Hugo: Visual treat, adventure, tribute!

It usually doesn’t take such a long time for a Martin Scorsese movie to arrive in India; Hugo, however took more than four months. If you have followed Martin Scorsese’s films for a while, the initial reports about Hugo would have surprised you a great deal. Yes, Scorsese and a movie about a boy? That’s the last thing you expected from a man who has mastered the art of making dark and rugged films that deal with the thoughts, insecurities and ambitions of the adult world. His films never had innocence or charm. Could Scorsese make a film for children? Hugo answers that question.

Set in the early 20^th century in Paris, Hugo is about how a boy turns around the life of a man who thinks that the world has forgotten him for good. Hugo Cabaret’s life takes a miserable turn when he loses his father in an accident. He is left to fend for himself in the bowels of the Paris railway station, winding the huge station clock everyday. He also has to contend with the one-legged police inspector who seems to derive pleasure from sending children to the orphanage. Hugo has but one hope in life, to get an automaton to work, which, he thinks, holds a message from his father. His efforts to get it working, however, land him in further trouble. But, this time, destiny seems to be taking him somewhere, it introduces him to a curio shop owner (though not the most favourable way to meet a person) and it also gives him a new friend. The automaton works, and reveals something that neither of them even thought remotely possible. What is it that the automaton told them?

Hugo is as much about old George Melies as it is about Hugo Cabaret. In fact, it is more about George Melies, through the efforts of Hugo. The film is foremost, a visual treat. Martin Scorsese lets go of his dim lit ways and brings us a bright and colourful Paris railway station that bustles with activity. The interiors of the clock tower are also quite masterfully shot, the view of the city from the top is also wonderful. Literally, every frame charms you and the 3-D takes effect at all the right places; watch the scene where the pictures fly about in the room.

The film is a bit slow to take off. It meanders about a bit before taking on a steady course. At first, you wonder whether Martin Scorsese has got the balance wrong, making a children’s film that is too slow, verbose and morose; it wouldn’t appeal to children, would it? But, give the film that much time to firmly establish its premise. Then for a bit, it looks like a regular kids’ adventure of meddling with things and stumbling upon something really interesting. But, it is after this that the plot gives you the most pleasant surprise. You realize that this is more than just a movie; it is also a rich tribute to cinema itself; to the pioneers who envisaged the art of moving pictures when no one thought it possible. The short capsule where George Melies narrates his life with the movies is really exquisite- it starts right from the Lumiere Brothers. You get a brief glimpse of what the earliest form of cinema looked like. Scorsese shows that he is a versatile director with the kind of shots and images he has used in these portions. These portions are clearly a delight for those who love cinema as an art form.

Its nice to see Ben Kingsley in a role that requires him to dig deep. He enjoys himself, and so do we. He is in his element in the portions where he is shown as the passionate film maker. Asa Butterfield’s little shoulders carry the heavy load of the movie quite well and he is ably aided by Chloe Moretz. Sacha Baron plays along quite well to the demands of the script as the one-legged inspector. Christopher Lee makes his presence felt with just the one shot where he hands a book over to Hugo. Jude Law makes a very brief appearance. And, the most important character of them all, the automaton; looks like he is alive.

Of course, Hugo being a film that is also for children has a few elements for them; like the inspector’s character. Well, it’s more of a caricature than a character, a bit over the top, but well presented and tolerable if you accept the fact that children are the target audience. But, you also get some of Scorsese’s trademark elements, like the insecurity of the adult mind and the fear of a man to look at his own past; the inability to accept that the world has moved on. These are some of the emotions that Scorsese has portrayed so well all his career.

Hugo is not a full fledged gripping entertainer; nor is it a rollicking adventure; nor is it full of cheer and laughs. Yet, it is a bit of all this and most importantly, a tribute to cinema. Scorsese’s ability to show old-world cinema in a way that will appeal too contemporary audiences are testimony to his class. Hugo will not make you clap in delight or gasp in surprise, but it will leave you feeling really good and also give you a perspective of how far cinema has come. Go for it; you will like some part of it.