eye out for the station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) with a bad leg and a fierce Doberman who delights in catching orphans and sending them to the orphanage. 

Hugo and his father had been working on a major project, a discarded automaton, a mechanical man that they were fixing together. Hugo is determined to finish the project. To do so he needs parts and the toy store at the station had been a treasure trove of gears and wheels — until the day when the toyshop owner Georges (Ben Kingsley) catches him in the act. Georges is a bitter, angry man, but when he finds a notebook among Hugo’s belongings, he decides not to turn him over to the inspector. 

From this moment the movie moves forward from its Dickensian tale of a waif alone among the bustle of the train station and into a magical realm of fantasy and movie magic. With the help of Georges’ adventure-seeking goddaughter Isabelle (played by Kick Ass star Chloë Grace Moretz) Hugo learns how wonderful it is to have friends. And in turn, his evolving relationship with Georges begins to siphon the bitterness out of the old man who had spent decades ignoring his past as one of the pioneers of filmmaking. Georges is Georges Mèliès, a magician and artist who invented the fantasy film as his notable contribution to the history of cinema, in particular his 1902 masterpiece A Trip to the Moon. 

Because of its storyline about a masterful pioneer of cinema, this feels like Scorsese’s most personal film to date. And from the first shot, a gorgeous opening tracking sequence that takes us from the streets of Paris to the inside of the station, one senses that Scorsese wants to prove that he has learned his lessons well from the filmmakers who came before him. 

While Butterfield does a fine job as the determined Hugo, the film in many ways belongs to Kingsley who is brilliant. You feel his anguish at being passed by as movies evolved, but also the glimmer of hope that emerges when Hugo’s passion reignites his own capacity to love his work again. 

There are also fine performances in smaller roles by Christopher Lee as a bookshop owner, Emily Mortimer as the flower shop owner, Helen McCrory as Mrs. Mèliès and Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Stuhlbarg as a film historian.

 This film is a must see for film buffs and anyone else who has ever been enchanted by the power of the movies.

Muppets Return 
The Muppets are likely too old-school for today’s kids. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t love the silliness of these magical puppets who are back in the movie The Muppets, a story that feels like a Muppet remake of the Blues Brothers with its road trip to round up the gang and put on a big show to save the Muppet Studio from the evil clutches of a slimy oil baron (Chris Cooper). Actor-writer Jason Segel, an admitted Muppet super fan, wrote the screenplay and stars opposite Amy Adams. He happily plays a supporting role and lets a new generation be introduced to Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, and Animal, whose anger management class with Jack Black couldn’t fully suppress his wild side. It’s a ton of fun for little kids and their parents who grew up watching the Muppets.

Hugo *** ½ 
Directed by Martin Scorsese; rated PG 

The Muppets ***
Directed by James Bobin; rated PG 