Marty's once-a-decennial masterpiece already?

Rating: 8/10 (21 December 2011)

Martin Scorsese is back. This time the director has taken a new direction by bringing The Invention of Hugo Cabret to life, making a film for all ages instead of the usual adult target demographic. So if you're under 18 and have been looking forward to his next project for a while, fearing it may fall into the 18-rated category, like his previous masterpieces have, so you cannot get into the cinema, well there's no need to. But after looking to have been accustomed to creating brilliant gangster flicks, does Scorsese's attempt at making a kid's film succeed?
Well to begin with, his recreation of a 30's Paris is an ambitious and a realistic one, with the inspiration clearly coming from classic French comedy Under the Roofs of Paris. This Paris is a wonderful sight to see straight from the beginning of the film as Scorsese utilises his signature long tracking shot to take the audience through the subject train station and finish on a focus of our lead character Hugo's face. On a further note, Scorsese noticeably uses the long tracking shot in the film twice more, once subsequent to the one aforementioned where it follows Hugo travelling down the clock (effective because Scorsese is taking the audience on the adventure with Hugo) and once near the end, taking the audience around one room (I won't spoil by describing what happens, because this shot is the conclusion of everyone's story in the film) – this timelessly impressive technique and the cinematography in general is beautiful, it's part of why Hugo is enjoyable. Back to where I was - the bonus of the opening shot is the glorious 3D.
And the glory of the 3D isn't just in the opening shot. Continuously throughout the film Scorsese reminds us that he has literally already mastered the use of 3D in just only one motion picture – if it is not exactly perfect, it is certainly the best since Avatar. Look out for the amazing shot of Sacha Baron Cohen's station inspector's face peering towards the left of the frame, leaning towards the frame as he questions Hugo when the boy is questioned about the trouble caused at the beginning of the narrative. I believe Scorsese has a more than likely chance of succeeding in future attempts at using 3D. I mean, he's arguably America's greatest filmmaker right now and has been for a long time.
Going back to Sacha Baron Cohen – as well as placing us spectators in an uncomfortable position by leaning his face towards us (a nod to the uncomfortable finale of The Great Train Robbery), he provides plenty of humour in the film, like he would be expected to. He does an amazing job performing as the Station Inspector, breaking his comedy barrier by displaying heart in this role too. Joining him is a wonderful cast featuring Asa Butterfield as Hugo, turning in fantastically; Chloë Grace Moretz as Hugo's new-found friend Isabella, utilising the talent in acting she has been blessed with at a young age; Ben Kingsley as the legendary Georges Méliès, entirely convincing and three-dimensional, this is possibly one of the year's Supporting Actor nominees.
It is an ideology of the film that Georges Méliès is a forgotten legend. A large part of the story revolves around him and his movie-making past (this film is set at a time where his filmmaking career is over, financially he is out of his luck and resorting to running a toy store). This film tells us that his revolutionary filmmaking techniques are responsible for the magic we see on the big screen today – he discovered substitution, multiple exposures, cross fading and dissolves.
I'm going to stop analysing further now and conclude that Hugo is a masterpiece, without a doubt, it excels in every aspect of filmmaking and even though it is completely different to almost any children's film you will see this year, Scorsese has created something marvellous for all the ages. It is also Scorsese's (very fitting) tribute to cinema and the reason I've concluded abruptly is because I believe this fascinating article should be read – thefilmstage.com/features/10-classic-films-you- must-watch-before-seeing-martin-scorseses-hugo/. This article explains how Scorsese's Hugo is a fitting tribute to cinema, in particular Méliès, who changed cinema forever. Watching the ten films on the list will enhance your viewing experience and make Hugo more enjoyable to watch as you point out the classic film references to the person next to you
Verdict: Scorsese has made a masterpiece every decade: 70's - Taxi Driver, 80's - Raging Bull, 90's - Goodfellas, 00's - The Departed. Hugo may already just be his masterpiece for this decade.