Hugo Cabret Movie vs. Book
In The Invention of Hugo Cabret vs. Hugo, the element of character relationships in the book and the movie are developed very differently. One example of this would be the addition of completely new characters in the movie that were not in the book at all. The director, Martin Scorsese, creates new characters, which add and build upon the relationships and add side stories to the plot line. Instead of cutting some of the plot as adaptations usually do, the film actually added additional story lines (Lee).
He adds the characters in the train station with the dachshunds that create a romantic vignette in the movie that was not in the book. The director also creates the girl at the flower shop that ends up in a romantic relationship with the Station Inspector. In addition, the relationship between the Station Inspector and Hugo differed as the Inspector is much more present in the movie than in the book. There are more scenes depicting the Station Inspector chasing Hugo in the movie for dramatic effect. Scorsese also adds drama by including the Station Inspector’s menacing dog in the chase scenes.
Specific to the movie, the Inspector has a metal prosthetic leg, which provides a vulnerability that he seems to be overcompensating for with his intimidating exterior. The character differences between the book and the movie could be due to the desire of the director wanting to add his own insight and personal elements to the story rather than using Brian Selznick’s literal interpretation. Since the media forms of literature and film have different interpretive elements they must be presented differently.
For instance, in the movie Scorsese adds more dramatic effects by providing additional character relationships and plotlines. Also, since the movie is targeted towards all audiences, he includes the element of romance with his character relationships in order to appeal to the adult audience. Another character relationship to be noted would be the relationship between Hugo and the automaton. Even though it is an inanimate object, Hugo clearly forms a relationship with this machine as it is the only part of his father he has left.
Hugo is very determined to repair the automaton as he believes his father may have left him a message through it, which gives him hope and the desire to fix it. Hugo takes great care of the automaton and in the film he carries it like a baby because he cares for it so much. Since his father’s death, Hugo has been left with no family therefore the automaton almost becomes his family as it meant so much to his father. Both appealing in their own forms of media, the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret and the movie Hugo have several contrasting elements, which provide unique depictions of the same story.
