Hugo Film and Literature Adaptation

When looking at ‘Hugo’ directed by Martin Scorsese the adaptation from the Novel ‘The Invention of Hugo Cabret’ by Brian Selzink I believe it is a close adaptation. There are differences however in order to accomplish what the director was trying to portray. These differences are what made the film a close adaptation. The way dialogue is portrayed differs in the novel. The film has time and background music to elaborate on details. The novel has to keep the audience engaged. Camera angle also help portray this dialogue. Thes camera angles can “add meaning to the subject being filmed” (Desmond Hawkes p.28). In this aspect the characters can get into more detail in the film. The connection between Hugo and the Automaton and how it relates to his father differs from the novel and film. In the novel Hugo is presented the Automaton at the Museum by his father, but it never leaves the museums sight until Hugo retrieves it after the fire. In the film Hugo’s father takes the Automaton home where him and Hugo work on it together. Not only does this bring the two characters closer together prior to a turning point in the film, but also it creates a stronger connection between Hugo and the Automaton. This Automaton represents Hugo fixing himself. In order to really make that connection in the film Scorsese brought the association with the father and automaton. In the novel the automaton is a representation of a real automaton as is the one in the film, however the film did not use CGI to portray this amazing feature and mechanics, the film did use tricks in order to best portray the automaton and mechanics. One of the visual differences is the lack of jacket, which is present in the book. The jacket hides the mechanics of the automaton. This not only distracts from the reoccurring theme of fixing broken things, but it also hides the hard work the team did on the project. A mechanical trick used in production of the automaton was using magnets in the pen and the desk.

Cited: 1. Desmond, John M., and Peter Hawkes. Adaptation: Studying Film and Literature. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, 2006. Print. 2. Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. New York: Scholastic, 2007. Print. 3. Selznick, Brian, Martin Scorsese, David Serlin, and Jaap Buitendijk. The Hugo Movie Companion: A behind the Scenes Look at How a Beloved Book Became a Major Motion Picture. New York: Scholastic, 2011. Print. 4. http://humn496.wikispaces.com/Brian+Selznick%27s+The+Invention+of+Hugo+Cabret+%282007%29+and+Martin+Scorsese%27s+Hugo+%282011%29 5. Lytal, Cristy. "Working Hollywood: Dick George, Prop Maker." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2011. Web. 03 Aug. 2012. <http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/27/entertainment/la-ca-working-hollywood-20111127>.