Music, Style & Culture

Hugo

Scorsese's first family film is a hard sell, and is more likely to be enjoyed by the cinema aficionado.

Released in cinemas 2nd December 2011.

For those unfamiliar with Brian Selznick's illustrated novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Hugo could look like a fanciful children's adventure. As the magic unfolds, it become crystal clear why the book was chosen by the great Martin Scorsese to be his first attempt at a family-orientated film.

It starts as the story of 12-year-old Hugo (Asa Butterfield) and his attempts to cling to the memory of his recently deceased father (Jude Law), whilst living in the walls of a 1930s Paris train station. Having inherited the trade of clock and watchmaking, he is secretly employed as timekeeper of the station's many clocks, observing the daily routines of its workers and dodging the Station Inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) as he pilfers to stay alive. His prized possession and only "friend" is an automaton his father found in a museum. The robot man needs repair, and Hugo regularly steals parts from the owner of the station's toy shop, one Papa Georges (Ben Kingsley). When Georges insists Hugo turns out his pockets, the old man is intrigued by the notebook of intricate automaton schematics. It triggers an angry reaction, one that leads to Georges confiscating the notebook and Hugo teaming up with the shopkeeper's goddaughter Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) to retrieve it. When Isabelle turns out to literally have the key to the automaton, the robot's revelation sets the two children on a remarkably personal, intimate journey of discovery.

With Scorsese, a director who devotes his time to restoration and revival of the likes of Michael Powell's work, Hugo becomes a magnificent love letter to early cinema. The pioneers of the medium, including the Lumiere Brothers and Georges Méliès, are paid tribute to in Selznick's innovative story, giving Scorsese the chance to emulate the wonder of discovery and the power of fantasy in filmmaking. The flashback sequences are playful, and lovingly crafted in painstaking detail, bleeding into the current storyline with a sense of awe.

However, Hugo takes its time to get to this breathtaking stage. The first half of the film is a clinical exercise in textbook kids' adventure, with the slapstick humour stilted and John Logan's screenplay perfunctory. Scorsese doesn't feel quite at ease until the pivotal automaton kicks into life - the realisation of the message it spells out is the cinematic equivalent of stepping through the looking glass. Suddenly, Hugo becomes something incredible, growing out of its own awkward phase.

Scorsese must be praised for his stunning use of 3D. The director uses the format for the first time in his career, and we'll be damned if the 69-year-old hasn't embraced it like a master. He creates depth in the insular setting of the grand station, making it a larger than life character all of its own. It takes some time to adjust to the stylised photography, with production design a little bit too polished, but when the film is embraced for the glorious fact-based fantasy it is, it takes on a unique warmth.

As Hugo, the entirely natural Butterfield has haunted, expressive eyes and understated charm. Moretz sadly struggles with the English accent, giving her a mannered performance. However, the precociously talented young actress is still a thoroughly engaging presence. Sacha Baron Cohen is a joy as the curmudgeonly Station Inspector, even if it borders onto Inspector Clouseau territory, while Emily Watson, Richard Griffiths and Frances de la Tour are merely whimsical bystanders.

The film truly belongs to Kingsley, and Helen McCrory as his wife Mama Jeanne, building a picture of artists, and a nation, affected by the ravages of the Great War. They carry the film where the emotionally unengaging script sometimes forgets to - when Hugo is moving, it's because of what Scorsese is representing, not what he's creating.

The most unique children's film - one that acts more as a public service announcement for the next generation. A perfect double bill with the heavenly upcoming silent cinema tribute The Artist, Hugo's a hard sell, and is more likely to be enjoyed by the cinema aficionado.

Rating: 8/10