Scorsese went a route in the making of Hugo that is no where near any of his other films. But with saying that, this film had Martin Scorsese’s finger prints all over it. The camera work, colors, dialogue, storytelling, plot, characters, sound, themes, and almost every aspect of the film was flawless. The concept and metaphoric symbolism of Hugo being a clock operator was brilliant and what we will discuss first.
“I’d imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured, if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn’t be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.” – Hugo
This particular quote by Hugo made my smile, think, laugh, and wonder how Scorsese is a genius. This explained and foreshadowed Hugo’s journey throughout the movie. He was just a part of the machine that kept the world going and this film in general is sort of like a part of Scorsese’s machine. Hugo is just a part in his big machine that is necessary for it all to work. It is a film that stopped his critics cold in their tracks, critics that said Scorsese could only make movies about violence and in New York.
Martin Scorsese has taught me one lesson, in particular, and not what I thought I would learn; never forget those who came before you in the movies. In my last Scorsese post, I mentioned how The Wizard of Oz reference to Dorothy was simply Marty paying homage to the film. I mentioned how he used identical shots from Citizen Kane in the movie The Aviator and how a Wolf of Wall Street scene was a tip of the cap to a movie almost 80 years ago. Well…. it was only fitting that Martin Scorsese finally created a film that’s complete creation was geared towards paying homage to the originators of film. It was beautifully orchestrated where history of film was sprinkled and given to us throughout the movie in clips, books, pictures until finally we were blessed with a masterpiece montage, in color, of how we all have pictured how George Melies created these films back then.
Overall, this movie was flawless in paying homage to the originators and the production of the movie was magnificent. The Sasha Baron Cohen appearance was a nice treat for fans of his and I can not emphasis enough the beautiful cinematography and writing of the movie. I was somehow surprised by how good a Martin Scorsese film was as this was my first time seeing the film. I do recommend this movie to others.
8.8/10
Bryan Sanchez's Blog 
Hugo was a very interesting movie to say the least. I at first thought it was going to be boring since it seemed to be a kids movie, but once we got over the first few minutes it kind of went off. I started getting into it, and it seemed that we wanted to hate the train station cop with his german shepard. It was pretty interesting though that he paid alot of credit to film directors before him.
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I really enjoyed this film. I left with a positive message. I would show this film to all walks of life and all ages. The message that I took from this film is that one has purpose. God doesn’t makes mistakes. I live by the principal that everything happens for a reason. And it rings true in this film. It sucks that Hugo lost his dad but in that happening, Hugo found a lifelong friend and a family that he actually feels apart of. It’s like a positive domino effect! One of Mart’ys best films hands down!
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Bryan,
This movie also surprised me as well. I remember when it first came out and not thinking very much of it. Years later, however, I heard that Scorsese made it, and that’s what made me interested. Scorsese seems to tell stories that he feels are essential in their own merit, and based on what you have examined, it is apparent that this movie absolutely belongs with Scorsese.
~Anthony
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There was a band in Paris at the time period the movie was set in that had amongst its members a guitar player named Django Reinhardt. The guitar player that was in the movie looked almost exactly like Reinhardt down to the mustache. To give you an idea of what Reinhardt looked like here is a video of him playing a guitar while hanging out in what looks to be a hotel room with his fellow band members:
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That is such a powerful Hugo quote you chose, and as I tell everyone who I commented on who wrote about Hugo I absolutely loved Hugo, and I am so glad you talked about it. Great post as always Bryan, keep up the good work!
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When I first heard about Hugo, I initially played it off as just another kids movie, and I am ashamed that I did so. Hugo is incredible. Not only is it incredibly emotional and beautiful, but the plot and wonderful characters sit with you even when you’re done watching. Great stuff, Bryan!
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