In 1931 Paris, an orphan living in the walls of a train station gets wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers:

John Logan (screenplay by), Brian Selznick (based on the book entitled "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by)
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Popularity
1,347 ( 87)
Won 5 Oscars. Another 56 wins & 191 nominations. See more awards »

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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
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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. Hugo needs to find the key to unlock the secret he believes it contains. On his adventures, he meets George Melies, a shopkeeper, 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. Written by napierslogs

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Discover the Key to the Mystery. See more »


Certificate:

M/12 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Richardson's win on the Oscar's cinematographic category for this movie means that he, Emmanuel Lubezki, and Vittorio Storaro are the only present living cinematographers to win the award three times. See more »

Goofs

A few pen strokes after the automaton begins to write, it stops and brings its elbow back to its side. In the next shot, however, the pen is still out in the middle of the paper, as if the arm were still extended. In the same scene, the automaton finishes its larger drawing, pulls its elbow back to its side, and raises its head upright to signal it is finished (at around 54 mins). In a subsequent shot, the head is still angled downward to the paper (at around 55 mins). See more »

Quotes

Uncle Claude: There was a fire. Your father's dead. Pack your things, quickly. You're coming with me. Quick!
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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. See more »

Connections

Spoofed in HugeOH!: A Hugo Parody (2012) See more »

Soundtracks

Six Gnossiennes: No. 1 Lent
Written by Erik Satie
Performed by Aldo Ciccolini
Courtesy of EMI Music France
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music
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User Reviews

 
An ode to Cinema
28 December 2012 | by mike-wright-1See all my reviews

Since its release, I've been confused why Martin Scorsese made this film. I knew very little about it of course, only that it was an adventure movie about an orphan boy living in the walls of a Paris train station. It certainly doesn't sound very Scorsese-like.

However that is merely the framing for what is an ode to the earliest days of cinema, and in particular one of its true pioneers, Georges Melies. With references to "Arrival of a Train" – one of the world's first films by the Lumiere brothers, Melies's "A Trip to the Moon" and many others, this really is a treat for movie fans. Yes on a very basic level it is a children's movie, but really there's far more here for adults. Scorsese wonderfully juxtaposes his most technologically advanced film yet to demonstrate the genius and inventiveness of cinema in its earliest days.

There are fine performances from the two children, as well as Ben Kingsley as Melies and Sasha Baron Cohen as a determined and love struck station inspector. I actually thought that Helen McCrory stole the show as Melies' wife Mama Jeanne.

I never got to see Hugo in 3D, but the blu ray version looks truly sumptuous, with some breath taking imagery of early 20th century Paris. The film does tailor off significantly towards the end, with Scorsese seemingly unsure of what to do with the final act once the children had solved their mystery. What comes before is truly magical though and this film gets a big thumbs up from me.


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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook | Official site | See more »

Country:

UK | USA | France

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 February 2012 (Portugal) See more »

Also Known As:

A Invenção de Hugo See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,364,505, 27 November 2011

Gross USA:

$73,864,507

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$185,770,310
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Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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