Hugo
Movie, 2011, The 2010s, Set in A Paris train station
Hugo is #22 of 26 in release order and #22 of 26 in chronological order in the Martin Scorsese.
The story
Orphaned and alone except for an uncle, Hugo Cabret lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. Hugo's job is to oil and maintain the station's clocks, but to him, his more important task is to protect a broken automaton and notebook left to him by his late father. Accompanied by the goddaughter of an embittered toy merchant, Hugo embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of the automaton and find a place he can call home.
Hugo recap
Hugo (2011) follows Hugo Cabret, an orphan living in the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, who is trying to fix his late father's automaton. Martin Scorsese directs from John Logan's adaptation of Brian Selznick's book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, shot in 3D. Asa Butterfield plays Hugo, Ben Kingsley plays Georges, the grumpy toy seller in the station, Chloe Grace Moretz plays his goddaughter Isabelle, and Sacha Baron Cohen plays the Station Inspector, who hunts orphans with his dog. Hugo's father, a clockmaker, died in a museum fire, and his drunken uncle Claude has disappeared. Hugo steals parts from Georges, who confiscates his father's notebook. Isabelle wears a heart-shaped key that fits the automaton, and it draws a scene from A Trip to the Moon signed Georges Melies, her godfather. With the film historian Rene Tabard (Michael Stuhlbarg), they learn Georges is the forgotten pioneer of film magic. Hugo sits between Shutter Island and The Wolf of Wall Street.
Hugo ending explained
Hugo ends with Georges Melies celebrated again. Rene screens his surviving copy of A Trip to the Moon at Georges's home, and Georges tells how he lost his studio and burned his films after the war. Hugo runs to fetch the automaton, is caught by the Inspector, escapes onto the clock face, and is saved from an oncoming train by the Inspector himself. Georges claims Hugo as his own. Later a gala restores Georges's films, and Isabelle starts writing Hugo's story.
Post-credits scenes
No. Hugo has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Hugo
Hugo is streaming on Kanopy and Hoopla in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.5/10, Rotten Tomatoes 93%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Shutter Island, before The Wolf of Wall Street.
- Chronological order: after Shutter Island, before The Wolf of Wall Street.
Cast
- Asa Butterfield as Hugo Cabret
- Ben Kingsley as Georges Méliès
- Chloë Grace Moretz as Isabelle
- Sacha Baron Cohen as Station Inspector
- Ray Winstone as Uncle Claude
- Emily Mortimer as Lisette
- Christopher Lee as Monsieur Labisse
- Helen McCrory as Mama Jeanne
- Michael Stuhlbarg as René Tabard
- Frances de la Tour as Madame Emilie
- Richard Griffiths as Monsieur Frick
- Jude Law as Hugo's Father
Directed by Martin Scorsese.