Martin Scorsese (Image via RottenTomatoes.com) MOVIE REVIEW: “HUGO” (3D). DIRECTED BY MARTIN SCORSESE.WRITTEN BY JOHN LOGAN BASED ON THE BOOK THEINVENTION OF HUGO CABRET BY BRIAN SELZNIK STARRING SIR BEN KINGSLEY, ASA BUTTERFIELD, CHLOË GRACE MORETZ , CHRISTOPHER LEE, SACHA BARON COHEN, EMILY MORTIMER, HELEN MCCRORY, MICHAEL STUHLBARG, RAY WINSTONE AND JUDE LAW. CINEMATOGRAPHY BY ROBERT RICHARDSON.Golden Globe recipient MARTIN SCORSESE’S“HUGO”, goes far beyond the story of young Hugo Cabret, portrayed brilliantly and heartfelt by ASA BUTTERFIELD (The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas) and French pioneer film maker Georges Méliès, played with equally striking depth by SIR BEN KINGSLEY, but also speaks to what cinema used to be, and, to some degree of what they still are for the most part: magic, wonder, awe, adventure, and most importantly story telling.
“HUGO” tells the story of the orphan Hugo Cabret who secretly lives in the Paris train station maintaining all the clocks while he tries to repair an automaton his late father (JUDE LAW), a watch and clock maker, discovered abandoned in the attic of a museum.The sophisticated device, unlike any Hugo’s father had seen before, was designed to write.After the death of his father Hugo is taken in by his drunkard of an uncle Claude (RAY WINSTONE) who maintains the clocks in the Paris train station. The rusted and neglected automaton is one of two of Hugo’s possessions and links to his father who also passed down his passion and talent for fixing things, as well as surviving and eluding the train station agent (SACHA BARON COHEN).
In his attempt to repair the automaton, Hugo is forced to steal clockwork parts and tools, including stealing and being caught by a sad, embittered and forgotten Méliès who runs a toy concession in the train station. Upon catching Hugo, Méliès forces the boy to empty his pockets, discovering Hugo’s father’s notebook. The notebook contains notes, sketches, and even a “flip book” animation of the automaton. Méliès is enraged when he discovers the notebook, claiming it’s his, confiscating it and telling Hugo he intends to burn it.
