Cast:
Asa Butterfield (Hugo Cabret), Chloë Grace Moretz (Isabelle), Ben Kingsley (Georges Méliès / Papa Georges), Sacha Baron Cohen (Inspector Gustave Dasté), Ray Winstone (Claude Cabret), Emily Mortimer (Lisette), Jude Law (Mr. Cabret), Helen McCrory (Jehanne D'Alcy / Mama Jeanne), Michael Stuhlbarg (René Tabard), Christopher Lee (Monsieur Labisse), Frances de la Tour (Madame Emile), and Richard Griffiths (Monsieur Frick) Directed by Martin Scorsese (#990 - Taxi Driver, #992 - The King of Comedy, #1276 - Mean Streets, #1463 - Raging Bull, #1496 - Goodfellas, #1544 - The Departed)
Review:
"And in my film, the cinema itself is the connection--the automaton, the machine itself becomes the emotional connection between the boy, his father, Méliès, and his family. It's about how it all comes together, how people express themselves using the technology emotionally and psychologically. It's the connection between the people, and the thing that's missing--how it supplies what's missing." - Martin Scorsese
"Every second the actor playing different scenes ten times has to remember, while the film is rolling, exactly what he did at the same point in the preceding scenes and the exact place where he was on the stage." - Georges Méliès
Yes, this is a film by Martin Scorsese, but as is the case with his films, there is certainly more than meets the eye with that statement. In this case, one can start with a legendary director that lived over a century before this film existed with Georges Méliès. He has been long overdue for a spotlight with his films (or at the very least more than one sentence), as he did a large amount of films (most of them falling under the category of "short", but this was late 19th/early 20th century filmmaking). He was inspired to create from a young age, whether that meant drawing all over his books or with puppet-making. As one might see from the film, he developed an interest in stage magic, which led to him having his own theatre to do said performances; he did indeed find inspiration with a showing of the Lumière brothers' cinematograph in 1895 (attempts to buy it were unsuccessful, but by 1896 he had found a projector to use and modify as a camera for his films). He made over 500 films in his lifetime (although less than half survive), with the most obvious highlight being A Trip to the Moon (1902), displaying the first iconic shot ever put to film that is shown a century later with this feature. Melies declined by the end of the 1910s due to a variety of factors ranging from World War I to finances, though he did find a living working a candy/toy stand in the Gare Montparnasse, while having a rediscovery from journalists prior to his death in 1938, which included the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur alongside a variety of future influences.
The film is adapted from 2007 novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, with John Logan serving as screenplay writer. One can hope that they do not grow tired of seeing a director's vision come out on screen with such interest and efficient, regardless if it is a great director or not. It is interesting in that sense to see a film from Scorsese aimed differently from his usual audience - basically, one can watch the film with their children or by themselves and have a good time. It is a film with a deep respect for its audience alongside cinema that makes for a fairly fabulous achievement (one filmed in 3D, although obviously I can't recreate the experience of said 3D). The film runs at a generally enjoyable pace at 126 minutes that unfolds itself and its surroundings with careful planning that makes a worthy adventure with plenty of visual appeal while also drawing upon the past with a well-touched stroke of the pen. The film is tasked with needing two worthwhile child actors to bridge key gaps in the film, and Butterfield and Moretz do fairly well with generating the presence needed to capture the wonder and curiosity needed from each that should be expected from films like this. Kingsley is capably up to task with inviting mystery and interest in those moments he is around, particularly when explaining who he was as compared to now. Cohen is up to task in some bumbling amusement without preening distraction, proving a useful foil and occasional focus. Others have smaller focus but do just fine with those little moments, whether that means a dutiful Stuhlbarg or Lee (who can make a few lines seem fun even after over 200 appearances, the most appropriate person for a love letter to cinema). It drives an interesting mystery well enough to useful conclusions that run the expected gamut of emotion with a nice atmosphere and understanding from Scorsese and his crew that lands for those who desire something with a mostly consistent balance of first and second half to go with a game cast for a worthwhile feature for its crowd of cinema and beyond.
Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.
