Hugo (2011)

Hugo (2011)









Martin Scorsese is a craftsman and a scholar of cinema. With Hugo he has created a film
that references, recreates or pays s homage to numerous aspect of world
cinema from it’s early days at the beginning of the twentieth century
to the style and sophistication of 1930′s Hollywood. I am not a fan of
3D but Hugo is the most innovative and thoughtful use of the
medium I have seen so far. The story is tight and performance range from
the adequate to the robust. The cast is stellar as you would expect
(Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Christopher Lee, Ray Winstone), as who wouldn’t
wish to work with Scorsese? In fact there is very little to be critical
about with regard to Hugo, apart from one minor point that popped into my mind as I watched the film. Exactly who is this film pitched at?

Although billed as a family film, at a time of year when the theatres
demand such fodder, it strikes me more as an essay on film making ,
packaged within the medium of a mainstream seasonal attraction. In its
endeavours to achieve mastery of the medium, Hugo seems to have
lost a fundamental quality. I was not excessively engaged by the
characters although they are not in anyway unlikeable. Nor did I feel
warmed by the sentiments and themes of the movie.
Rather than the typical emotional reaction that a good film of this
genre illicits, I felt more like I was nodding in a sagely fashion,
approving the skills of an greatly accomplished artist, rather than the
overall impact of his finished work. The old Bruce Lee “finger pointing
away to the moon” analogy sprang to mind.



It can be argued that the source novel that the film is based on is
an equal intellectual indulgence, rather than genuine fantasy. This is
fine if all parties involved understand this, but I’m not sure if Hugo
is being marketed as such. I’m certain the film will gain critical
acclaim but I’m not so sure if it is destined to be a popular success.
Again let me reiterate that Hugo is a finely crafted film and
has a great sense of style and emotional impact. You’ll find many
complimentary reviews. Perhaps I am simply the wrong target audience. It
will be interesting to see if there are any major differences of
perspective from hardcore Scorsese fans and the casual viewer. Perhaps
the best judges will be children themselves.