Hugo (2011)
July 14, 2020 4:53 AM - Subscribe
In 1931 Paris, an orphan living in the walls of a train station gets wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.
Scorsese’s Hugo is perhaps the first true example of how 3D can be used to heighten the cinematic experience, whilst simultaneously serving as a love letter to the medium’s rich history.
Scorsese transforms this innocent tale into an ardent love letter to the cinema and a moving plea for film preservation, and it's no accident that a clock figures so prominently in the action: movies may have the power to stop time, but time has the power to erode and destroy celluloid.
For all its worthy intentions and technical brilliance, Hugo is a hard film to love: not only for children, who may find the largely immobile plot a slog, but also to viewers of any age who’d rather be charmed than merely wowed.
Overall, Hugo is like a Christmas present – the wrapping is beautiful but the present itself is a disappointment.
Scorsese’s Hugo is perhaps the first true example of how 3D can be used to heighten the cinematic experience, whilst simultaneously serving as a love letter to the medium’s rich history.
Scorsese transforms this innocent tale into an ardent love letter to the cinema and a moving plea for film preservation, and it's no accident that a clock figures so prominently in the action: movies may have the power to stop time, but time has the power to erode and destroy celluloid.
For all its worthy intentions and technical brilliance, Hugo is a hard film to love: not only for children, who may find the largely immobile plot a slog, but also to viewers of any age who’d rather be charmed than merely wowed.
Overall, Hugo is like a Christmas present – the wrapping is beautiful but the present itself is a disappointment.
I remember seeing previews or commercials for this and thinking that Hugo was some kind of robot himself. When I eventually got to seeing the movie it took a while for me to realize that it wasn't going to be that kind of movie. That being said I've seen it a couple of times now, and I think it's a pretty good film. My kids like it too and didn't find it to be a slog.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:26 PM on July 15, 2020
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:26 PM on July 15, 2020
I loved it at the time; I don't usually like 3d but it was totally worth it seeing this movie in that format. I've been reading about and watching a lot of silent films over the last decade and I feel like I should re-watch now that I'd probably get more references to them in this film. The poster is straight out of Safety Last but I'm sure that there's more.
posted by octothorpe at 10:38 AM on July 16, 2020
posted by octothorpe at 10:38 AM on July 16, 2020
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posted by Halloween Jack at 7:09 AM on July 14, 2020 [6 favorites]