Hugo (2011)
2011
PG
126 Minutes
Hugo is an orphan boy living in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. He learned to fix clocks and other gadgets from his father and uncle which he puts to use keeping the train station cloc...
User Review
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Hugo was a childhood favourite of mine. It was a film that always cemented itself into my brain. Most notably, the reproductions of Melies films. The image of not only the man in the moon but also the mission to the moon itself, the undersea kingdom, or the mighty dragon; these are all images that have remained with me for years. Rewatching it now, I actually sympathize more with Melier than Hugo himself. Don't mistake this for a dismissal of the film's main plot. It has a Wes Anderson charm to it which is irresistible while also being a compelling adventure story, rife with twists and turns.
But, it is in the shadow of George Melies. Researching into this incredible figure, this behemoth of cinema, one begins to realise that the film's title 'Hugo' is a facade for the real hero behind the film, that of Melies himself. I now hope to watch Melies films myself, for real, sucking in all those sumptuous images of fairy worlds.
Scorsese seems to reflect this feeling in his film. It is a film which feels both faithful to a past time yet contemporary enough for al to enjoy. The digital backgrounds of a brightly lit late 1920s Paris are like fairy kingdoms in which are a wonderful ensemble cast, and I underline wonderful, play their clockwork part in the most beautiful ballet of stories.0 member like this review.
