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glitter_n_goreThe Invention of Hugo Cabret, both the book by Brian Selznick and the movie (called simply Hugo) directed by Martin Scorcese, is about this kid who lives in the walls of a Paris train station. He keeps all the clocks in the station running, routinely pinches food from the shops to survive, and sometimes clockwork toys from the toy shop for parts. You see, he's trying to repair an automaton--a mechanical man who can write. The automaton is his last connection to his father, who died in a fire at the museum where he worked, and Hugo is sure that when he can get it working, the automaton will give him a message from his father.
Book Cover via GoodReads
Now, in order to get into the real meat of this story, I am going to have to spoil a mid-point plot twist--namely what Hugo actually finds when the automaton comes to life. I went into the movie completely cold and found myself spellbound, and I wouldn't want to rob anyone of that experience if you haven't seen / read it yet. So if you don't want to know any more, this is the place to stop reading.
First, I should mention I did not see this in theaters, so I didn't get to see it in 3D. I think the movie works regardless, but I am sorry I missed it because the shots are so streamlined and beautiful I can see how the 3D gimmick would actually enhance the story, rather than becoming a cumbersome distraction. In fact, I might go as far as to say this is probably my favorite Martin Scorcese picture. I've had mixed reactions to his work in the past, but he knows how to use his medium to tell a story. And that's really what Hugo is about: the magic of stories.
The book is a unique combination of both visual and literary storytelling. Selznick uses intermittent illustrations and words to bring us into Hugo's world. The pictures don't depict scenes already described on the page, but take over and tell the story when a picture would work better. It's rather like a silent film in book form. This matters because it's a mystery about the life of legendary fantasy filmmaker Georges Méliès. That's the secret that the automaton eventually reveals: not a written message, but a drawing of a rocket going into the eye of the man in the moon, a still from Méliès' best-known work, A Trip to the Moon.
Film history buffs know that name well, but if you grew up in the alterna-grunge 90s like me, then likely your first exposure to his work was this music video by the Smashing Pumpkins:
It's an homage, not a shot-for-shot remake. You can actually watch the entire original film on YouTube, along with a number of Méliès' other works that are now in the public domain. He first began capturing audience's imaginations at the turn of the 20th century. His work has since found new life in the music video format in the mid-90s, in children's literature in the 2000s, and finally back on the silver screen in 2011.
I'm stretching this a little because The Invention of Hugo Cabret is generally shelved in Middle Grade rather than YA. Also, it's not an exact adaptation--certain characters like the Station Inspector and Isabelle get lots more to do in the movie, and the film scholar and his professor get rolled up into one character, for example. However, the inspiration behind it illustrates one of the most important truths I've come to hold dear: that a great story can transcend any medium, time period, or age demographic. That is real magic.
Book Cover via GoodReads
Now, in order to get into the real meat of this story, I am going to have to spoil a mid-point plot twist--namely what Hugo actually finds when the automaton comes to life. I went into the movie completely cold and found myself spellbound, and I wouldn't want to rob anyone of that experience if you haven't seen / read it yet. So if you don't want to know any more, this is the place to stop reading.
First, I should mention I did not see this in theaters, so I didn't get to see it in 3D. I think the movie works regardless, but I am sorry I missed it because the shots are so streamlined and beautiful I can see how the 3D gimmick would actually enhance the story, rather than becoming a cumbersome distraction. In fact, I might go as far as to say this is probably my favorite Martin Scorcese picture. I've had mixed reactions to his work in the past, but he knows how to use his medium to tell a story. And that's really what Hugo is about: the magic of stories.
The book is a unique combination of both visual and literary storytelling. Selznick uses intermittent illustrations and words to bring us into Hugo's world. The pictures don't depict scenes already described on the page, but take over and tell the story when a picture would work better. It's rather like a silent film in book form. This matters because it's a mystery about the life of legendary fantasy filmmaker Georges Méliès. That's the secret that the automaton eventually reveals: not a written message, but a drawing of a rocket going into the eye of the man in the moon, a still from Méliès' best-known work, A Trip to the Moon.
Film history buffs know that name well, but if you grew up in the alterna-grunge 90s like me, then likely your first exposure to his work was this music video by the Smashing Pumpkins:
It's an homage, not a shot-for-shot remake. You can actually watch the entire original film on YouTube, along with a number of Méliès' other works that are now in the public domain. He first began capturing audience's imaginations at the turn of the 20th century. His work has since found new life in the music video format in the mid-90s, in children's literature in the 2000s, and finally back on the silver screen in 2011.
I'm stretching this a little because The Invention of Hugo Cabret is generally shelved in Middle Grade rather than YA. Also, it's not an exact adaptation--certain characters like the Station Inspector and Isabelle get lots more to do in the movie, and the film scholar and his professor get rolled up into one character, for example. However, the inspiration behind it illustrates one of the most important truths I've come to hold dear: that a great story can transcend any medium, time period, or age demographic. That is real magic.
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Date: 2016-04-20 02:41 am (UTC)The movie is wonderful. I think I might prefer the movie to the book; the kids are nicer to each other in the movie. There's more communicating about what they're trying to do, rather than continuing to lie and steal stuff from each other once I thought they'd made friends. That bugged me a little to be honest. You should definitely watch it.
ETA: Haven't read The Marvels yet, but it is on my list.
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Date: 2016-04-20 02:50 pm (UTC)Marvels is made of feels and the story is much stronger. Selznick is improving his storytelling skills with each book. Marvels will be hard to top.