Hugo [2011] [DVD]

Love this film. Unusual, well acted. It is rooted in reality and fantasy at the same time and has a great ending.

This superb movie, set in 1931, has it all - interesting characters (some of whom actually existed), unusual locations, great music and world class acting. The cast includes many big names and the director is the legendary Martin Scorsese. The special effects, both visual and aural, are exceptional with 3-D that is realistic without being overdone. Asa Butterfield plays the neglected and unwanted orphan Hugo Cabret with remarkable sensitivity and composure, a faultless performance worthy of an Oscar in my opinion. Hugo lives secretly in the Gare Montparnasse (a railway station in Paris), where he looks after the clocks. His biggest problem is the prowling station inspector, a cruel and obsessive man who likes nothing better than to catch homeless orphans, trap them in a cage and then hand them over to the local orphanage, which by all accounts is not a good place to be. But he is also clumsy and inept and he provides the film with much humour. The inimitable Sacha Baron Cohen does the honours here and he is on top form! Hugo's unhappy existence begins to change when he befriends Isabelle(Chloe Grace Moretz), a precocious but caring girl whose Godfather is an old man who owns a kiosk in the station and whose hidden but interesting past is destined to be rediscovered.(He is played by Ben Kingsley, one of our finest character actors).Jude Law appears briefly as Hugo's father in a flashback scene and Christopher Lee,looking as menacing as ever, is actually an amiable librarian and one of the few people to show Hugo any respect or kindness. I don't want to reveal too much about the plot, but there is a happy ending, unlike one of Asa's previous films,"The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas",whose closing scenes are the most heartbreaking and disturbing I have ever seen. "Hugo" is a hugely enjoyable and often surprising movie with a complex storyline that gradually draws you in. Brilliant and refreshingly different!

Richard Adams of "Watership Down" fame said something like "If you ask some one 'Did you read this book?' and they answer 'No, but I saw the film.', they may as well say 'No, but I had breakfast this morning.' They are that different." OK, quote not perfect, but you get the idea. So, do not compare this film with the book which is itself a delight with its unusual format and structure. It was clear that big changes were necessary to make a movie, so you have just to accept that. So, to the film. It looks marvellous, and works in 2-d beautifully, unlike some movies which need 3D because they don't have a plot. Here, there are scenes that will clearly be more dramatic in 3-d, but I managed quite nicely. There are some nice little homages to early cinema. The renditions of Melies' work and his movies are marvellous. Several pleasant little sub-stories are woven in. The cast all do what's required, even if there are no acting Oscars coming here. Ben Kingsley is a joy to watch as usual. The basic story of challenged orphan with a mission is not new, but done well enough; predictable hurdles are overcome in familiar style. I'm far from being a big Scorsese fan, but there are a number of things I enjoy in his CV. I cannot think of a single negative thing to say about this movie; the two hour running time just flies past, and for the first time, I enjoyed watching Sacha Baron Cohen. And yet, it's perhaps not involving enough to earn five stars, but a very solid 4. Don't listen to the naysayers; if you're a sucker for simple joyful storytelling, young or old, just watch it. Charming, delightful, delicious- all those words and a few more. When I've re-read the book, and given this a second watching, I may up this to five stars.

I love this film, it's a beautifully made, uplifting period piece that celebrates the magic of cinema and one of it's earliest pioneers. An intelligent and beautifully constructed plot weaves fact and fiction into a hugely enjoyable historical entertainment. Based on the illustrated novel “The Invention Of Hugo Cabret” by Brian Selznick it brings the characters and Paris settings to life and highlights the work of Georges Méliès who appears as a character, played by Ben Kingsley. The cast is uniformly excellent, the photography and special effects colourful and well-realised, making this a very pleasurable family film. Although this was made with 3D in mind it works very well in conventional screening – though it benefits from viewing on the largest screen you can find. The DVD release presents a sharp, well-mastered transfer in 16x9 ratio; there are English SDH subtitles. There's a decent selection of extras including a “making of”, a short piece on Méliès, a look at the effects, a piece on the automaton featured in the movie and a short consideration of Sacha Baron Cohen's role in the film. Warmly recommended.

A delightful family friendly fantasy film. Great cast, well acted. In my opinion it's well worth watching.

I had not expected very much of this film, thinking it might be more child's play but was surprised that it mostly concentrated on the early pioneering filmmaker Georges Meleis, and as played by Ben Kingsley, was far the most interesting and well acted part in the film, but then isn't that to be expected from this most versatile and distinguished actor? Asa Butterfield as young Hugo I thought gave an honest performance, neither under or overplayed and thus was also engaging enough for me to see the film to its conclusion. However, the most annoying for me was Sacha Baron Cohen as the station master who despite seemingly to imply a humorous part, relied more on an out of place sloppy London accent and one dimensional character for which might have been more bearable had he used a pseudo French speaking voice. Having said that, the effects, scenic designs and music were perfection, but the pace of many of its scenes {surprisingly for its director Martin Scorsese) sadly slowed any potential of my being taken in more completely, by what seemed a unique way of presenting its subject as well as a tribute to the origins of the filmmakers art.

It presents such a wonderful story with great drama, excitement and also human kindness. The actors are well chosen and the two youngsters give great performances. The locations and sets are exceptiomal as are the clockwork machinery and the automaton human form. Now a classic of course and thoroughly enjoyable!

Really enjoyed this film - had not read the book before seeing it (but have since done so because it so inspired me!), but was totally gripped after the first few scenes. This film is set in Paris and has a very French depth to it (although it is directed by Martin Scorsese), with two main threads running through the story line. The central boy character, Hugo, is like a more up to date Oliver Twist and his efforts to fix a broken clockwork 'robot' draw the viewer in. The other main plot traces the origins of film making itself and is very interesting. This film is a clever mix of the two stories with added humour in the tyrannical station master (Sacha Baron Cohen) and many thrilling scenes to keep the interest. I can thoroughly recommend it as well as the book on which it is based

See the trailer. If you find it interesting, you will love the movie. My wife and I first saw it in 2D. We loved it so much we bought the 3D version a few days later and watched it again. Wonderful, wonderful!

Hugo is based on a book called "The Invention of Hugo Cabret". Hugo is an orphan who lives within the walls of a Paris train station, keeping numerous clocks wound up. The reason he does this is because he doesn't want anyone to know that his uncle has left him alone (the uncle was supposed to be taking care of the clocks), and the station policeman is always looking for orphans to take to an orphanage. Hugo is also finishing a project that he and his father were working on before his father was killed in a fire. An automaton. There is a mystery about the automaton, and Hugo is determined to solve it. Even without the intriguing story, Hugo is worthwhile viewing just for the magnificent visual effects, creative sets and amazing photography, At times, the story seems to be taking place in an antique French painting, the colours are so stunning. The music aptly fits every scene and adds to the mysteriousness of the movie. There is a visually dramatic dream sequence to take your breath away. The storyline manages to take us into the birth of the film industry through the advanced technology and genius of what is produced today. Superb performances by all the actors contribute greatly to the success of this movie. There is one scene that alludes to sexual "relations" and becoming pregnant, but it's brief and not explained. I would recommend this movie for teens and adults. Younger children might be fascinated with the special effects, but I wouldn't expect they would understand much of the storyline.

Den här filmen är som en visuell explosion i 3D, suger in betraktaren i miljöerna och den finstämda berättelsen. Känns lite som att man är där och då. För mig vinner den verkligen på 3D-formatet.

Visually stunning, but not one of Scorcese's better efforts. Very much like The Age of Innocence in impact, it really is a vehicle for a single protagonist who is not the lead in the picture.

Seit dem Tod seines Vaters lebt der zwölfjährige Hugo bei seinem versoffenen Onkel Claude, der im Pariser Bahnhof Montparnasse dafür sorgt, dass alle Uhren stets aufgezogen werden und richtig gehen. Als Claude eines Tages verschwindet, übernimmt der Junge diese Aufgabe und vollzieht sie von allen ungesehen. Nach der getanen Arbeit widmet er sich dem einzigen Erbstück, das sein Vater einst aus dem Museum, in dem er arbeitete, mitgenommen hatte: Einem mechanischen Menschen, der in der Lage ist, zu schreiben. Doch der Apparat ist defekt und die notwendigen Ersatzteile stiehlt Hugo beim im Bahnhof ansässigen Spielwarenladen. Dessen Besitzer, Papa Georges, erwischt den Knaben jedoch beim Diebstahl und in Folge der Ereignisse hilft ihm Hugo im Laden. Und so kommt Hugo einem traurigen Geheimnis hinter Georges auf die Spur und beschließt, dem angeschlagenen Alten wieder einen Lebenssinn zu geben. Aber wie es nun mal so ist, läuft kein Plan hürdenfrei ab und meistens sind es diejenigen, denen man eigentlich etwas Gutes tun will, die sich widersetzen. Ein Hindernis für Hugo und seine Freundin Isabelle? Vor mittlerweile 13 Jahren sah ich "Hugo Cabret" im Kino und war sicher nicht der einzige, der eigentlich etwas ganz anderes erwartet hat. Während die Trailer eine magische Welt á la "Harry Potter" suggerierten, ist Hugos Abenteuer weitaus mehr in der Realität verankert, als man es eigentlich denken würde. Bei meinem zweiten Durchgang im Heimkino wusste ich also in etwa, was mich erwartet und damit war der Fokus auf die eigentliche Erzählung viel intensiver vorhanden - etwas, das man für den wahren Genuss an "Hugo", so der Originaltitel, unbedingt braucht. Denn eigentlich geht es um die Magie des Filmes und die Würdigung der Leistung des diesbezüglichen Pioniers Georges Méliès, dem hier quasi 73 Jahre nach seinem Tod ein cineastisches Denkmal gesetzt wurde. Er war einer der ersten, der dem neuen Medium "Film" (nicht nur, aber) auch kreative Szenen hinzufügte und dessen Möglichkeiten, den Menschen Geschichten zu erzählen, erkannte. Viele entscheidende Etappen seines Lebens sind in "Hugo Cabret" verarbeitet worden, aber natürlich nicht ohne den stets betonten "magischen" Sog einer filmischen Erzählung zu vernachlässigen. Das Ergebnis ist eine der gelungendsten Synthesen aus Wahrheit und Fiktion, die ich jemals sehen durfte und in Kombination mit dem herausragenden Handwerk, begonnen bei Martin Scorseses routinierter Regiearbeit über Howard Shores passende musikalische Untermalung bis hin zur schauspielerischen Leistung der (damaligen) Kinder und den glänzend besetzten "Nebenrollen" (u.a. Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lee, Jude Law...), ist "Hugo Cabret" ein kleines Monument für sich selbst. Zur Technik der Scheibe: Visuell gibt es nichts auszusetzen. Manchmal müssen einige magische Weichzeichner ran, um die Effekte harmonisch in die Bildkomposition einzubinden, aber in allen anderen Szenen sitzen Detailgrad und Farbgebung bestens. Der deutsche Ton liegt in DD 5.1 vor, ist damit der englischen Spur in DTS-HD MA 7.1 natürlich unterlegen, aber bietet auch merklich gute Surroundeffekte, wenn es darauf ankommt (z.B. in der wunderbaren Szene, als Isabell und Hugo unfreiwillig Papa Georges Geheimtruhe öffnen und die Papiere durch die Gegend flattern). Die Extras bieten u.a. Einblicke in die Produktion des Filmes, Highlight war für mich aber ein passables Porträt rund um das Leben und die Leistungen Georges Méliès, das hier einfach nicht fehlen durfte. Klasse, dass man hier sogar an diese Form von Bildungsprogramm dachte, so kann der geneigte Zuschauer sogar noch etwas lernen. Ein wunderbarer Film mit ganz eigener Magie, viel Herz und einer Erzählweise, wie sie wohl nur die ganz großen Regisseure adaptieren können.