Hugo
I recently saw "Hugo" and found it to be a wonderful movie. I
have not read the book, so I do not know how close one is to the other -
I will use what was depicted in the movie for this discussion.
"Hugo" was expertly directed (Martin Scorsese) and the story was very well told. The foreshadowing was woven into the story beautifully and the acting was great. I would recommend it to just about anyone who loves movies and the art of movie making.
In this story, like the Three Musketeers, the mind, body, and spirit characters work to transform a fourth character - George Melies (played by Ben Kingsley).
Hugo is an orphan with a passion for clockwork. His father was a clockmaker and once found an "automaton" hidden in an old museum. He promised to work with Hugo to fix the machine, but before it was complete, Hugo's father died. Later in the film, when the automaton is finally fixed, he expects it to create a message from his dead father. He admits its silly, but he still expects it.
When Hugo wants to do something special for his friend, Isabelle, he breaks into a movie theater because movies are like dreams in the middle of the day, as Hugo's father once said. As they are breaking in, Isabelle is worried they might get into trouble, but Hugo replies, "That's how you know it's an adventure."
In the story, Hugo works as the 'spirit' of his uncle, who has been missing for many months (and is actually drowned, as we find out later). Hugo remains hidden in the clocks of the train station, keeping them in good repair, just as his uncle taught him.
Isabelle is shocked when she thinks Hugo doesn't like books, and relieved when she discovers he does. She is apparently a regular customer at the local bookshop and is a walking thesaurus. She prides herself on her vocabulary, which occasionally trips up others, including Hugo. Isabelle also provides information for Hugo when Melies takes his sketchbook containing the drawings he needs to fix the automaton. It is her connection and friendship with the bookshop owner that leads them to a clue about the automaton's connection with a particular motion picture.
The only thing the automaton does in the movie is draw a message and get repaired by Hugo, but its role is profoundly more important. It is only a machine, in the form of a human body, that draws a picture when set into motion. It has no mind or spirit of its own, which is symbolic of Georges Melies, a man who has lost his spirit and has stopped using his creative genius. So, as Hugo and Isabelle work to repair the automaton (and as the automaton becomes a more important part of their lives), Melies begins healing and recovering his lost spirit and genius.
As a side note, the "Harry Potter mafia" showed itself again in this film. I've noticed that if a movie has one actor or actress from Harry Potter, there will almost always be one more from Harry Potter in the cast. In this case, Richard Griffiths (Vernon Dursley), Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy), and Frances de la Tour (Madame Maxime) all appear in the cast of "Hugo."
"Hugo" was expertly directed (Martin Scorsese) and the story was very well told. The foreshadowing was woven into the story beautifully and the acting was great. I would recommend it to just about anyone who loves movies and the art of movie making.
In this story, like the Three Musketeers, the mind, body, and spirit characters work to transform a fourth character - George Melies (played by Ben Kingsley).
The Spirit Character - Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield)
Hugo is an orphan with a passion for clockwork. His father was a clockmaker and once found an "automaton" hidden in an old museum. He promised to work with Hugo to fix the machine, but before it was complete, Hugo's father died. Later in the film, when the automaton is finally fixed, he expects it to create a message from his dead father. He admits its silly, but he still expects it.
When Hugo wants to do something special for his friend, Isabelle, he breaks into a movie theater because movies are like dreams in the middle of the day, as Hugo's father once said. As they are breaking in, Isabelle is worried they might get into trouble, but Hugo replies, "That's how you know it's an adventure."
In the story, Hugo works as the 'spirit' of his uncle, who has been missing for many months (and is actually drowned, as we find out later). Hugo remains hidden in the clocks of the train station, keeping them in good repair, just as his uncle taught him.
The Mind Character - Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz)
Isabelle is shocked when she thinks Hugo doesn't like books, and relieved when she discovers he does. She is apparently a regular customer at the local bookshop and is a walking thesaurus. She prides herself on her vocabulary, which occasionally trips up others, including Hugo. Isabelle also provides information for Hugo when Melies takes his sketchbook containing the drawings he needs to fix the automaton. It is her connection and friendship with the bookshop owner that leads them to a clue about the automaton's connection with a particular motion picture.
The Body Character - The Automaton
The only thing the automaton does in the movie is draw a message and get repaired by Hugo, but its role is profoundly more important. It is only a machine, in the form of a human body, that draws a picture when set into motion. It has no mind or spirit of its own, which is symbolic of Georges Melies, a man who has lost his spirit and has stopped using his creative genius. So, as Hugo and Isabelle work to repair the automaton (and as the automaton becomes a more important part of their lives), Melies begins healing and recovering his lost spirit and genius.
As a side note, the "Harry Potter mafia" showed itself again in this film. I've noticed that if a movie has one actor or actress from Harry Potter, there will almost always be one more from Harry Potter in the cast. In this case, Richard Griffiths (Vernon Dursley), Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy), and Frances de la Tour (Madame Maxime) all appear in the cast of "Hugo."
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