Questions and deep thoughts about the setting of HUGO: Bonus blog

After watching the movie many times and reading the analysis, I think I might speak up some thoughts of mine about how the movie was set and how were these settings significant for the film’s sake. Starting from the very general setting, time, to the very narrow setting, the toyshop, I think Scorsese was successful in his choices. Here are some of them:

• Date: 1930

The year 1930, when the film was set, is in a very significant period in history and matched the film’s details perfectly. George Melies was actually presented Chevalier de la legion d’honneur medal by Lumiere in the year 1931 and Melies died after these events by 7 years (1938). This was not the only significance for this date; the diesel engine made its first trip in the first days of 1930 and its predecessor (the steam engine) did a great part throughout the movie. However, these are not as important as the fact that this period lies after the European industrial revolution, which was shaped in the automaton, clocks and trains, and it also lies 12 years after WW1, which left behind many orphans who filled the film and us with sorrow and empathy.

• City: Paris

Added to that, we can observe an excellent choice of place for the setting, Paris. Paris was the haven for all artists across the globe in this period, especially film-makers and illusionists. It was the city of shows and illusions and it was the homeland for Melies himself. This, along with the fact that many French people participated in the war, leaving behind many orphans, like Hugo Cabret, made the city, Paris, a perfect choice for the setting of the film.

• Train station

The train station played one of the most important roles in the film, because it was the place where all the “work” was concentrated; people going to work, arriving home from work and people working at the station. On the bigger scale, it was a place where Hugo was able to see everything in action and in place. Ironically, the train station was the place where Hugo used to look at secretly to find the perfect time to steal some things to sustain him and the train station was also the place where everybody checks the time and set their watches because the train stations at that time held the standardized timings of each region. 

• Toy store

Finally, the toy-store created an effective climax in the storyline of Hugo, because it was where Hugo met Meliesby “coincidence”, matching the fixer of the automaton with its original creator the fixer steals from. The toy store also played a great role in the messages of the movie, for it showed us how the orphans switched roles with workers and elderly people, having to work for a living and to fix toys instead of playing with them.