Movie Retrospective Review: "Hugo"

When I first saw "Hugo" last year, I saw it out of interest, and possible because of its oscar potential. I was quite tired, as it was a late showing, and despite the 3D, I wasn't wowed. Part of this is, because of the advertising, I expected a fantasy film. Which, when seeing robots, and a robot as a boy, was expected. So I was disappointed with the end result, but I needed to re-evaluate it, both from a less sleep-deprived state, and knowing what the film actually was.

And doing that, I realized that "Hugo" was actually a beautiful film. The cinematography is beautiful; I especially like the first shot of Paris superimposed with a clock. The scenes of Hugo climbing up the clock tower, and the way they're shot, was really nice. I still don't quite feel for Hugo's character per se, but I do feel more of a relation with Melies. Looking up some stuff about him afterwards, I was impressed with how much the movie stayed true to the real person. From being a magician, to building his own camera and film studio, to burning his works, the movie covered a lot of his life. And, I didn't realize how pivotal to film some of the things Melies did was, such as the stop trick, dissolve, and other film techniques.

I can see why people, including the AMPAS, loved this film. It's beautifully shot, well-acted, and highlights one of the pioneers of early cinema. This is a love letter to cinema, along with "The Artist," albeit expressed in a different way. I think that, while not as special to me as "The Artist," it's still a stellar, well-acted, well-crafted film that will hopefully have a lasting presence in film history.