Hugo — Movies for Lawyers — The Act Of Communication Point Of View
From Katherine:
Okay. So I have, of course, been watching Martin Scorsese films since Mean Streets. And as time has gone by I have come to associate his filmmaking less with his Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and more with his Goodfellas. In other words, I have stopped recognizing his huge variety as an amazing auteur. I have been thinking blood and guts for decades. Blood and guts have never been my kind of catharsis, in case you haven’t picked up on that from this blog. So when the advertising campaign for Hugo kept touting this as “the film Scorsese has always wanted to make,” I got a picture in my head of blood, guts, death and destruction all set in Paris. When people I knew and trusted said it was great and that I should definitely check it out I thought, “Yeah. Right. Whatever.” Actually, it was only because I was in a hotel room somewhere in America and I had promised you that I would see Oscar movies a few blogs ago that I thought, “Huh. Hugo. Okay. If it sucks, I can always turn it off and check out the little bottles of scotch in the mini bar for entertainment.”
I was so wrong. This film is a brilliant adaptation of Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Every moment is written, acted, produced, shot, edited, and, especially directed, with such love.
What can lawyers learn from this wonderful film? Hat in hand, I must say that you should learn not to assume. Don’t think just because you think you know this case, this opponent, this client, this judge, this — well…ANYTHING — that you actually do. Inhale, exhale and try to look with fresh eyes at the case in front of you right now that you are regarding with jaded eyes. And please run, do not walk, to see this one. It is simply magic!
TIP: When you “assume” you make an “ass” of “u” and “me.”
Katherine,
I admit that I am suffering a bi of 3-D fatigue, not least of which because of the $3 premium for tickets to 3-D movies. I particularly object to films that are converted to 3-D post-production. That said, I would highly recommend that you find a way to see Hugo in a theater in 3-D. Part of what makes the film so engrossing and joyful is the way in which the filmmakers immerse the audience in the mechanized world that comprises the home of our young protagonist. His life is a machine, with all of the cogs and gears slowly and methodically driving him to his fate. That feeling is beautifully magnified by watching it in 3-D. I think it is worth the price of admission just to experience that opening shot of us flying into the train station.
Joe-Bob says “Check it out!” <– Obscure reference for your puzzlement
-Edward