Hugo - two thumbs up!

On Christmas day we went to see the movie Hugo.  We have a long-standing custom of seeing a movie on Christmas day.  On Christmas day, I want to see something magical and miraculous and happy and up lifting.  This year we saw the perfect movie.
The movie Hugo is based upon the children's novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  This is a very uncharacteristic Martin Scorsese movie which explores my favorite genre of writing which is creative non-fiction.  The story is fictional except for the fact that it tells some sort of historic truth.  The factual portion of this story is about Georges Melies. 
The story begins with Hugo's father bringing an automaton home from the museum where he works.  The quest to bring the automaton to life becomes the father son project of Hugo and his father, played (briefly) by Jude Law.  (An automaton is a non-electric self-operating machine- often, a robot resemmbling a human or an animal.)

Hugo with father and automaton

Much of the story takes place in a Paris train station where Hugo employs himself as the keeper of the clocks.  He peers at the world from the clock above.  Hugo Cabret is played by Asa Butterfield, (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.)

Hugo watches from above

The evil villain, the Inspector, is played by Sacha Baron Cohen who is best remembered for his role as Borat Sagdiyev, in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America fro Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.  (Which I saw under absolute and complete protest.)

evil villain

Georges Melies is played by a similar looking Ben Kingsley.  Oh what beautiful brown eyes.  Kingsley is strict, cruel, kind, caring and vulnerable.

Georges Melies played by Ben Kingsley

The female counter-part to Hugo, Isabelle, is played by Chloe Grace Moretz.  Does this girl have a future or what?  What gorgeous lips! Her eyes dance.  My favorite line in the movie is when Hugo leads her on an adventure in which they might get into trouble.  Her response:  "that's how you know it is an adventure!"

discovery of the key

You have to have a chase scene.  I was holding my breath.

frightening

The factual part of the story line as I have mentioned is the real life of Georges Melies. 


the real life Georges Melies

 The recreated film scenes are lavish and artfully colored with a soft pastel color scheme. 
Without giving away the story, I hope that I might compel you to go see this movie.  You won't be sorry.  And let me know if you recognize a certain street musician playing at the train station.