Hugo

Light, time and cinematic magic are gorgeously portrayed in Martin Scorsese' Hugo, a delight in film for all ages. Before the opening titles even appear, we are welcomed to a world of rich texture and continuous transition. A boy with luminous eyes watches from inside a luminous large clock face the motions of the City of Light. This boy, Hugo, resides within the clockworks of a train station in Paris. Worlds within worlds ensue in portrayal, all to magnificent degrees of delight.

The production quality on this film is extraordinary. Although I did not view it in 3-D, I was utterly transfixed and convinced by the reality conveyed and the characters depicted. Asa Butterfield portrays Hugo and Chloe Grace Mortetz plays his friend Isabelle. They are both superb and very well directed. Hugo watches (and takes care of clocks), Isabelle reads and extends his social world. She provides connection, he deepens her observations. They both explore time, narrative and theatrical magic, each in their own manner.

The priggish and prudish Station Inspector, a terrific Sasha Baron Cohen, looms like a shadow of obsessive and heartless time keeping. His injured leg has a malfunctioning leg brace. Thus, he is the ideal monster in a system of potential mechanical magic.

And, at the heart of all this beauty and wonder is Scorsese' deep love of film, the history of film, and the value of film as a story telling and transformative device. After a lifetime of filmmaking, Hugo expresses his dedication and love with a luminous gaze.