Capturing Dreams and Saving Cinema

Martin Scorsese makes a powerful case for film preservation through fantasy
by Morgan P Salvo




I have to cut Martin Scorsese some slack for his foray into family entertainment. I saw him on The Daily Show the other night and he confessed a couple of reasons as to why he made Hugo. One was because his wife hounded him to make “something that everyone can see” and then his 12 year old daughter chimed in with, “and in 3D”! Secondly he wanted to make a love letter to the birth of filmmaking honoring Georges Melies (1902’s A Trip to the Moon), the inventor of fantasy and science fiction in cinema. So while we get a kids’ fantasy ripe with mystery we also get a cinematic history lesson. It’s a tricky balancing act and Scorsese handles it with quite a lot of panache, delivering a magical imaginative eye-popping mini-masterpiece where the 3D is not a gimmick but wondrous enhancement.
I saw early avant garde pioneer Georges Melies’ infamous Trip to the Moon when I was in film school (yes it’s true). Ingenious and way ahead of his time, Melies took experimental film to the limits. It’s no wonder that Scorsese is fascinated with the brilliant reclusive filmmaker and who better then Scorsese to use wild camera shots and mesmerizing 3D about the man who invented special effects. Some of the most fascinating scenes are the recreations of Melies’ short films.
The simple tale takes place in a train station circa 1930s Paris where Hugo (Asa Butterfield) lives in the walls, hides out and winds the clocks. This is a super bohemian setting with a tipping of the hat to Parisian artists big and small. Orphaned and alone Hugo's more important task is to protect a broken automaton (a robotic life-size toy) and notebook left to him by his late father. Begrudgingly befriended by a curmudgeonly toy merchant (Ben Kingsley), Hugo then accompanies the toy maker’s goddaughter (Chloe Grace Moretz) as they embark on a quest to solve the mystery of the automaton and find a place he can call home. The constant the pursuit of the orphans for vagrancy by the station master adds the sense of adventure and suspense.
Spattered with an array of cameos, some culled from the Scorsese alumni, Hugo’s cast includes Ray Whinstone, Emily Mortimer, Jude Law, Christopher Lee, Michael Stuhlbarg and Helen McCrory. With enchanting, stand-out performances from Butterfield, (Son of Rambow/ The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) and Moretz, (Kick-ass!/Let Me In) it’s actually Sasha Baron Cohen (Borat/Bruno) as the dastardly station master who shines the most, continuing to impress with subdued comic timing. The biggest and most perplexing question I had though was why do people in France speak with English accents?
Beginning with a sweeping opening aerial shot that plunges you into the wildly choreographed bustle of the train station, Hugo is artistic beyond reproach. Within the spinning gears, springs, shutters, wheels, tracks and clock pendulums, the 3D really works here. Dazzlingly combining the early days of cinema with the very latest big-screen technology, the visuals are mesmerizing right down to close-ups of the station master’s Doberman. What Scorsese creates is a phenomenal blend of fantasy and mystery that will appeal to adults as well as children. Don’t think Scorsese’s mission to save old film from either being ruined by time or destroyed by misuse goes by unnoticed. Not only is Hugo an homage to a simpler cinematic time, it’s also a lesson in restoring faith in film not to mention the focus on film restoration itself.
A little overly long and meandering, Hugo is reminiscent of Scorsese’s Kundun endeavor. I am reminded of a Sopranos episode where Christopher yells to Scorsese at a movie premiere “Yeah Kundun… loved it!” Well, not too many people felt the same, but I have a feeling plenty of people will be exclaiming their love for Hugo.
With Hugo Scorsese transports audiences to a place beyond belief and exposes his artistic gentler side. Don’t get me wrong, I have a profound appreciation for Marty’s blood spurting shotgun blasts and Bic pen stabbings, but in this passionate cinematic love letter it’s never been clearer how much he loves movies. Now after this melancholy little ditty and his family satiated hopefully Scorsese can go back to making something mob oriented that will amp up the body count.

Hugo
Starring Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz,
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Rated PG
3 ½ stars