Hugo (2011)

Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers:

John Logan (screenplay), Brian Selznick (book)

Stars:

Ben Kingsley, Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz

Won 5 Oscars. Another 45 wins & 101 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Kingsley	...	Georges Méliès
Sacha Baron Cohen	...	Station Inspector
Asa Butterfield	...	Hugo Cabret
Chloë Grace Moretz	...	Isabelle
Ray Winstone	...	Uncle Claude
Emily Mortimer	...	Lisette
Christopher Lee	...	Monsieur Labisse
Helen McCrory	...	Mama Jeanne
Michael Stuhlbarg	...	Rene Tabard
Frances de la Tour	...	Madame Emilie
Richard Griffiths	...	Monsieur Frick
Jude Law	...	Hugo's Father
Kevin Eldon	...	Policeman
Gulliver McGrath	...	Young Tabard
Shaun Aylward	...	Street Kid

Storyline

Hugo is an orphan boy living in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. He learned to fix clocks and other gadgets from his father and uncle which he puts to use keeping the train station clocks running. The only thing that he has left that connects him to his dead father is an automaton (mechanical man) that doesn't work without a special key which Hugo needs to find to unlock the secret he believes it contains. On his adventures, he meets with a shopkeeper, George Melies, who works in the train station and his adventure-seeking god-daughter. Hugo finds that they have a surprising connection to his father and the automaton, and he discovers it unlocks some memories the old man has buried inside regarding his past.

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Plot Keywords:

train station | train | clock | automaton | orphan | 

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Taglines:

One of the most legendary directors of our time takes you on an extraordinary adventure.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic material, some action/peril and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Filming Locations:

La Sorbonne, Paris 5, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$170,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$11,364,505 (USA) (18 November 2011)

Gross:

$73,820,094 (USA) (6 April 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, GK Films, Infinitum Nihil

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The opening track shot of the city ending at the train station was the very first shot designed and it took one year to complete. It required 1000 computers to render each frame required for the shot.

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Goofs

In the two scenes with a close-up on the tracks, you can see the rail fixed to cross-ties by Pandrol clips, instead of traditional bolts. Pandrol clips were used for the first time in 1957.

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Quotes

Georges Méliès: If you've ever wondered where your dreams come from, you look around... this is where they're made.

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Crazy Credits

There is only one opening credit, the film's title, which does not appear until nearly 15 minutes into the film.

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Connections

Features Corbett and Courtney Before the Kinetograph (1894)

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Soundtracks

"The Chase"
(uncredited)
Written by Howard Shore
Performed by Simon Chamberlain, Eddie Hessian, Chris Laurence, John Parricelli, Cynthia Millar, and Paul Clarvis

User Reviews

Visually Stunning. The best 3D to date

Saw it today in a sneak preview today at the Director's Guild in LA. James Cameron who was there professed it's a masterpiece and the best 3D to date. And he's right on both fronts. The film is exquisitely crafted. The cinematography and set design is likely going to take home a couple gold guys. It's a film lover's dream movie. As with many of Scorsese's films, it's an inspired film history lesson along side of being a dreamlike children's fable. A really unique combination that will work for the film enthusiasts and discerning family's with kids. Maybe a bit long for broad audiences with very little kids, but the images are so enchanting, it should win over most everybody. Sasha Baron Cohen is a brilliant and hilarious standout as the twitchy constable. It should be very well received just on the 3D alone.