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SIR BEN KINGSLEY (Pappa Georges)

After earning an Academy Award®, two Golden Globes and two BAFTA Awards for his riveting portrayal of Indian social leader Mahatma Gandhi, Sir BEN KINGSLEY (Pappa Georges / Georges Méliès) continues to bring unequaled detail and nuance to each role. In 1984, Kingsley was awarded the Padma Sri by Indira Gandhi and the government of India. Kingsley went on to earn three additional Oscar® nominations for “Bugsy” (1991), “Sexy Beast” (2000) and “House of Sand and Fog” (2003). His roles have been as diverse as his talents, from a sturdy vice president in “Dave” to the scheming Fagin in “Oliver Twist.” Since being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year’s Eve Honors List 2001, Kingsley has continued to earn honors as a truly international star.

Kingsley will next be seen in Sacha Baron Cohen’s next project, “The Dictator,” to be released in 2012. Kingsley was last seen starring in Martin Scorsese’s 1950s drama “Shutter Island,” with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Michelle Williams, as well as Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” with Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton.

He recently was the star of the sexually charged “Elegy,” opposite Penelope Cruz and directed by Isabel Coixet, for which he was nominated British Actor of the Year by the London Critics Circle Film Awards. He starred in two films at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, giving further perspective to his work: the Audience Award-winning and Grand Jury Prize-nominated “The Wackness,” in which he plays a drug-addled psychiatrist opposite Josh Peck, Famke Janssen, Olivia Thirlby and Mary-Kate Olsen; and the crime thriller “Transsiberian,” as a mysterious traveler opposite Woody Harrelson. He also starred in “50 Dead Men,” a thriller set against the dangerous backdrop of 1980s Ireland, and the more lighthearted crime comedy “War, Inc.,” opposite John Cusack.

Steeped in British theater, Kingsley marked the beginning of his professional acting career with his acceptance by the Royal Shakespeare Company in l967. He was seen in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Tempest” and “Julius Caesar” (as Brutus), and in the title roles in “Othello” and “Hamlet,” among others. His more recent and diverse stage roles include those in “The Country Wife,” “The Cherry Orchard,” “A Betrothal” and “Waiting for Godot.”

Kingsley’s film career began in l972 with the thriller “Fear Is the Key,” but his first major role came a decade later in the epic “Gandhi,” directed by Richard Attenborough. He followed this Oscar®-winning performance with such early films as “Betrayal,” “Turtle Diary,” “Harem,” “Pascali’s Island,” “Without a Clue” (as Dr. Watson to Michael Caine’s Sherlock Holmes) and “The Children,” opposite Kim Novak. During the ‘90s Kingsley distinguished himself through roles in “Bugsy” (as Mayer Lansky), “Sneakers,” “Searching For Bobby Fischer” and “Dave.” In 1994 he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his memorable supporting role as Itzhak Stern in Steven Spielberg’s seven-time Oscar® winner, “Schindler’s List.”

During the past decade, Ben Kingsley has remained a coveted and ubiquitous talent, starring in such films as “Rules of Engagement,” “What Planet Are You From?” and an Oscar®-nominated role as a brutal gangster in “Sexy Beast.” He received his most recent Oscar® nomination in 2004 for his performance as a proud Iranian emigrant in the highly acclaimed “House of Sand and Fog.” Among his films in the last several years are Roman Polanski’s “Oliver Twist,” the crime drama “Lucky Number Slevin,” John Dahl’s “You Kill Me” and the Roman empire saga “The Last Legion.”

SACHA BARON COHEN (Station Inspector)

SACHA BARON COHEN (Station Inspector) made his mark in the comedy world as his alter ego Ali G, host of HBO’s popular, multiple-Emmy-nominated comedy “Da Ali G Show.” Initially regarded as the #1 comedy phenomenon in England, the show was an instant success after airing on HBO in 2003. Baron Cohen originated the character of Ali G in 1998 on the British television comedy “The 11 O’Clock Show.” Baron Cohen served as an executive producer on the series, in addition to acting and writing for it. Fond of performing in character, Baron Cohen has twice hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards to record numbers, in 2001 as Ali G in Frankfurt, Germany, then in 2005 as Borat in Lisbon, Portugal. He won the GQ Man of the Year Award four times on both sides of the Atlantic and delivered the 2004 Class Day address at Harvard University as Ali G.

“Da Ali G Show” received six Emmy Award nominations. In 2003 it was nominated for Outstanding Non-Fiction Program, Outstanding Writing Non-Fiction Program, and Outstanding Directing Non-Fiction Program. In 2005 the show was nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series; Outstanding Writing, Variety, Music or Comedy Series; and Outstanding Directing, Variety, Music or Comedy Series. The show also received accolades in the UK prior to its stateside debut, with Sacha Baron Cohen garnering two BAFTA Awards.

After completing two seasons, Baron Cohen set out to conquer the world with “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” a feature film starring his second alter ego, Borat Sagdiyev, a Kazakhstani news reporter.

Baron Cohen is known worldwide for creating “one of the greatest comedies of the last decade and perhaps even a whole new genre of film,” according to Rolling Stone magazine. “Borat” opened #1 in 24 countries, while setting a U.S. box office record for films opening on 1000 screens or less which grossed more than $26 million. Ultimately, the film grossed more than $250 million worldwide. In 2007, Baron Cohen took home the Golden Globe® for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical and an Academy Award® nomination for Adapted Screenplay.

Since its release in November 2006, “Borat” has garnered numerous awards and honors. The film was named one of the Ten Most Outstanding Motion Pictures of the Year by AFI. Individually, Baron Cohen received Writer of the Year at the 2007 British Writers Guild Awards and was nominated for WGA Award in the Adapted Screenplay category. Baron Cohen won Best Actor awards from the Los Angeles Films Critics Association, Utah Film Critics, San Francisco Films Critics Circle, Toronto Film Critics Association and Online Film Critics.

His feature film projects include the hit comedy “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” with co-stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. He was also the voice behind the animated character King Julien in the DreamWorks Animation feature “Madagascar,” which grossed over $500 million worldwide. In 2008, Baron Cohen returned as the voice of King Julien in the sequel “Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa,” which grossed $594 million worldwide. In 2007, Baron Cohen appeared with Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s film adaptation of the classic Sondheim musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” In this Academy Award®-winning film, Baron Cohen co-starred as Signor Adolfo Pirelli, Todd’s (Depp) competitor in the haircutting world.

In 2009, Baron Cohen returned to the screen as Brüno, his other alter ego character from “Da Ali G Show.” Re-teaming with his “Borat” collaborator, Jay Roach, Baron Cohen helped produce and write “Brüno.” The Universal Pictures release grossed $138 million worldwide and won The Peter Sellers Award for Comedy.

Re-collaborating with director Larry Charles, Baron Cohen will be starring in the upcoming Paramount Pictures’ film “The Dictator,” which is scheduled for release in May 2012. Baron Cohen will also be working as a writer and producer of this highly anticipated film. The comedic film is based on the best-selling novel Zabibah and the King, which tells the story of dictator Saddam Hussein.

Undoubtedly Baron Cohen has captured audiences with his characters Brüno and Ali G, however, the true scope of his talent will be seen in the upcoming Freddie Mercury biopic, scheduled for release in 2013. Baron Cohen will star as Mercury, frontman for the band Queen, in the film, which tells the story of the years leading up to Queen’s appearance at the Live Aid concert in 1985. Academy Award® nominee Peter Morgan will write the film, with Academy Award® winner Robert De Niro producing.

Baron Cohen resides in both Los Angeles and London with his wife, actress Isla Fisher, and their two daughters.

ASA BUTTERFIELD (Hugo Cabret)

As a young actor, ASA BUTTERFIELD (Hugo Cabret) has endeared himself to audiences and garnered the attention of critics with his brilliant and captivating performances onscreen.

Prior to “Hugo,” he was seen in “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” opposite Vera Farmiga and David Thewlis, for which he was nominated for Most Promising Newcomer from the British Independent Film Awards and Young British Performer of the Year from the London Critics Circle Film Awards. His previous film credits include “Son of Rambow,” “The Wolfman” and “Nanny McPhee Returns.” His television credits include a recurring role on the BBC series “Merlin.”

CHLOË GRACE MORETZ (Isabelle)

CHLOË GRACE MORETZ (Isabelle) began a career in entertainment at the tender age of five. She began in New York City as a national model in many print outlets and television commercials. At age six she moved with her family to Los Angeles, where her career took a theatrical turn.

Quickly after moving to California, Chloë booked a recurring role on the CBS show "The Guardian" with Simon Baker. She had the fortune of being directed by Emilio Estevez for her very first theatrical outing. Her first feature film came soon thereafter in an independent film "The Heart of the Beholder." She immediately booked a lead role in Michael Bay's remake of "The Amityville Horror" for MGM, opposite Ryan Reynolds, and received critical acclaim for her work.

Chloë starred in the action-packed film adaptation of Mark Millar's comic book "Kick-Ass." The story follows a 15-year-old boy's attempts to become a real-life super-hero; sadly, he has no powers or any reason to choose to fight crime. Chloe plays the part of Hit-Girl, a ferocious potty-mouthed 11-year-old, who fights crime by teaming up with her father, Big-Daddy, played by Nicolas Cage. For her work in "Kick-Ass," Chloë earned the title of Most Likely to Succeed It-girl in the Making from Teen Vogue magazine.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid," the theatrical remake of Jeff Kinney's popular children's book series of the same name, was released in March 2010. Chloë plays the role of Angie, an intense middle school girl dressed in all black who is much smarter than her peers.

Moretz is currently in production on Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows," slated for release in 2012. Moretz will star alongside Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Michelle Pfeiffer in this gothic-horror tale, based on the popular "Dark Shadows" television series.

Chloë can most recently be seen starring as Abby in "Let Me In," written and directed by Matt Reeves, based on the Swedish novel and film, "Let the Right One In." The film tells the story of a young, bullied boy who finds love and revenge through Abby, who happens to be a beautiful young vampire.

Last year, Chloë wrapped production on "Texas Killing Fields," for director Ami Mann. The psychological thriller is based on true events that took place in a small Pennsylvania town in 1973. Chloë stars alongside Sam Worthington and Jessica Chastain.

Next year, Moretz will also be seen in the upcoming film "Hick," also starring Blake Lively, Juliette Lewis and Alec Baldwin. The story follows a Nebraska teen that gets more than she bargained for when she sets out for the bright lights of Las Vegas.

Moretz is also set to play the title role in the Dark Horse Entertainment film adaptation of "Emily the Strange," based on the popular character created by Rob Reger. The film will tell the story of the punk and gothic figure and her four cats, set to release in 2013.

Chloë's other feature film credits include: Fox Searchlight's offbeat romantic comedy "(500) Days of Summer," with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival; the psychological thriller "Not Forgotten," in which she starred alongside Paz Vega and Simon Baker; the indie film festival circuit favorite "The Third Nail"; the Martin Lawrence comedy hit sequel "Big Momma's House 2"; and the lead in "The Children," shot on location in Sofia, Bulgaria.

On the small screen, Chloë recently played a guest role on the NBC hit "30 Rock," with Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey, and can be seen throughout the second season of the ABC series "Dirty Sexy Money" as Kiki George, starring opposite Peter Krause and Donald Sutherland. Moretz also guest-starred on episodes of "My Name Is Earl" and "Desperate Housewives."

In addition to feature films and television, Chloë has also been using her acting abilities to bring life to animation through her voice. She was cast as the lead Darby in the new series "My Friends Tigger & Pooh" for Disney Animation, and lent her voice for the animated show "The Emperor's New School."

She currently resides in Los Angeles.

RAY WINSTONE (Uncle Claude)

RAY WINSTONE (Uncle Claude) was born in Hackney in the East End of London. He started boxing at the age of 12, was three-time London Schoolboy champion and fought twice for England. He studied acting at the Corona School before being cast by director Alan Clarke as Carlin (the Daddy) in "Scum."

This BBC Play production made Winstone's name and since then, he has appeared in numerous TV series and movies. After playing a starring role in Franc Roddam's "Quadrophenia" and being cast by Ken Loach in "Ladybird, Ladybird," Gary Oldman gave Winstone the lead role in his gritty biographical drama, "Nil By Mouth," for which he won a British Independent Film Award for Best Actor and earned a BAFTA Award nomination. His mesmerizing performance led to a succession of challenging roles, including Dave in the gangster movie "Face" and Dad in Tim Roth's disturbing drama "The War Zone." He also played in the comedy drama "Fanny and Elvis" before delivering one of the finest performances of his career, opposite Ben Kingsley in "Sexy Beast."

His television credits include the title roles in "Henry VIII" (which went on to win Best Mini-Series/TV Movie at the International Emmy Awards) and "Sweeney Todd" for BBC. Ray's most recent television credits are: the role of Quintus Arrius in "Ben Hur"; the HBO telefilm "Last of the Ninth"; and "Compulsion," a co-production with ITV and the third film for television from his company, Size 9 Productions. In 2006 Ray won an International Emmy Award for Best Actor for his eponymous role in "Vincent" (Granada/ITV).

His additional film credits include "Last Order," "Ripley's Game," "Cold Mountain," "King Arthur," "The Proposition," Scorsese's Oscar®-winning "The Departed," Anthony Minghella's "Breaking and Entering," the title role in Robert Zemeckis' "Beowulf" and Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." More recent projects include Gore Verbinski's "Rango"; Malcolm Venville's "44 Inch Chest"; "London Boulevard" and "Edge of Darkness," both for GK Films; "13" for director Géla Babluani; "Tracker" for Eden Films; "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" for Fox 2000; and "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll."

In December 2007, Ray received the Richard Harris Award for outstanding contribution at the British Independent Film Awards.

EMILY MORTIMER (Lisette)

EMILY MORTIMER's (Lisette) many film credits include her break-out role in the critically-acclaimed "Lovely & Amazing," a comical, bittersweet tale of four hapless, but resilient, women and the lessons they learn in keeping up with the hectic demands of their individual neuroses. The film brought Mortimer great critical acclaim and a 2003 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Mortimer most recently has been seen and heard in a wide range of performances, including: "Our Idiot Brother," directed by Jesse Peretz, starring opposite Elizabeth Banks and Zooey Deschanel as three sisters whose lives are disrupted by their well-meaning brother, played by Paul Rudd; the voice of Holly Shiftwell in John Lassester's box office hit "Cars 2"; Martin Scorsese's box office hit, "Shutter Island," which she played a mysterious patient of the clinic where the story is set; the hit comedy, "City Island," opposite Andy Garcia; the crime drama, "Harry Brown," in which she played a detective opposite Michael Caine; the thriller "Transsiberian," directed by Brad Anderson ("The Machinist"), starring opposite Woody Harrelson and Ben Kingsley; and "The Pink Panther 2," reprising her role of Nicole opposite Steve Martin.

Among Mortimer's upcoming projects include a starring role opposite Jeff Daniels in Aaron Sorkin's new show on HBO, "As the Story Develops."

Other recent films include the widely acclaimed, touching comedy "Lars and the Real Girl," opposite Ryan Gosling and Patricia Clarkson; David Mamet's "Redbelt," set in the Los Angeles world of mixed martial arts; Woody Allen's "Match Point," for which she received glowing reviews, starring alongside Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Matthew Goode; and the hit comedy "The Pink Panther," playing Nicole, Inspector Clouseau's hapless secretary, alongside Steve Martin.

Mortimer's film credits also include starring in Shona Auerbach's "Dear Frankie," earning a London Film Critics Award nomination as an impoverished single mother who has moved to a seaside Scottish town with her deaf child; acclaimed filmmaker David Mackenzie's first film, "Young Adam," starring Ewan McGregor, for which Mortimer earned a nomination as Best British Actress at the 2004 Empire Awards and a nomination for Best British Actress in a Supporting Role at the 2004 London Film Critics Circle Awards; leading the ensemble cast in Stephen Fry's directorial debut, "Bright Young Things"; Kenneth Branagh's "Love's Labour's Lost"; Shekhar Kapur's award-winning "Elizabeth"; "The Ghost and the Darkness," with Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer; "Formula 51," with Robert Carlyle and Samuel L. Jackson; Wes Craven's "Scream 3"; "The Kid," opposite Bruce Willis; and Helmut Schleppi's independent feature, "A Foreign Affair," with Tim Blake Nelson and David Arquette.

Mortimer also voiced the character of young Sophie in Walt Disney Studios' English-language version of "Howl's Moving Castle," directed by the renowned Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.

In addition to her several film projects, Mortimer has also starred in a range of television projects for the BBC and played the recurring role of Phoebe, a love interest for Alec Baldwin's character, during the 2007 season of the hit NBC series "30 Rock."

Mortimer's theater credits include making her off-Broadway debut at the Atlantic Theater (February, 2008 – April, 2008) in the World Premiere run of acclaimed playwright Jez Butterworth's "Parlour Song." Directed by Neil Pepe, the play looks at what happens when two ordinary people discover they hate what they have become.

Prior to "Parlour Song," Mortimer's other theater credits include productions of "The Merchant of Venice" for the Lyceum Theatre and "The Lights" for the Royal Court. While studying English at Oxford University, Mortimer had starring roles in numerous stage productions including: Ophelia in "Hamlet" at Oxford Shakespeare Festival; Gertrude in "Hamlet" and Lady Nijo/Winn in "Top Girls" at the Edinburgh Festival; Miss Burstner/Leni in "The Trial" at the Oxford Playhouse; and Helena in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Old Fire Station, Oxford. She also devised, directed and acted in a production of "Don Juan," which was a Drama Cupper's Winner.

In November 2007, Mortimer was invited by Eric Idle (Monty Python) to take part in his tryout run of his new play, "What About Dick?," for two public performances at the Ricardo Montalban Theater. The stellar cast included Billy Connolly, Tim Curry, Eric Idle, Eddie Izzard, Jane Leeves, Mortimer, Jim Piddock and Tracy Ullman. Subtitled "A Film for Radio," Idle's work-in-progress comedy involved the eight actors gathered together on stage to perform a classic radio drama, "What About Dick?," at the original Lux Radio Theater in 1948.

Mortimer was born in London, England. She is the daughter of famed writer Sir John Mortimer and Penelope Glossop. Mortimer attended the highly respected St. Paul's Girls School in Barnes, London, and then studied English and Russian at Oxford University from 1990-1994. She married actor Alessandro Nivola in 2002, and their son was born in 2003 and their daughter, in 2010.

HELEN McCRORY (Mama Jeanne)

The multi award-winning actress HELEN McCRORY (Mama Jeanne) has appeared in a multitude of roles on the stage. McCrory has worked extensively at Sam Mendes' Donmar Warehouse, playing lead roles in "How I Learned to Drive," "Old Times" (directed by Roger Michelle) and in Mendes' farewell double bill, "Twelfth Night" and "Uncle Vanya." Helen's other notable theater credits include: a sell-out run in the 2005 West End production of "As You Like It," which garnered her both an Olivier nomination and a nomination for Best Actress in the Theatregoer Choice Awards 2006; EndIbsen's dramatic masterpiece "Rosmersholm" (2008); and more recently, "The Late Middle Classes."

Helen has also received much critical acclaim for her work on the small screen. She starred in Peter Morgan's "The Jury" and won the Critics Circle Best Actress Award for her role in the Channel 4 series "North Square," having been previously nominated for her performance in "Fragile Heart." Her other TV work includes "Street Life," "Lucky Jim," "Dead Gorgeous," "Split Second," "The Entertainer," "Charles II" and the title role in "Anna Karenina." She has most recently shown her diversity as an actress by appearing opposite Ken Stott in the psychological thriller "Messiah: The Harrowing."

In film, Helen has starred in half a dozen British Independent features, including "The James Gang" for Mike Barker; "Dad Savage," opposite Patrick Stuart; Roger Mitchell's "Enduring Love"; and Gillian Armstrong's "Charlotte Gray." Helen has also worked on American studio productions, such as" The Count of Monte Cristo," "Interview With a Vampire" and in Lasse Hallström's "Casanova." She gained excellent reviews for her role as Cherie Blair in Stephen Frears film "The Queen" (2006). In 2010's "The Special Relationship," Helen reprised her role as Cherie Blair, starring alongside Michael Sheen. She voiced the character of Mrs. Bean in 2009's "Fantastic Mr. Fox." She also stars as the evil Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter films. Her most recent films include "We'll Take Manhattan" for BBC4 (January 2012), and is currently filming "Flying Blind," in which she plays the female lead.

CHRISTOPHER LEE (Monsieur Labisse)

Legendary actor Sir CHRISTOPHER LEE (Monsieur Labisse) is currently filming the anticipated big-screen treatment of the classic J.R.R. Tolkein novel, The Hobbit, for director Peter Jackson, for whom he starred in all three "Lord of the Rings" films. He will be reprising his role from "Rings," that of the powerful Sarumen.

Some of Lee's most recent motion picture work includes roles in a diverse array of films, including "Season of the Witch," opposite Nicolas Cage; Hammer Films' "The Resident," with Hilary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan; John Landis' comedy "Burke and Hare"; Tim Burton's hit version of "Alice in Wonderland" (as the voice of the Jabberwocky); the crime thriller "The Heavy"; Robin Hardy's re-telling of the classic thriller, "The Wicker Tree"; the ensemble British mystery, Stephen Poliakoff's "Glorious 39"; the dramatic war mystery "Triage," starring Colin Farrell; and Duncan Ward's comedy "Boogie Woogie."

Lee has also recently starred in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"; "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy from New Line Cinema; and "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones" and "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith" from LucasFilm. Prior to his roles in these blockbusters, Lee starred in the critically acclaimed independent picture "Jinnah," and the epic BBC miniseries "Gormenghast." He was also recently seen in "Crimson Rivers II" with Jean Reno, as well as Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" and "Corpse Bride." In 2007 he appeared in "The Colour of Magic" by Terry Pratchett (as the voice of Death) and "The Golden Compass."

The directors for whom Lee has worked include John Huston, Raoul Walsh, Joseph Losey, George Marshall, Orson Welles, Nicholas Ray, Michael Powell, Edward Molinaro, Jerome Savary, Billy Wilder, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, Peter Jackson, Tim Burton, John Landis, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Andrei Konchalovsky. Lee has appeared in more than 250 film and television productions, amongst which the best known are "A Tale of Two Cities," "Dracula," "The Mummy," "The Wicker Man," "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes," "The Three Musketeers," "The Four Musketeers," "The Man with the Golden Gun" (of which the author was his cousin, Ian Fleming), "1941," "Airport '77" and "Gremlins II." He considers the most important point in his career to have been as host of "Saturday Night Live" in 1978, with John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman and Jane Curtin. It is still the third highest-rated show of the series.

Lee has received awards for his contribution to the cinema from the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Great Britain. He is a Commander Brother of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, the world's oldest order. In 2001 he was made commander of the order of the British Empire, and in 2009, was awarded a Knighthood in the Queen's honors list.

MICHAEL STUHLBARG (Rene Tabard)

MICHAEL STUHLBARG (Rene Tabard) will soon be seen in two highly anticipated films: the Steven Spielberg-directed "Lincoln"; and the third installment in the series, "Men in Black III." Most recently, Stuhlbarg starred in the Coen brothers' "A Serious Man," and for his work as the main character, Larry Gopnik, he was nominated for a Golden Globe and received the Robert Altman Award (shared with the Coens) at the Independent Spirit Awards. His additional feature film credits include "Afterschool," "Cold Souls," "Body of Lies," "The Grey Zone" and "A Price Above Rubies." Stuhlbarg is familiar to television viewers, most notably for his series regular role on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire"—he and the cast were honored with a SAG Award for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series. The actor has also guest-starred on such series as "Ugly Betty," "Damages" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," and in the telefilms "The Hunley" and PBS' "Alexander Hamilton." Michael is also an established stage actor, and for his work in the Broadway production of "The Pillowman," he was nominated for a Tony Award and received a Drama Desk Award. His additional Broadway credits include roles in "The Invention of Love," "Cabaret," "Taking Sides," "Saint Joan," "Timon of Athens," "The Government Inspector" and "Three Men on a Horse." Off-Broadway, Stuhlbarg was seen in "Hamlet," "The Voysey Inheritance" (for which he received an Obie Award, a Callaway Award and a Lucille Lortel Award nomination), "Measure for Pleasure" (another Lucille Lortel Award nomination), "Belle Epoque," "The Persians," "The Mysteries," "Twelfth Night," "The Winter's Tale," "A Dybbuk," "Richard II," "Henry VIII," "All's Well That Ends Well," "Woyzeck," "As You Like It," "Cymbeline," "The Grey Zone," "Old Wicked Songs" and "Mad Forest." Stuhlbarg is a B.F.A. graduate of the Juilliard School, and is a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company.

FRANCES DE LA TOUR (Madame Emilie)

FRANCES DE LA TOUR (Madame Emilie) trained at the Drama Centre in London from 1961 to '64, before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company until 1971, where her work included Hoyden in "The Relapse" and Helena in Peter Brook's iconic production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." For the National Theatre, plays include: "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "Les Parents Terribles," the title role in "St. Joan," "The Good Hope" and "The History Boys."

Her other theatrical work includes Alan Bennett's "The Habit of Art"; Matthew Warchus's "Boeing Boeing"; Tennessee Williams' "Small Craft Warnings"; the title role in "Hamlet"; Edward Albee's "Three Tall Women"; "Anthony and Cleopatra" for the RSC; and Noël Coward's "Fallen Angels" (Variety Club Best Actress Award). Frances won a Tony Award for her performance as Mrs. Lintott in Alan Bennett's multiple award-winning play, "The History Boys," and was also nominated for a BAFTA for her performance in the screen version of the stage play. She has won three Olivier awards: in 1980 for Best Actress in Tom Kempinski's "Duet for One," for which she also won the Evening Standard Best Actress Award; in 1984 for Best Actress in a Revival for "Moon for the Misbegotten"; and in 1992 for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for "When She Danced."

Her work for television includes the 1970s sitcom "Rising Damp"; "Duet for One" (BAFTA Best Actress nomination); "Waking the Dead"; "Poirot: Death on the Nile"; "Miss Marple: The Moving Finger"; "Sensitive Skin"; and the U.S. series "3lbs."

De la Tour's feature film credits include: "Rising Damp" (Evening Standard Best Actress Award); "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," playing Madame Olympe Maxime; "The History Boys," for which she was nominated for a BAFTA; "The Nutcracker"; Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland"; and "The Book of Eli." Frances has just completed filming on two feature films: Iain Softly's "Trap for Cinderella"; and "Private Peaceful," directed by Pat O'Connor.

RICHARD GRIFFITHS (Monsieur Frick)

RICHARD GRIFFITHS (Monsieur Frick) most recently starred in the National Theatre production of "The Habit of Art." Previously to this he played alongside Daniel Radcliffe in the West End revival of Peter Shaffer's award-winning play "Equus." Griffith earned a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance as Hector in Nicholas Hytner's film adaptation of "The History Boys." The actor had originated the role in London in Hytner's National Theatre Production of the play, winning an Olivier Award for Best Actor. Griffiths later reprised his role in the regional and international tours of the play, as well as on Broadway, where he won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play.

An accomplished stage actor, Griffiths appeared in the West End production of "Heroes." He has also performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company in "The White Guard," "Once in a Lifetime," "Henry VIII," "Volpone" and "Red Star." His major theatre credits also include productions of "Luther," "Heartbreak House," "Galileo," "Rules of the Game," "Art," "Katherine Howard" and "The Man Who Came to Dinner."

Richard originated the role Harry's Muggle Uncle Vernon Dursley in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and reprised it in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." Griffith's other film credits include "Private Peaceful," "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," "Bedtime Stories," "Jackboots on Whitehall," "Garfield 2,"

Roger Michell's "Venus," Richard Eyre's "Stage Beauty," Roland Joffe's "Vatel," Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow," Peter Chelsom's "Funny Bones," "Guarding Tess," "Blame It on the Bellboy," "The Naked Gun 2? ," "King Ralph," "Withnail & I," "A Private Function," Hugh Hudson's "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan," Michael Apted's "Gorky Park," Richard Attenborough's "Gandhi," Milos Forman's "Ragtime," Karel Reisz's "The French Lieutenant's Woman" and Hugh Hudson's Oscar®-winning "Chariots of Fire."

On television in the UK, Griffiths is perhaps best known for his work on the BBC television series "Pie in the Sky" and "Hope & Glory." His other notable television credits include roles in "Episodes," "Bleak House," "The Brides in the Bath," "Gormenghast," "In the Red," "Ted & Ralph," "Inspector Morse," "Mr. Wakefield's Crusade," "Goldeneye: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming," "The Marksman," "Casanova," "The Cleopatras," "Bird of Prey" and the series "Nobody's Perfect."

JUDE LAW (Hugo's Father)

JUDE LAW (Hugo's Father) is considered one of Britain's finest actors, with a wealth and variety of film and theatre performances to his credit. He next reunites with Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey, Jr. on "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," reprising his role from the global box office success "Sherlock Holmes." His other upcoming projects include Fernando Meirelles' "360" with Rachel Weisz and Anthony Hopkins; and Joe Wright's "Anna Karenina," opposite Keira Knightley. He recently performed in the West End's "Anna Christie" to rave reviews and starred in Steven Soderbergh's "Contagion," alongside Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kate Winslet.

In 2009, Law starred in the title role of the Donmar Warehouse production of Shakespeare's "Hamlet," first in London's West End and then reprising the role on Broadway, earning him a second Tony nomination.

On the big screen, Law first drew major critical attention for his performance as Oscar Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, in 1997's "Wilde," for which he won an Evening Standard British Film Award. He went on to earn international acclaim for his work in Anthony Minghella's "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Law's performance as doomed golden boy Dickie Greenleaf brought him both Oscar® and Golden Globe nominations, as well as a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Law was later honored with Oscar®, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations, for Best Actor in a Leading Role, for his role in the 2003 Civil War epic, "Cold Mountain," also directed by Minghella. He also earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role in Steven Spielberg's "AI: Artificial Intelligence."

In 2004, Law starred in five very different films, including two for which he shared acting ensemble honors: Mike Nichols' acclaimed drama "Closer," also starring Julia Roberts, Clive Owen and Natalie Portman, with whom he won the National Board of Review Award for Best Ensemble; and Martin Scorsese's epic biopic "The Aviator," for which he shared in a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Cast Performance. That same year, Law starred in "Alfie," playing the title role under the direction of Charles Shyer; David O. Russell's "I Heart Huckabees"; and "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," which he also produced. In addition, he lent his voice to "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events."

His wide range of film credits also includes Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus"; Kenneth Branagh's "Sleuth," which he also produced; Wong Kar Wai's first English-language film, "My Blueberry Nights"; Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy hit "The Holiday," with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jack Black; "Breaking and Entering," which reunited him with Anthony Minghella; Sam Mendes' "Road to Perdition," with Tom Hanks and Paul Newman; Jean-Jacques Annaud's "Enemy at the Gates"; David Cronenberg's "eXistenZ"; Clint Eastwood's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"; and "Gattaca," which marked his American film debut.

Law began his career on the stage, acting with the National Youth Theatre at the age of 12. In 1994, he created the role of Michael in Jean Cocteau's play "Les Parents Terribles," for which he was nominated for the Ian Charleson Award for Outstanding Newcomer. The play was renamed "Indiscretions" when it moved to Broadway, where Law received a Tony Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor. His subsequent stage work includes "`Tis Pity She's a Whore" at London's Young Vic Theatre and a highly acclaimed performance in the title role of Christopher Marlowe's "Dr. Faustus," both directed by David Lan. Law was recently closely involved in the fundraising efforts for the major refurbishment of the Young Vic Theatre.

In 2007, the French Academy awarded Jude Law a César d'Honneur in recognition of his contribution to cinema, and the government of France named him a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his artistic achievements.

MARTIN SCORSESE (Director/Producer)

MARTIN SCORSESE (Directed by / Produced by) was born in 1942 in New York City, and was raised in the neighborhood of Little Italy, which later provided the inspiration for several of his films. Scorsese earned a B.S. degree in film communications in 1964, followed by an M.A. in the same field in 1966 at New York University’s School of Film. During this time, he made numerous prize-winning short films including “The Big Shave.” In 1968, Scorsese directed his first feature film, entitled “Who's That Knocking At My Door?”.

He served as assistant director and an editor of the documentary “Woodstock” in 1970 and won critical and popular acclaim for his 1973 film “Mean Streets.” Scorsese directed his first documentary film, “Italianamerican,” in 1974. In 1976, Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He followed with “New York, New York” in 1977, “The Last Waltz” in 1978 and “Raging Bull” in 1980, which received eight Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Scorsese went on to direct “The Color of Money,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “Goodfellas,” “Cape Fear,” “Casino,” “Kundun” and “The Age of Innocence,” among other films.

In 1996, Scorsese completed a four-hour documentary, “A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies,” co-directed by Michael Henry Wilson. The documentary was commissioned by the British Film Institute to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of cinema.

In 2001 Scorsese released “Il Mio Viaggio in Italia,” an epic documentary that affectionately chronicles his love for Italian Cinema. His long-cherished project, “Gangs of New York,” was released in 2002, earning numerous critical honors, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Director. In 2003, PBS broadcast the seven-film documentary series “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Blues.” “The Aviator” was released in December of 2004 and earned five Academy Awards®, in addition to the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for Best Picture. In 2005, “No Direction Home: Bob Dylan” was broadcast as part of the “American Masters” series on PBS. In 2006, “The Departed” was released to critical acclaim and was honored with the Director’s Guild of America, Golden Globe, New York Film Critics, National Board of Review and Critic’s Choice awards for Best Director, in addition to four Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Director. Scorsese’s documentary of the Rolling Stones in concert, “Shine a Light,” was released in 2008. In February 2010, “Shutter Island” premiered. That year, Scorsese also released two documentaries: the Peabody Award-winning “A Letter to Elia” on PBS; and “Public Speaking,” starring writer Fran Lebowitz on HBO. In October 2011, Scorsese’s documentary for HBO, “George Harrison: Living in the Material World,” was released.

Scorsese also serves as executive producer on HBO’s series “Boardwalk Empire,” for which he directed the pilot episode. The series went on to win the Golden Globe for Best Television Series Drama and Scorsese took home the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series.

Scorsese’s additional awards and honors include the Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival (1995), the AFI Life Achievement Award (1997), the Honoree at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 25th Gala Tribute (1998), the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award (2003), The Kennedy Center Honors (2007) and the HFPA Cecil B. DeMille Award (2010).

Scorsese is the founder and chair of The Film Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of motion picture history. At the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, Scorsese launched the World Cinema Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of neglected films from around the world, with special attention paid to those developing countries lacking the financial and technical resources to do the work themselves. Scorsese is the founder and chair.

John Logan (Screenplay)

JOHN LOGAN (Screenplay by) is an acclaimed Tony Award-winning dramatist and Academy Award®-nominated screenwriter, whose works span a multitude of genres, from dramas and comedies, to action and animated films. Logan is often hailed for his remarkable ability to capture the voice of the character while transporting viewers into accessible worlds rich with color. Logan’s films have garnered a worldwide box office total of nearly $2 billion—making him one of the most successful and sought-after screenwriters in the industry.

In January 2012, the Weinstein Company will release John Logan’s modern-day film adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus,” a tragedy based on the life of the legendary Roman leader, Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in the film, opposite Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave and Jessica Chastain.

Logan is currently in pre-production, penning the next James Bond film, presently titled “Bond 23,” which will see Daniel Craig reprising the role of the title character, and also stars Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes, with Sam Mendes directing. Sony is set to release the film in the fall of 2012. Logan is also collaborating with Patti Smith on adapting the film version of her best-selling book, Just Kids, which chronicles the musician’s early years in New York.

In 2000, Logan earned global recognition and his first Academy Award® nomination for Best Original Screenplay for “Gladiator,” which went on to win five Oscars®, including Best Picture. The script, which illustrated Logan’s ability to combine visceral action sequences with poetic tenderness, earned Logan both BAFTA and WGA nominations. In 2004, Logan received his second Academy Award® nomination for “The Aviator,” an original screenplay starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Martin Scorsese. The film received a total of 11 nominations and five wins, and resulted in BAFTA, WGA and Golden Globe nominations for Logan.

Logan’s diverse background in film also includes “Rango” (2011), “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (2007), “The Last Samurai” (2003), “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas” (2003), “Star Trek: Nemesis” (2002) and “Any Given Sunday” (1999).

In addition to his immensely successful screenwriting career, Logan is an accomplished dramatist with more than a dozen plays to his credit. His masterwork, “Red,” received six Tony Awards in 2010, including the award for Best Play. “Red” premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in London and at the Golden Theatre on Broadway. Logan’s other noted plays including “Never the Sinner” and “Hauptmann,” and his adaptation of Ibsen’s “The Master Builder,” which premiered in the West End in 2003 to great acclaim.

Acclaimed New York Times-bestselling author/illustrator BRIAN SELZNICK (Based on the Book Entitled The Invention of Hugo Cabret by) graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with the intention of becoming a set designer for the theater. However, after spending three years selling books and designing window displays for a children's bookstore in Manhattan, he was inspired to create children's books of his own. His books have received many awards and distinctions, including a Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a Caldecott Honor for The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and a Robert F. Sibert Honor for When Marian Sang. Brian divides his time between Brooklyn, New York, and San Diego, California.

GRAHAM KING (Producer)

GRAHAM KING (Produced by) won a Best Picture Oscar® as a producer on the ensemble crime drama “The Departed,” directed by Martin Scorsese. King’s projects have garnered a total of 38 Academy Award® nominations and earned over $2 billion in worldwide box office.

“The Departed” marked King’s third collaboration with Scorsese. He previously produced the widely praised Howard Hughes biopic “The Aviator,” for which he earned an Academy Award® nomination and won a BAFTA Award for Best Picture. He was also honored by the Producers Guild of America with a Golden Laurel Award for Producer of the Year. King was co-executive producer on Scorsese’s Oscar®-nominated epic drama “Gangs of New York.”

In May 2007, King launched GK Films with business partner Tim Headington. The company is currently in post-production on “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” written and directed by Angelina Jolie, which is slated for release in December 2011 by FilmDistrict.

Most recently, King produced the highly anticipated Tim Burton-directed “Dark Shadows,” starring Johnny Depp; the film is set to be released by Warner Bros. in May 2012. King also produced “The Rum Diary,” starring Johnny Depp; the animated tale “Rango,” directed by Gore Verbinski; “The Town,” written and directed by Ben Affleck; and “The Tourist,” directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp.

GK Films has announced several projects in development, including the screen adaptation of the hit musical “Jersey Boys”; the “Untitled Freddie Mercury Story,” starring Sacha Baron Cohen; a reboot of the successful action franchise “Tomb Raider”; and “The Battle of Britain” with a script by Robert Towne.

Previous GK Films releases include “Edge of Darkness” and the three-time Academy Award®-nominated “The Young Victoria.” King will also serve as executive producer on the upcoming films “Argo” and “World War Z.”

A native of the United Kingdom, King moved to the United States in 1982 and was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2009.

TIM HEADINGTON (Producer)

TIM HEADINGTON (Produced by), together with longtime friend and colleague Graham King, formed the Los Angeles-based production company GK Films in 2007. Under the GK banner, he and King produced Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut, “In the Land of Blood and Honey” (December 2011). Their previous productions include “The Rum Diary,” starring Johnny Depp; “The Tourist,” starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp; “Edge of Darkness,” starring Mel Gibson; and the three-time Academy Award®-nominated romantic drama “The Young Victoria.” Outside of GK Films, Headington was an executive producer on Gore Verbinski’s animated adventure “Rango.” He will also serve as an executive producer on the upcoming films “Dark Shadows,” “Argo” and “World War Z.”

GK Films recently announced several new projects that Headington will produce, including the untitled Freddie Mercury story, starring Sacha Baron Cohen; the hit musical “Jersey Boys”; a reboot of the successful action franchise “Tomb Raider”; and the Robert Towne-scripted “The Battle of Britain.”

Headington first met King in 2004 when he invested in King’s former production company, Initial Entertainment Group, as it was financing and producing the award-winning film “The Aviator,” directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

JOHNNY DEPP (Producer)

JOHNNY DEPP (Produced by) began his career as a musician with the rock group ‘The Kids’, which took him to Los Angeles. When the band broke up, Depp turned to acting and earned his first major acting job in “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” He followed that with roles in several films, including Oliver Stone’s Academy Award®-winning “Platoon,” before landing the role that would prove to be his breakthrough, as undercover detective Tom Hanson on the popular TV show “21 Jump Street.” He starred on the series for four seasons before starring as the title character in John Waters’ “Cry-Baby.”

It was Depp’s compelling performance in the title role of Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands” that established him as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents, and earned him his first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor. He was honored with another Golden Globe Award nomination for his work in the offbeat love story “Benny & Joon,” directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik.

Depp reunited with Burton for the critically acclaimed “Ed Wood,” and his performance garnered him yet another Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor.

Depp starred and made his feature directorial debut opposite Marlon Brando in “The Brave,” a film based on the novel by Gregory McDonald. He co-wrote the screenplay with his brother D.P. Depp.

As Captain Jack Sparrow, Depp recently reprised the role for a fourth time in Rob Marshall’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” The other films include Gore Verbinski’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (which earned more than $1 billion, making it the third largest-grossing movie of all time) and “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” He received his first Academy Award® nomination, as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination, a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.”

Depp received his second Academy Award® nomination, as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination and BAFTA Award nomination for his role as J.M. Barrie in Marc Forster’s “Finding Neverland,” in which he starred opposite Kate Winslet and Freddie Highmore. In 2004, Depp starred in “The Libertine” as 17th-century womanizing poet John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester.

In 2005, Depp collaborated with Burton on “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical, and Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride,” which received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Animated Film in 2006. In 2008, Johnny received his third Academy Award® nomination for Best Actor for Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” winning a Golden Globe Award for the role.

In 2009, Depp starred as real-life criminal John Dillinger opposite Christian Bale and Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard in Michael Mann’s ‘Public Enemies,” and in 2010, he starred as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Music.

This year, in addition to “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” Depp also starred in Gore Verbinski’s “Rango,” Bruce Robinson’s “The Rum Diary, and just completed filming Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows,” which he also produced through his production company, Infinitum Nihil.

Other screen credits include Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s “The Tourist,” David Koepp’s “Secret Window,” Robert Rodriguez’s “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” Albert and Allen Hughes’ “From Hell,” Ted Demme’s “Blow,” Lasse Hallström’s “Chocolat,” Julian Schnabel’s “Before Night Falls,” Sally Potter’s “The Man Who Cried,” Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow,” Roman Polanski’s “The Ninth Gate,” Terry Gilliam’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” Mike Newell’s “Donnie Brasco” with (Al Pacino), Jim Jarmusch’s “Dead Man,” Jeremy Leven’s “Don Juan DeMarco” (in which he starred opposite Marlon Brando and Faye Dunaway), Lasse Hallström’s “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” Emir Kusturica’s “Arizona Dream” and John Badham’s “Nick of Time.”

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS (MORE)

EMMA TILLINGER KOSKOFF (Executive Producer) is President of Production at Sikelia Productions, working alongside Academy Award®-winning director Martin Scorsese on all aspects of his many projects.

Tillinger Koskoff began her career in the film industry as assistant to director/producer Ted Demme, and worked with him on the critically acclaimed film “Blow,” starring Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. While under Demme’s wing, Tillinger also assisted on the Emmy-nominated documentary “A Decade Under the Influence.”

In 2003, Tillinger Koskoff became Martin Scorsese’s executive assistant, serving in that capacity for three years. During this period, she assisted on “The Blues,” “The Aviator” and “No Direction Home: Bob Dylan.”

In 2006, Tillinger Koskoff was named President of Production of Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions. She then associate-produced Scorsese’s “The Departed,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson, produced by Graham King and Brad Grey. The film received four Academy Awards®, including the Oscar® for Best Motion Picture of the Year.

Tillinger Koskoff co-produced the director’s Rolling Stones documentary, “Shine a Light,” starring Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood. She also associate-produced the Oscar®-nominated documentary “The Betrayal – Nerakhoon,” directed by Ellen Kuras.

In 2008, Tillinger Koskoff co-produced Scorsese’s hugely successful psychological thriller “Shutter Island.” The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson and Max von Sydow, and was produced by Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Brad Fischer and Scorsese.

Most recently, Tillinger Koskoff produced Scoresese’s documentary on the filmmaker Elia Kazan, “A Letter To Elia,” and served as executive producer for Sikelia Productions on Scorsese’s documentaries “Public Speaking” and “George Harrison: Living in the Material World.” She is currently producing Scorsese’s next feature film, “Silence.”
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DAVID CROCKETT (Executive Producer) joined Graham King’s GK Films as Executive Vice President of Production in 2010 and spent most of that year in London on the set of “Hugo.”

Crockett met King while producing “The Town” in Boston for Warner Bros. and GK Films in 2009. “The Town” was directed by Ben Affleck and was nominated for Best Picture of the Year by the Producer’s Guild of America. “The Town” marked Crockett’s second collaboration with Affleck, as he executive-produced Affleck’s directorial debut, “Gone, Baby, Gone,” starring Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Casey Affleck and Amy Ryan. Amy Ryan received an Oscar® nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the mother of the kidnapped girl in the critically acclaimed crime thriller.

Prior to “The Town,” Crockett executive-produced “Seven Pounds,” starring Will Smith; prior to that, he served in the same capacity on “The Great Debaters,” which was directed by Denzel Washington and was honored with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture.

Crockett is also credited with executive-producing the Disney gymnastics film, “Stick It”; the hit horror remake of “The Amityville Horror,” starring Ryan Reynolds; and Wes Craven’s “Cursed,” starring Christina Ricci. He co-produced “Bad Santa,” starring Billy Bob Thornton, and the 2002 romantic comedy, “The Guru.”

Crockett began his career working on such films as “40 Days and 40 Nights,” “Frequency,” “Scream” and “Music of the Heart,” to name a few.
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A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, GEORGIA KACANDES’ (Executive Producer) career as an executive producer/UPM started in NYC on documentaries directed by Lech Kowalski. She transitioned to feature film and worked with such celebrated directors as Martin Scorsese (“Casino”), Steven Soderbergh (“King of the Hill,” “The Underneath”), John Sayles (“Eight Men Out, City of Hope, Passion Fish”), Jim Jarmusch (“Mystery Train”), Keith McNally (“End of the Night”) and Marc Levin (“Blowback”).

On Andrew Niccol's feature film debut “Gattaca,” Kacandes served as associate producer, segueing to co-producer on Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Rainmaker,” followed by James Mangold’s “Girl, Interrupted.” Her other executive producer credits include “Bad Teacher,” “Blow,” “CQ,” “Criminal” and “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny.” In 2004, she served as a producer on “Syriana.”

Kacandes spent the next four years first as EVP of Physical Production for Paramount Vantage, and then President of Physical Production at Paramount Pictures. While there, she oversaw such Oscar®-winning films as “There Will Be Blood,” “No Country for Old Men,” “Babel” and “Into the Wild.” Her other films include “Case 39,” “Defiance,” “The Duchess,” “A Mighty Heart,” “Kite Runner” and “Margot at the Wedding.”

Kacandes is currently working on Curtis Hanson's “Of Men and Mavericks.”

ROBERT RICHARDSON (Dir of Photography)

ROBERT RICHARDSON, ASC (Director of Photography) is a two-time Academy Award® winner for Best Cinematography for his work on Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator” and Oliver Stone’s epic tapestry “JFK.”

“Hugo” marks Richardson’s seventh collaboration with Scorsese, having previously worked with the influential American filmmaker on “Shutter Island,” “Casino” and “Bringing Out the Dead.” Most recently, Richardson lensed and supervised an all-star group of camera-operating cinematographers in capturing the rousing Rolling Stones concert film, “Shine a Light,” as well as filmed Scorsese’s documentary, “George Harrison: Living in the Material World.”

A native of Cape Cod, Richardson attended the Rhode Island School of Design and the American Film Institute. Richardson's credits include “Salvador,” “Platoon,” “Born on the Fourth of July,” “Eight Men Out,” “A Few Good Men,” “The Horse Whisperer,” “Natural Born Killers,” “Snow Falling on Cedars,” both volumes of “Kill Bill,” “Inglourious Basterds” and “Eat Pray Love.” Richardson has also photographed several documentaries with Errol Morris, including “Fast, Cheap and Out of Control,” “Mr. Death” and the unflinching Abu Ghraib documentary, “Standard Operating Procedure.”

DANTE FERRETTI (Production Design)

DANTE FERRETTI (Production Designed by), born February 26, 1943, is an Italian production designer, art director and costume designer for film. In his career, Ferretti has worked with many great directors, both American and Italian, such as Pier Paolo Pasolini, Federico Fellini, Terry Gilliam, Franco Zeffirelli, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Anthony Minghella and Tim Burton. He frequently collaborates with his wife, set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo.

Ferretti was a protégé of Federico Fellini, and worked under him for five films. He also had a five collaboration run with Pier Paolo Pasolini and later developed a very close professional relationship with Martin Scorsese, designing seven of his last eight movies.

In 2008, he designed the set for Howard Shore’s opera, “The Fly,” directed by David Gronenberg at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

Ferretti won two Academy Awards® for Best Art Direction for Scorsese’s “The Aviator” and Burton’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” He had seven previous nomination. In addition, he was nominated for Best Costume Design for “Kundun.” He has also won three BAFTA Awards.

THELMA SCHOONMAKER (Editor)

THELMA SCHOONMAKER, A.C.E. (Edited by) was born in Algiers, Algeria, where her father worked for the Standard Oil Company. She grew up on the island of Aruba and after returning to the United States, attended Cornell University, where she studied political science and Russian, intending to become a diplomat. While doing graduate work at Columbia University, she answered a New York Times ad that offered on-the-job training as an assistant film editor. The exposure to the field sparked a desire to learn more about film editing, and her career was set.

During a six-week summer course at New York University’s film school, she met Martin Scorsese and Michael Wadleigh. Within a few years she was editing Scorsese’s first feature, “Who’s that Knocking at My Door?”. She then edited a series of films and commercials before supervising the editing of Wadleigh’s 1971 film “Woodstock,” for which she was nominated for an Academy Award®. In 1981 she won the Academy Award®, the American Cinema Editors Eddie and the BAFTA Award for her editing of Scorsese’s “Raging Bull.” Since then, she has worked on all of Scorsese’s feature films: “The King of Comedy,” “After Hours,” “The Color of Money,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “New York Stories,” (the “Life Lessons” segment), “GoodFellas” (which earned her another BAFTA Award and another Oscar® nomination), “Cape Fear,” “The Age of Innocence,” “Casino,” “Kundun,” “A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese through American Movies” (Martin Scorsese’s documentary on the first 100 years of American film), “Bringing out the Dead,” “Il Mio Viaggio in Italia” (Martin Scorsese’s documentary on the Italian Cinema), “Gangs of New York” (for which she earned another Oscar® nomination and won the American Cinema Editors Eddie Award), “The Aviator” (for which she won her second Academy Award® and the American Cinema Editor’s Eddie), “The Departed” (for which she won her third Academy Award® and her fourth American Cinema Editors Eddie Award) and “Shutter Island.”

She is currently working on Martin Scorsese’s documentary about the British cinema.

In addition to editing, she works tirelessly to promote the films and writings of her late husband, the film director Michael Powell (“The Red Shoes,” “Black Narcissus,” “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp,” “A Matter of Life and Death,” “Peeping Tom”).

Winner of three Academy Awards®—for her work on Jean-Marc Vallee’s “The Young Victoria,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator” and John Madden’s “Shakespeare in Love”—SANDY POWELL (Costume Designer) has also been nominated five times, for her work on “Mrs. Henderson Presents,” “Gangs of New York,” “Velvet Goldmine,” “Wings of the Dove” and “Orlando.” She has also received two BAFTA Awards (for “The Young Victoria” and “Velvet Goldmine”) and has been nominated eight times. Her other recent awards include a CDG Award for “The Young Victoria” and a CDG Career Achievement Award.

Powell studied at London’s Central School of Art and began her career in film, collaborating with Derek Jarman on “Caravaggio.” Powell’s other feature film costume designing credits include “Interview with the Vampire,” “Michael Collins,” “The Butcher Boy” and “The End of the Affair,” all with director Neil Jordan. Her work on “Hugo” marks her fifth collaboration with Martin Scorsese, having previously worked on “Shutter Island,” “The Departed,” “The Aviator” and “Gangs of New York.”

She also designed the costumes for Julie Taymor’s “The Tempest,” starring Helen Mirren, soon to be released in Europe.

ROB LEGATO (Visual Effects Supervisor)

ROB LEGATO (Visual Effects Supervisor) received a Masters Degree in cinematography from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California. Upon graduation, Legato went to work for the newly formed H.I.S.K. Productions (Hagmann, Impastato, Stephens & Kerns) as the live-action commercial producer for director David Impastato. After a period of three years, Legato joined Robert Abel & Associates, where he served as producer, visual effects supervisor and ultimately, director of visual effects-oriented TV spots. The experience led to serving as a freelance supervisor and director for various commercial companies for several years before turning to television production. Legato served as alternating visual effects supervisor for the TV series “The Twilight Zone” during its second season. This series led to the Paramount Studios production of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” where Legato served as visual effects supervisor, second unit and episode director for a period of five years. Legato then took over as visual effects producer/supervisor for the newly created series “Deep Space Nine,” as well as directing one of the episodes of its first season. Both “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Deep Space Nine” earned Legato two Emmy Awards for Visual Effects.

Legato left “Deep Space Nine” after its first season to join Digital Domain, the visual effects company founded by James Cameron, Stan Winston and Scott Ross, and became the visual effects supervisor, second unit director and effects director of photography for Neil Jordan’s “Interview with the Vampire.” This first feature led to Ron Howard’s “Apollo 13” with Legato serving as the film’s visual effects supervisor. Legato earned his first Academy Award® nomination and won the British Academy Award for his effects work in “Apollo 13.”

His next feature assignment, James Cameron’s “Titanic,” spanned the next several years and proved ultimately to be one of the most successful films ever made. Besides earning Rob his first Academy Award®, the film went on to win a total of 11 Oscars® (including Best Picture and Best Visual Effects) and became the highest grossing movie of all time (at that time). Legato also offered some last-minute assistance to Martin Scorsese’s production of “Kundun” and Michael Bay’s film “Armageddon.”

Legato left Digital Domain to join Sony Pictures Imageworks, where he served as visual effects supervisor on two Robert Zemeckis films: “What Lies Beneath”; and “Cast Away.”

Legato was senior visual effects supervisor on “Bad Boys II,” which was nominated for a VES (Visual Effects Society) Award for Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture, and on the international phenomenon “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” based on the best-selling books by J.K. Rowling. Rob then worked as the second unit director and visual effects supervisor on Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” a film about the life of Howard Hughes. “The Aviator” garnered three VES awards and the International Press Academy’s Satellite award for Best Visual Effects. Rob then completed Martin Scorsese’s feature “The Departed,” which won four Academy Awards®, including Best Picture. During the same time frame, Legato created and conceived the virtual cinematography pipeline for James Cameron’s next feature production “Avatar,” which went on to become the highest grossing film ever at $2.6 billion in worldwide receipts.

Rob has also completed working on Robert De Niro’s second directorial effort “The Good Shepherd” as the second unit director/cameraman and visual effects supervisor. The very next projects included Martin Scorsese’s Clio award-winning “Freixenet: The Key to Reserva,” a 10-minute commercial project, as well as the feature documentary on the Rolling Stones entitled “Shine a Light.” Legato also worked on Errol Morris’ documentary film “Standard Operating Procedure.”

Legato’s latest released film is Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island,” on which he served as both visual effects supervisor and second unit director/cameraman.

HOWARD SHORE (Music)

HOWARD SHORE (Music by) is among today’s most respected, honored and active composers and music conductors. His work with Peter Jackson on “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy stands as his most towering achievement to date, earning him three Academy Awards®. He has also been honored with four Grammy and three Golden Globe awards. Shore was one of the original creators of “Saturday Night Live,” serving as the music director on the show from 1975 to 1980. At the same time, he began collaborating with David Cronenberg and has scored 13 of the director’s films, including “The Fly,” “Crash,” “Naked Lunch” and “A Dangerous Method.” His original scores to “Dead Ringers” and “Eastern Promises” were each honoured with a Genie Award. Shore continues to distinguish himself with a wide range of projects, from Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed,” “The Aviator” and “Gangs of New York,” to “Ed Wood,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Philadelphia” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.”

Shore’s music has been performed in concerts throughout the world. In 2003, Shore conducted the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the world premiere of “The Lord of the Rings Symphony” in Wellington. Since then, the work has had over 140 performances by the world’s most prestigious orchestras.

In 2008, Howard Shore’s opera “The Fly” premiered at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and at Los Angeles Opera. Other recent works include “Fanfare for the Wanamaker Organ” in Philadelphia and the piano concerto “Ruin and Memory” for Lang Lang premiered in Beijing, China on October 11, 2010. He is currently working on his second opera and looks forward to a return to Middle-earth with J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.”

Shore received the Career Achievement for Music Composition Award from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures and New York Chapter's Recording Academy Honors, ASCAP’s Henry Mancini Award, the Frederick Loewe Award and the Max Steiner Award from the city of Vienna. He holds honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and York University, is an Officier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la France and the recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in Canada.

With “Hugo,” RANDALL POSTER (Music Supervisor) continues his work with director Martin Scorsese that began with Scorsese's “The Aviator.” Poster also works as music supervisor on “Boardwalk Empire,” the Scorsese-produced series currently in its second season on HBO. Poster is a longstanding collaborator of directors Todd Haynes, Todd Phillips, Sam Mendes, Richard Linklater and Wes Anderson. Currently, Poster is at work on Anderson's next film, “Moonrise Kingdom.”

MORAG ROSS (Makeup)

MORAG ROSS (Makeup) was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, and attended Glasgow School of Art, graduating in art and design in 1981. After training for several years in the BBC London makeup department, she left to pursue a freelance career in makeup for films. She has won BAFTA Awards for Sally Potter’s “Orlando” and Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” and in 2009, received the BAFTA Scotland Craft Award. She currently lives in Rome.

DICK GEORGE (Automaton Creation)

DICK GEORGE (Automaton Created by) entered the film industry with the first ever “Star Wars” movie. His involvement in the manufacture of the first generation of Storm Troopers cemented his existing passion for problem solving and creating practical solutions to physical problems. From these exciting beginnings, Dick George went on to form his own company, which he has been running for the past 35 years, during which time he has been involved in major film productions, including: “Willow,” “The Mummy,” “The Da Vinci Code,” “Alexander,” “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

As an adjunct to the film industry, George has been involved in manufacturing numerous works for the display industry, the largest of which is a full-size military aircraft, complete with cockpit and practical loading bay, with a wingspan of more than 40 meters (believed to be the largest model aircraft ever made).

FILM INSPIRES AUTHOR, BOOK INSPIRES FILMMAKER

Growing up in a section of New York City known as ‘Little Italy’ in the 1940s and ‘50s, a young Martin Scorsese found a deep connection inside the movie houses of the time—not just to the experience of viewing motion pictures, but also a closeness to his father, who sat with him in the darkened auditorium, fostering the future filmmaker’s nascent love of the art form. So when Brian Selznick’s award-winning novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret landed on his desk via prolific producer Graham King (who had previously collaborated with Scorsese on three films), the Oscar®-winning filmmaker found the tale profoundly resonant. For Scorsese, “It was particularly the vulnerability of a child alone that was striking. Hugo’s living in the walls of this giant engine of a sort—the train station—on his own, and he’s trying to make that connection with his father, whom he has lost.”

Scorsese remembers, “I was given the book about four years ago, and it was one of those experiences…I sat down and read it completely, straight through. There was an immediate connection to the story of the boy, his loneliness, his association with the cinema, with the machinery of creativity. The mechanical objects in the film, including cameras, projectors, and automatons, make it possible for Hugo to reconnect with his father. And mechanical objects make it possible for the filmmaker Georges Méliès to reconnect with his past, and with himself.”

Scorsese, in turn, shared the book with his youngest daughter, which only confirmed his belief that the story held a magical quality: “In reading books to my daughter, we re-experience the work. So it’s like rediscovering the work of art again, but through the eyes of a child.”

Author Brian Selznick recalls the genesis of his book: “At some point I remember seeing ‘A Trip to the Moon,’ the mesmerizing 1902 film by Georges Méliès, and the rocket that flew into the eye of the man in the moon lodged itself firmly in my imagination. I wanted to write a story about a kid who meets Méliès, but I didn’t know what the plot would be. The years passed. I wrote and illustrated over 20 other books. Then, sometime in 2003, I happened to pick up a book called Edison’s Eve by Gaby Wood. It’s a history of automatons, and to my surprise, one chapter was about Méliès.”

It seems that Méliès’ automatons (mechanical figures, powered by inner clockwork, which appear to perform functions on their own) were donated to a museum once the filmmaker passed—they were stored in the attic, where they ended up largely forgotten, ruined by the rain and eventually, thrown away.

Selznick continues, “I instantly imagined a boy climbing through the garbage and finding one of those broken machines. I didn’t know who the boy was at first, and I didn’t even know his name… I thought the name Hugo sounded kind of French. The only other French word I could think of was cabaret, and I thought that Cabret might sound like a real French name. Voila?…Hugo Cabret was born.”

Research into automatons and clocks, the life of Méliès and the City of Lights in the 1920s and ‘30s fueled the author’s imagination, and the tale of an adventurous boy who lives within the walls of a train station in Paris took life, interwoven with the stories of the colorful characters that surround him. Add in the threads of the discovery of both an abandoned automaton and a largely forgotten filmmaker, and you have Selznick’s beautifully illustrated The Invention of Hugo Cabret (A Novel in Words and Pictures. Published in 2007, The Invention of Hugo Cabret (A Novel in Words and Pictures) won the 2008 Caldecott Medal (awarded by the Association of Library Service to Children to the artist of “the most distinguished American picture book for children”) and The New York Times’ Best Illustrated Book of 2007. It was a number one New York Times Bestseller, and a Finalist for the National Book Award.

Producer Graham King: “My producing partner Tim Headington and I were enchanted by Brian Selznick’s book. Immediately we thought it would be a beautiful story for Martin Scorsese to create into a piece of cinema.”

The team turned to John Logan—their writer on “The Aviator”—to take Selznick’s words and illustrations and transform them into a screenplay. As with most book-to-movie conversions, some things had to change. Logan comments, “I had to cut and change some elements of Brian’s book to make a more streamlined, shorter movie. The drawings were extremely helpful, because they reminded me of movie storyboards. In effect, they presented a road map for me to follow. In fact, the screenplay opens with a description very similar to Brian’s first drawings in the book.”

Producer King addresses the perhaps unexpected pairing of Scorsese and the story of Hugo: “All of Scorsese’s films have a specific sensibility to them, and ‘Hugo’ is no different. The beautiful imagery and fantastic performances are all there. The main difference is that this film is not made solely for an adult audience—it is for everyone.”

To try and replicate the experience of moving through Selznick’s work, Scorsese also turned to a different film format. He says, “As moviegoers, we don’t have the advantage of the literature, in which you can become aware of Hugo’s inner thoughts and feelings. But here, we have his extraordinary face and his actions, and we have 3D. The story needed to be changed to a certain extent, so some elements were dropped from the book. But I think that certain images—particularly in 3D—cover so much territory that the book resonates in them.”

Scorsese strove to honor the author’s work with every decision, and comments, “Brian Selznick and his book were always an inspiration. We had copies with us all the time. The book has such a distinctive look, whereas our film has its own look and feel, very different from the book, which is in black and white, for one thing. We really went for a blend of realism and a heightened, imagined world.”

'IT MIGHT BE AN ADVENTURE': FINDING THE CHARACTERS (1)

When it came time to find the actors who would inhabit the rich array of roles in "Hugo," Scorsese made an overall decision: "I went with British actors, for the most part to be consistent, and I use the device that the English accent is from the world that they're in. Even though it's Paris 1931, it's a heightened version of that time and place."

Finding the boy to play Hugo was possibly the tallest order to fill. He is the centerpiece of the film, in a majority of the scenes and is somewhere around 12 or 13-years-old. With casting director Ellen Lewis, young actors were brought in. Rather early on, Asa Butterfield auditioned for the part. Scorsese remembers, "He read two scenes, and I was convinced immediately. Before making the final decision, I looked at one film, 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.' Vera [Farmiga] was in the film with him, and I worked with her in 'The Departed.' She told me about him, and said he was very, very good."

Almost in the same boat, the young Butterfield didn't really know who Martin Scorsese was, but he had heard good things. Asa says, "I knew who he was, but I hadn't seen any of his films, because most of them are 18's [restricted to 18 and over in Great Britain]. My mum told me that he was the best. When I got the job, everyone said, 'Oh, that's amazing. He's, like, the best director ever!' And so I slowly began to realize how big this actually was. And he is the best director. Marty never says 'Do,' instead he encourages you to experiment and says, 'Try this.' And he's such a perfectionist, there are always the slightest changes you can play with. It's been incredible."

Butterfield found the character's inherent mystery to be a big draw. He observes, "You never know that much about him. Loads of traumatic things have happened to him; his father has died; his mother's died. And he ends up living with his Uncle in a train station, doing a man's job. And then his Uncle leaves and doesn't come back. By the time the story starts, all that's happened to him, and he's just left alone with this robotic figure, the automaton. So he's quite to himself until he meets Isabelle, and then that starts getting him out of his shell."

In order to be seen for the role of Isabelle—god-daughter to 'Papa Georges' and 'Mama Jeanne'—American actress Chloë Grace Moretz adopted a disguise…of sorts. Scorsese recalls her audition: "I was seeing a few young actresses from England. Chloë came in, and she spoke with a British accent, and I thought she was from England as well. At that stage, we started reading actors in pairs for Hugo and Isabelle, and Asa and Chloë just looked right together. There were a couple of other actors, and we switched the pairs, but the looks weren't right. Not only did they look right together, they sounded right together. They play off of each other very well, and they have very distinctive personalities, very different."

Moretz also recalls: "I met him for the first time in New York, and it was actually the first time I set foot in New York since I started in this business. So it was a really cool turn of events, because I show up in New York for the first time in seven years and I am meeting Martin Scorsese for this phenomenal role. I went in and met him, and he was just really warm. He told me a bunch of stories and I thought, 'Wow, he's a really cool guy.'"

Chloë was also attracted to the mystery aspect of the story, but more in the external sense. "Being 13-years-old, as the characters are, there's always something that you want to find out. There's always something that you're poking and prying, trying to figure out what's going on, or how something works. In this movie, Isabelle and Hugo are poking and prying at people."

As far as having his two younger leads putting on a 'period' style, the director had a firm notion—don't do it. He offers, "We don't put up a title card that says '1931.' It doesn't matter, because what the children are, what they need, what they're looking for, how they behave, it's contemporary, it's universal, it's not something of a time and place. It's something that is natural, and therefore, it doesn't matter what time this film takes place. And the children simply behave like children."

For the key role of Georges Méliès, 'Papa Georges,' the director/producer didn't have to look very far in any direction. Per Scorsese: "I've always wanted to work with Ben Kingsley over the years, and finally I got these two pictures, 'Shutter Island'—we had a really good working relationship on that picture—and now, this. He's an extraordinary actor, really one of the greats, which I don't even need to say…just look at his body of work. His range, his versatility. In any event, when we looked at the image of Georges Méliès, there was no doubt in my mind that the look would be perfect for Ben."

The look, yes, but what mattered even more to Kingsley was the physicality of this man in decline. Scorsese was amazed at the performer's exacting technique: "Ben worked out a way of moving, with a sense of defeat…a defeated impression of his body, a defeated posture. This, after the man had been so alive, making 500 films, three films a week, doing magic shows in the evening, and having to shoot during the daytime. He created a whole new art form and suddenly, he loses all of his money, has to burn everything and winds up sitting behind the counter of a toy store in a very quiet part of the Gare Montparnasse."

In Kingsley's research, he found much to admire on a personal basis in Méliès, beyond the man's visionary talent in cinema. The actor relates, "Georges had the confidence and charisma of a great stage magician. He had to be very precise in the execution of his tricks—sawing people in half, levitations, disappearances, that sort of thing—and his sleight of hand. His precision was contagious to his cast and crew. Given that he made hundreds of films, they must have been very disciplined indeed. He ran a tight ship, but I hear he ran it very affectionately. He rarely lost his temper or raised his voice, if ever. He had a way of gently reminding people what they'd forgotten to do, reminding them when he had said something before. What a man he must have been."

Just as his character shifts from magic to cinema, Kingsley sees a natural evolution in Martin Scorsese's venture into 3D filmmaking: "I suppose it's a little bit like an artist going from fine portrait painting to landscape painting. It's a shift in the way he puts his brush, but it's the same brush and it's the same canvas."

A looming presence in the train station and the constant threat to Hugo's independent way of life is the Station Inspector, a role slightly modified from the novel. Per Scorsese: "We asked Brian Selznick if we could open up this part, because I just didn't want it to be a figure of fear—basically, a villain, just to threaten and catch the boy. I wanted him to have a little more flavor, more levels to him, and so I thought by working with Sacha Baron Cohen we could find that."

Baron Cohen describes his take on his character: "Now naturally, in any train station, it's dangerous for children to be running around. So in the '20s and '30s, with the working conditions and such, if you have homeless children about, unsupervised, it would present a danger to the passengers and the kids themselves. So, you have me, a Station Inspector. He's this wonderful fellow who's utterly repulsive and horrid to children, but yet, there's a different side to him. He has a gentler side. He was probably in an orphanage himself, and he is actually a war invalid. He's limited physically by a metallic attachment to his leg, which we imply may have been the result of a war wound, but it was most likely self-inflicted, by accident."

Inadvertently, the actor had already begun his own research in the physical style of comedy of the day: "In England, I think Harold Lloyd was on television everyday after school, so we kind of grew up watching him. I never found him that funny at the time, but there are references in 'Hugo' to those films, particularly 'Safety Last,' where he climbs up a building, and does this incredible stunt and gets stuck on a clock that falls backwards. We directly reference that. So Martin wanted me to look at these early comedians, which was very interesting. They were doing brilliant stuff, people like Keaton and Chaplin. Yeah, I discovered this very obscure guy called Charles Chaplin, I believe, and his work is quite interesting—definitely worth a look."

Scorsese also came up with another way to add facets to the 'villain' of the piece. Baron Cohen explains, "When Marty and I met originally, we were talking about ways to make the villain not seem like an archetypal villain—Marty had this idea of bringing in some romance. And it was quite lovely to have Emily Mortimer, who is a wonderful actress and woman, play my love interest, so there is a bit of love. You know, the Inspector really is a nasty man. He's a horrible man, but deep down, he is a nice guy. It's just really deep…down."

Scorsese expresses, "Emily is one of the best actors around, she has a great sense of humor, and she was a wonderful choice to play a love interest for Sacha, which was unique for him to try."

The Station Inspector isn't the only threat to Hugo. He is brought to live in the train station, in fact, by his estranged Uncle Claude, a menacing lout who promptly pawns off his maintenance duties onto the small boy.

The director/producer: "I worked with Ray Winstone in 'The Departed,' which was a great experience. Ray has this passive menace—he doesn't need to be involved in any dialogue or anything physical, but you can still feel this darkness lurking in his character. I thought he would bring that threatening gravity to Hugo's Uncle Claude."

Perhaps even more than performing in the role, Winstone enjoyed the shared experience of working with Scorsese in 3D. Ray says, "The joy for me during filming was actually watching Scorsese work, because it was like he was falling in love with making a film again. Watching him with 3D, with something he'd never worked with before . . . it was like watching a kid with a new toy. And the feeling was palpable and eventually passed around the cast and crew."

For the key featured role of Hugo's father, Scorsese needed to find an actor who could embody all of the warmth and goodness that the young boy had experienced (up to that point in his life) in just a few short scenes.

"I worked with Jude Law once before, when he played Errol Flynn in 'The Aviator.' I also saw him onstage as Hamlet, and he was really wonderful. He's so unique. He has the authority and the charm for this part, and I'd love to be able to work with him in a longer project," offers Scorsese.

Law professes, "I knew the book because I'd already read it to my children. So I went back and re-read it, and I talked to my children about it and asked them their impressions of the father. I got to talk to a clockmaker, and I looked at automatons, so I had a certain knowledge of how to hold things, and if they were referring to tools, I'd know what they were. But otherwise, to me, really, it was simply about creating a very warm and heartfelt chapter in Hugo's life, knowing that the majority of the story sets him in quite a cold world. I wanted to make sure that you realize he had been loved. I thought it was really important that I carry my experiences of being a father into it."

'IT MIGHT BE AN ADVENTURE': FINDING THE CHARACTERS (2)

For the role of Monsieur Labisse, who runs a book shop in the train station, Scorsese finally had the opportunity to work with a truly legendary performer. He states, "On this film I finally got the chance to work with Christopher Lee, who's been a favorite of mine for 50, 60 years."

The 89-year-old Lee recalls traveling in France in 1931: "I remember very well those shops, café's and restaurants. So to me, in a way, it's like stepping into my past. My character is sort of a guardian angel, and I help open the world to these children through literature."

Lee was thrilled to finally be able to cross Martin Scorsese off of his list: "Not to flatter Martin, but I said to him, 'I have more credits probably than anyone in the industry alive today, so I'm told. But I always felt that my career would not be absolutely complete unless I did a film with you, because I've worked with John Huston, Orson Welles, Raoul Walsh, Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, Peter Jackson and many, many, many, many others, but never with you.' Along comes this story, and obviously there is something for me. So finally!"

Scorsese cast Helen McCrory in the pivotal role of Madame Jeanne, the support and protector of the aging Méliès, who at one time was his muse. Scorsese explains, "I had seen Helen in 'The Queen' as Mrs. Blair, and in a British television series of 'Anna Karenina,' and she was excellent. We got to meet, talked, and I thought she would be perfect for the role. It's a complex situation: Madame Jeanne, who supports her husband, has worked with him for years and wants him to get past the bitterness of his great disappointment in life. She was wonderful, working in different layers, shades and colors into her performance."

The crucial role of Rene Tabard, the film scholar who, thanks to Hugo and Isabelle, rediscovers Méliès and arranges the gala in his honor at the French Film Academy, went to the versatile screen and stage actor Michael Stuhlbarg. Scorsese was delighted at being reunited with him. "This is the third time Michael and I have worked together. He appeared in the commercial for Freixenet champagne I shot that was an homage to Alfred Hitchcock, and he also played a leading role in 'Boardwalk Empire.' Michael's range as an actor is astonishing. He can switch effortlessly from drama to comedy, from a contemporary film to a period piece. He's equally brilliant as a vicious, hardened crime boss in 'Boardwalk' or, in 'Hugo,' as a gentle, self-effacing film historian who idolizes George Méliès and is in awe of his movies. It was a great pleasure working with Michael again."

A great deal of the 'local color' of the train station is provided by people who depend upon the traffic in the station's main hall for their livelihood, which include the flower seller, Lisette (Mortimer); the book seller, Labisse (Lee); a gentleman who runs the newsstand, Monsieur Frick; and his neighbor, who runs the café, Madame Emilie. For the role of the slightly eccentric (potential) couple, Scorsese slotted two of Great Britain's finest character actors, Richard Griffiths ("one of the greatest actors working today," states Scorsese ) and Frances de la Tour ("I've always been a great admirer of hers," he adds).

The director elaborates, "The characters that John Logan placed in this little world of the station, in our impression of Paris at that time, I call them the 'vignettes;' they inhabit this world. They work there everyday. All these characters were meant to weave in and out of the picture, with everybody trying to connect with each other, the way Hugo is trying to connect with his past."

Scorsese approached the vignettes with a light touch, and shot them almost like a silent film. The characters quietly, almost wordlessly, move in and out of frame as they relate to each other. Just watching them, scenarios arise, which add to the atmosphere and the feel of the train station.

As the Station Inspector's menacing dog, Maximillian, three trained Dobermans were brought in (Blackie was used in most scenes, with Enzo and Borsalino in the wings to cover). Trainer Mathilde de Cagny also oversaw the use of the longhaired dachshunds (which play into the story of Frick and Emilie), a cat (forever perched atop a pile of books in Labisse's shop) and several pigeons (what's a clock tower without pigeons?). De Cagny herself was usually costumed and stationed in the crowd, near enough to the action to 'direct' the animals, but not evident enough to pull focus and spoil the shot. When no crowds were present, she was outfitted in a 'green screen' suit, for easy removal in post-production.

To fill the role of one very special character—who is central to the plot and its unfolding—filmmakers turned to props master David Balfour, who worked with 'problem solving' prop builder Dick George, creator of Hugo's automaton.

Dick George offers, "He's a character in himself, so in a way, it's like building a little human being." A total of 15 automatons were built for filming, each one, to execute a different move or serve a different purpose within the script.

George continues, "The advantage that we have in manufacturing this piece is that we have all modern technologies at our disposal, which early clockmakers didn't have. However, they had a wealth of experience and understanding of clockwork mechanisms. The early automatons were driven on a cam system, and the information was programmed in, letter-by-letter, so the amount that it could actually write or draw was quite limited. In our case, because it's a computer program, it can draw absolutely anything."

Of his taciturn co-star, Asa Butterfield notes, "It's really odd. It does feel like he's another actor. When I heard that I was going to be working with a robot for a portion of this movie, I thought it might look like the Tin Man from 'The Wizard of Oz,' but it looks so human."

Ben Kingsley observes, "The automaton took on a life of its own. It was very touching and beautiful to watch the little chap turn his head, dip his pen into a pot of ink and draw the face of the moon, which I watched it do with my own eyes. There was one scene, where Hugo comes to Georges while cradling the automaton, which really is a child holding a lost child. Then I take the little chap in my arms, and we walk off—and then it's really three children walking away."

FINDING THE REAL MÉLIÈS

“I had a DVD set, of course, of Méliès films, and there’s an image of Méliès on the cover,” Scorsese says. “One day on the set, two of the kids in the movie went by, both about 12-years-old. One saw the DVD box and said, ‘Oh, there’s Ben (Kingsley),’ I responded, ‘No, that’s really Méliès.’ ‘You mean he existed, he’s real?’ I said, ‘Oh, yes.’“

Georges Méliès was not the first to make films—that honor belongs to two brothers, Auguste and Louis Lumière, who invented ‘moving pictures’ in 1895 and went on to make hundreds of films, mostly documenting ‘real-life’ events (e.g., one of their first, “L’Arrivée d’un train á La Ciotat,” had early cinemagoers literally jumping out of their seats as a huge steam engine raced through the frame). The story goes that the brothers, however, believed this new pastime to be literally a passing fancy.

Georges Méliès thought otherwise. Eschewing the family business of shoemaking, Méliès sold the factory and took the proceeds to fund the beginning of his chosen profession—magic. He purchased a theater (formerly owned by his mentor, Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, the magician who inspired the young Ehrich Weiss to change his name to Harry Houdini) and began performing.

He saw his first moving picture when he was 34 and to him, this new art form held great promise…for magic. He constructed his own cameras and projectors, with the help of R.W. Paul, oftentimes repurposing parts from a collection of automatons Robert-Houdin had left behind. His earliest films re-created his stage performances. However, he soon began to experiment with storytelling and editing techniques, giving rise to some of the earliest cinematic ‘special effects,’ including stop motion, time-lapse photography, multiple exposures and dissolves and hand-painted colors. He later sold his theater and built his studio, with a stage entirely of glass (to best utilize all available light) at its heart.

“What’s amazing about Méliès,” offers Scorsese, “is that he explored and invented pretty much everything that we’re doing now. It is in a direct line, all the way, from the sci-fi and fantasy films of the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s, up to the work of Harryhausen, Spielberg, Lucas, James Cameron. It’s all there. Méliès did what we do now with computer, green screen and digital, only he did it in his camera at his studio.”

His ‘masterpiece,’ the 14-minute “Le voyage dans la lune” (“A Trip to the Moon”), was filmed in 1902. He went on to write, direct, act in, produce and design more than 500 films by 1914, with subjects ranging from ‘reality’ (re-creations of current events) to fantasy/sci-fi (from “Kingdom of the Fairies” to “The Impossible Voyage”), with playing times from one to 40 minutes in length. Méliès is often referred to as the ‘Father of Narrative Filmmaking,’ with many crediting him with the birth of the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres.

Because of an unfortunate incident with Thomas Alva Edison (who acquired a print of Méliès’ 1896 “The House of Devil,” duplicated and exhibited it in the U.S. with great success…without giving any profits to Méliès), the filmmaker began to film two prints simultaneously, one for European and one for American exhibition. Recently, a film historian combined both prints of “The Infernal Cake Walk” and found the resulting image to be a crude precursor to 3D cinema.

Advances in the art of cinema later left Méliès behind, and with the outbreak of World War I, he saw his appeal waning. He eventually abandoned his studio, burned his costumes and sets, and sold the copies of his films to be melted down for chemical use.

To support himself, his second wife and his granddaughter, Méliès worked in a confectionary and toy booth seven days a week at one of Paris’ central train stations, Gare Montparnasse, in the 1920s. He remained largely forgotten until the artistic community of French Surrealists ‘discovered’ his work, connecting with his dreamlike vision. Renewed interest led to a gala in Paris, with Méliès front and center, screening many of his works. He was even working on a new film, “The Ghosts of the Metro,” when he died in 1938.

Scorsese remarks, “When I first read the book, I didn’t realize that the older gentleman in the toy store was going to turn out to be Georges Méliès. It’s a true story. He was broke, and did wind up in a toy store at the Gare Montparnasse for 16 years.”

Ben Kingsley explains, “The fictionalizing is discreet in our film. It was believed by many that Georges died around about the time of the First World War, but he actually isolated himself in his shop. It’s been re-created, wonderfully, from photographs and from people who were close to him. The nudge of history is delicate and charming.”

SCORSESE’S PARIS OF 1931

To re-create the world of Paris in the early ‘30s, as filtered through Hugo Cabret, a fictional character, Scorsese aimed to create, as he put it, “a balance of realism and myth.” He brought researcher Marianne Bower onboard, who looked to lend authenticity, supported by historical photographs, documents and films of the period. She narrowed her search to isolate the time period of 1925 to 1931.

As a course of study for the creative departments, members of Team Hugo watched about 180 of Méliès’ films, about 13 hours’-worth, along with films of René Clair and Carol Reed, avant-garde cinema from the 1920s and ‘30s. They watched films of the Lumière brothers, and silent films from the ‘20s to study period tinting and toning. Reference was not limited to ‘moving pictures,’ as they also studied still photography of Brassaï (Hungarian photographer Gyula K. Halász, who memorialized Paris between the Wars) for the period look of the Parisian streets and the appearance and behavior of the background actors.

While some location filming would take place, the majority of filming was to be done at England’s Shepperton Studios, where the production designer Dante Ferretti would supervise the construction of Hugo’s world, which included a life-size train station with all of its shops, Méliès’ entire apartment building, his glass studio building, a bombed-out structure next door, a fully stocked corner wine shop and an enormous graveyard marked by huge monuments and stone crypts, among others

The centerpiece of the tale, the station, was an amalgamation of design elements and structures lifted from multiple train stations of the period—some still in existence, which proved helpful to many of the artists; sadly, Gare Montparnasse was destroyed and rebuilt anew in 1969. Per Scorsese, “Our station is a combination of several different train stations in Paris at that time. Also, our Paris is really a heightened Paris…our impression of Paris at the time.”

Ferretti’s impressive sets were brought even more into the period with the help of set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo, who joyfully admits that she had the pitiable task of repeated shopping trips to flea markets in and around Paris. She also supervised the reproduction of posters from 1930-31 for use in the station and on some building exteriors. Some design elements were also inspired references to some of the best of French cinema.

An experience from Ferretti’s youth also proved quite useful to the designer—at age eight, the father of his best friend worked with clocks, and once he began to incorporate them into his designs, “all my memory about this came back…I had forgotten everything.” (The actual construction of the clocks themselves was done by Joss Williams of special effects.)

When finished, the main hall of the train station filled a soundstage, running 150 feet in length, 120 in width and 41 in height. The overwhelmingly immersive environment allowed Scorsese and director of photography Robert Richardson to film all the movement, bustle and collision of the multiple stories dictated in Logan’s screenplay, including a rather breathless chase between the Station Inspector and Hugo.

Costume designer Sandy Powell also looked to the past for information and inspiration, but also, played fully with the idea of Scorsese’s ‘impression of Paris’ agenda. Vintage clothing figured heavily—for reference and for actual use—but for those actually worn by an actor, they had to be subjected to strengthening (at the very least) or even re-made.

Powell found Hugo’s signature striped sweater, then had copies made (several sets of identical costumes were necessary for characters who appear in largely unchanged outfits throughout the film). When Helen McCrory appears as a constellation in one of Méliès’ films, she was outfitted in a found skirt (from an old costume or ball gown from the ‘40s or ‘50s, Powell surmises), which, with added bodice, was refashioned into the airy costume befitting a ‘star.’ Kingsley’s costumes as Méliès were taken directly from photographs, then padded, to not only give the actor a more slumped silhouette, but also to remind him not to stand up straight.

But history did not always have the final say—for the Station Inspector’s uniform, Powell rejected the bottle green color called for in favor of a near-turquoise blue.

FILMING HUGO’S WORLD IN 3D

Martin Scorsese is not shy about professing his affection for 3D filmmaking, having spent his formative years attending the cinema at the same time that 3D was being utilized for films across every genre. He says, “It was 1953, and the first one I saw was ‘House of Wax,’ directed by André de Toth—it’s probably the best 3D film ever made.”

It was, however, a film released the following year that Scorsese cites as having a truly lasting effect on the argument for a ‘smart use’ of 3D in service to the story. He offers, “Alfred Hitchcock’s use of 3D in ‘Dial M for Murder’ was really intelligent. Rather than as an effect, it deals with the story, and it utilizes space as an element in the narrative. What I discovered working in 3D is that it enhances the actor, like watching a sculpture that moves. It’s no longer flat. With the right performances and the right moves, it becomes a mixture of theater and film, but different from both. That is something that has always been exciting to me…I’ve always dreamed about doing a film in 3D.”

As part of a primer in 3D filmmaking, crew members were shown both “House of Wax” and “Dial M for Murder.” For Scorsese’s cinematographer, Robert Richardson, it was also the first time working in the format. Per the director/producer: “Bob’s a wonderful artist, and he had never done 3D, so we were always pushing each other. We wanted to try it, and so we were both discovering more about it as we went along.

“Probably the first images I saw in my head when I began working on ‘Hugo,’“ continues Scorsese, “were images of Hugo running and looking over his shoulder, and there was this longing in his eyes. Faces are given a special intimacy with 3D. We see people in a different way. They are closer to us. I felt that 3D would help create a stronger bond between the audience and the characters.”

Robert Richardson states, “’Hugo’ provided an unparalleled challenge. My hope was to evoke the romance of Paris in the 1930’s and yet not divorce the present. French cinema has always had a special place in my heart and with the vast potential of 3D, I hoped to sample the magic with which Melies created his body of work.”

To help with the challenges of filming in an added dimension, 3D stereographer Demetri Portelli was hired. During shooting, he could always be found working from a special monitor, using a remote control to adjust each camera's 'eye' on the 3D rig. Portelli elaborates, “3D enhances the viewing experience. It creates a physical world closer to reality than ever before, intensifying the audience’s involvement in the story.”

For the scene where Hugo and Isabelle venture to the library, location filming took place at the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève. Richardson had prepared lighting cranes outside the windows to simulate sunshine, but when it was time to film, the sun came cascading into the voluminous library, one window at a time. Portelli describes, “Some atmosphere was added with a white smoke, so we could define the rays of light. On my 3D screen, they looked like solid beams of platinum. In my experience this can only be achieved by shooting in 3D. Filming native 3D—capturing 3D on set with a motorized rig—I can move each camera’s lens around an object from two different positions, like the eyes in your head ‘see’ from different angles. This process enables us to build objects with volume and gives all the images in the film a wonderful physical tangibility.”

The air of the train station received similar treatment—to give viewers the impression of the age and feel of the place. ‘Dust’ was created from tiny bits of goose down, and dry ice ‘smoke’ was also added.

“Hugo” was also the 3D maiden voyage of the film’s editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, who felt the format a rich addition to the project. She says, “Scorsese's and Richardson's use of 3D in ‘Hugo’ seems to embrace the actors. It has a powerful effect on the emotion in the film."

But “Hugo” is about more than an adventurous boy on a hopeful mission—it is also about the discovery and reaffirmation of a true artist of early cinema. In flashback, audiences are shown the entire arc of Méliès’ career…from magician to filmmaker and then, shopkeeper. Scenes of him actually filming are key. As he is credited with more than 500 films, Scorsese faced the challenge of winnowing down such a lengthy list of movie titles to just a handful. Finally, he chose the one for the full ‘behind-the-scenes’ treatment—his 1903 “Kingdom of the Fairies.” Per Scorsese: “I wanted to show three or four scenes from it, but actually I wound up with one that takes place under the sea. We thought that would be interesting to show how he accomplished his underwater sequences—how simple it is, and how charming.”

Méliès’ original glass studio was rebuilt on the backlot of Shepperton Studios in England, constructed from existing designs, measurements and photos of the original building. Cinémathèque Française provided Méliès’ diagram for filming ‘underwater’—Scorsese’s team could re-create the placement of the fish tank and the camera in order to reproduce Méliès’ effect.

Visual effects supervisor Rob Legato was charged with figuring out how to achieve the litany of filmic effects Méliès first created using only the available tools and techniques of the time. Legato offers, “This was a magic project, having the opportunity to go back to the very beginnings of the film business with someone like Marty at the helm. To a large degree, what I do in my profession is visual effects, and here is essentially the ‘father of visual effects.’ He created this in-camera trickery and had such love for the art form—it’s so much a part of this movie.”

Scorsese also features more of Méliès’ work as “films within the film,” such as “A Thousand and One Nights,” which features a group of dancing skeletons that appear to vanish when confronted by sword-wielding adventurers. The filmmaker himself appeared as Satan in multiple projects, and Kingsley appears in perfect imitation, down to the costume and the ‘disappearance’ through a trap door in the floor. Other scenes are representative of several similar ones from multiple films, and the dragon is one such multi-sourced creation.

Whenever any Méliès film was ‘directly’ quoted onscreen by Scorsese, hours of work went in to authentically reproducing every aspect of the film—from the appearances of the performers and their movements, to the costumes, lighting and effects. Footage was re-created frame by frame, in painstaking detail. Legato confirms, “I can’t describe enough the lengths to which we went to create the spirit of Méliès in his studio—the costumes, the makeup, the lighting, the assistant directors working out the blocking and expressions of the actors exactly as they looked in the original films. It’s as accurate as we could get matching the clips, beat for beat.”

Authenticity and accuracy were indeed the mandate, and filmmakers went above and beyond to keep the vision ‘true’…for example, the period seamstresses shown working on Georges Méliès’ films are actually the crew seamstresses from “Hugo.” Scorsese confesses, “It was an enormous undertaking, and we didn’t fully realize how challenging it would be. But it was enjoyable. We really felt, when we were working in the Méliès Studio, that it was a celebration for all of us and an honor to be making our versions of these lasting works.”

While Kingsley was duly inspired from watching all of the existing films of Méliès, he found a more direct character inspiration much nearer to hand: “I watched all of Georges’ films, but it’s not a question for me of preparation and research. That’s minimal. It doesn’t really teach you anything about what it’s like to be Georges. But then, working with Marty, who is such a genius, I realized that my role model for playing Georges Méliès should be Martin Scorsese! There he is. Why look any further? I didn’t have to go out and research someone who’s been dead for a long time, I can’t speak with him. I feel I’m living with a pioneer of cinema, in the same room, day after day. That’s where I looked.”

Méliès created his effects using trial and error—filming, waiting for the film to be developed and edited, then viewing it…it either worked or it didn’t. Legato turned to ‘tried and true’ techniques to achieve onscreen magic for Scorsese, especially with one massive scene involving a derailed locomotive that screeches through the station and explodes out of one of the gigantic windows into the Paris street below.

Just such an accident occurred at the Gare Montparnasse, on October 23, 1895. The still shocking image of the train engine in the street, the back end leaning up against the remains of the grand window, became Legato’s reference. He explains, “My first instinct was to photograph the scene. I had very good experiences photographing miniature models in ‘Titanic’ and ‘Apollo 13.’ So, we constructed the train and the window [in 1:4 scale], set up the same mechanics, and it reacted much like it did when the historical crash really occurred, and ultimately, matching the train’s twisted position just like in the photograph.”

Construction of the 15-foot-long train and 20-foot-tall station window took the design team and engineers four months to build. To achieve additional scale, models of miniature bicycles and suitcases were added to the street just below the window. The actual model train crash took only a second-and-a-half, but when slowed down and finished off with other effects, the result is in scale and quite convincing.

For a few scenes, Scorsese took his 3D camera on location, to add even more period feel and authenticity. Scenes with Jude Law as Hugo’s father, working at his museum job, London’s internationally renowned Victoria and Albert Museum stood in for a Parisian one. Isabelle and Hugo go to the cinema in a historic film house in Paris—an actual one—the lobby decorated with existing antique posters from silent films and films in release in 1930 and ‘31. The Parisian theater where Georges is feted is, in fact, a lecture hall at the Sorbonne—the historical landmark in the Latin Quarter, the 5th arrondissement of Paris, which formerly housed the centuries’ old center of learning. A younger Georges is shown levitating Jeanne in a flashback, and the sequence was filmed at the Athénée Théâtre Louis-Jouvet in Paris (the look of the scene was inspired by a period poster advertising the illusion, even down to Sandy Powell hand-painting the inside of Jeanne’s skirt, which is visible while the damsel is floating).

Paris, France in 1931 is evident in every aspect of “Hugo,” from the costumes, to the sets, the dressing and the styling. Composer Howard Shore’s score is a love letter, both to the French culture in the 1930s and to the groundbreaking early days of cinema. Shore’s music is composed for two ensembles – one nested within the other – to create a sense of layering in the musical palette. Inside a full symphony orchestra resides a smaller ensemble, a sort of nimble French dance band that includes the ondes Martenot, musette, cimbalom, tack piano, gypsy guitar, upright bass, a 1930s trap-kit and alto saxophone. “I wanted to match the depth of the sound to the depth of the image—a marriage of light and sound,” says Shore.

LA FIN D’UN RÊVE

For Ben Kingsley, bringing the ‘Father of Narrative Filmmaking’ to life was only one of the benefits of performing in “Hugo.” Kingsley posits, “The characters are so rich, and the actors playing them so gifted, they really have found the joy, the glory and the surprise that one usually finds in an animated film. But it goes far beyond that—Martin has used the natural eccentricities and energies of the performers to great effect. It’s got mystery, it’s funny and moving. The set is breathtakingly beautiful; the toys in my shop are exquisite. The colors, the 3D…it’s terribly entertaining, and wonderful in the most literal sense.”

From first seeing “A Trip to the Moon,” to watching his illustrated novel transformed into a film, author Brian Selznick maintained his gratitude and sense of wonder: “Watching the movie now, I think about myself as a child drawing day and night, and I think about Martin Scorsese in the cinema with his father, and Thelma Schoonmaker growing up in Aruba, and John Logan watching Laurence Olivier as Hamlet, and Dante Ferretti sitting in a clock tower in Italy. I marvel at the long, unexpected twists and turns that led us here…children from all over the world who grew up and came together to collaborate on a movie about two lonely kids who find their purpose in a train station in Paris.”

Scorsese closes, “As a moviemaker, I feel that everything done in film today began with Georges Méliès. And when I go back and look at his original films, I feel moved and inspired, because they still carry the thrill of discovery over 100 years after they were made; and because they are among the first, powerful expressions of an art form that I’ve loved, and to which I’ve devoted myself for the better part of my life.”