For about half the film, however, we are unaware of the toy seller’s identity, leaving us to concentrate on the trying circumstances of our youthful protagonist as he struggles for survival. The acting is wooden at times and the action moves in fits and starts but the set design of clock mechanisms by Dante Ferretti grabs our imagination and is nothing short of remarkable. Sacha Baron Cohen plays the ruthless inspector determined to keep the station free of petty thieving orphans, yet visibly in love with Lisette (Emily Mortimer) a flower seller.
The source material is a graphic novel by Brian Selznick (a cousin of Hollywood mogul David O. Selznick). John Logan did the screen adaptation and “the visual approach centered initially around Brian’s illustrations, the depth of which begged for provocative translation, and 3-D provided that for us” related legendary DP Robert Richardson, ASC, in the latest issue of American Cinematographer magazine.
In the second half of the film everything clicks as Isabelle (an engaging and fascinating Chloe Moretz) becomes Hugo’s best friend and brings the grumpy old toy seller out of his cocoon and reintroduces us to Melies’ life and art. Scorsese, the film professor, brings to fruition the brilliance of Melies’ early films in a tour de force of visual virtuosity. This is a must see film in a 3 D theater!