Hugo

“Hugo”, in 3D, is a movie buff’s delight. Set in the early 1930's and starring Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley and Sasha Baron Cohen, this 207 minute film is enchanting as it is informative. Based on the book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” by Brian Selznick (yes, a relative of David O.) and faithfully adapted by John Logan, this film masterpiece was directed by Martin Scorcese who can rightfully boast having made one of the best pictures of 2011 and of other years as well.. Much like ”The Artist” this movie searches the cinema past from the Lumiere Brothers first cinemaphotographe salons and the documentary aspects of the new medium to the short films made by George Melies, a French magician turned filmmaker who in the early 1900’s introduced story lines, fade ins, fade outs and trick photography to the new movie going public. Although not a household name, Mr. Melies wrote, directed and starred in over 500 films and chronicles his life and achievements as part of the larger story of a young boy trying to cope with the mysteries of life and its meaning. Not to be overlooked is the marvelous cinemaphotography as the scenes of Paris become real and surreal via the 3D medium. There is a storybook quality to the film that makes one feel as if he or she was reading from a children’s book with vivid colors and landscapes intermingled with real footage of movies of the era. I give this film 4 stars for its beauty, its message and the more than joyous experience I had watching it.