the invention of hugo cabret the marvels

For the handful of expository moments, Selznick relied on his long love affair with movies. But exposition is harder to put into images. That works well for plot developments like a shipwreck, which provides the dramatic opening of the book. Scholastic One of Selznick's drawings for 'The Marvels.' Split into two stories, the first is about five generations of actors in the late 1800s.ĭrawings are about action. 'Trying to figure out how to tell the story of five generations of a single family over 150 years with almost no text was really challenging, but it was a fun challenge because it really pushed the way I tell stories and pictures about as far as I could go,' Selznick said. Selznick's signature black-and-white pencil illustrations are even more pronounced in 'The Marvels,' mostly because he decided to populate the first 400 pages with just drawings. He makes hefty books by mixing text and illustrations. The two stories eventually come together.įans of 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret' and 'Wonderstruck,' which is heading to the big screen next year directed by Todd Haynes and starring Julianne Moore, will not be intimidated by the doorstop size of 'The Marvels,' which is just over 600 pages. It's about a boy named Joseph who runs away from boarding school to look for an uncle he’s never met. The first follows a legendary family of actors from 1766 to 1900. 'The Marvels' is divided into two stories.

Stacked on Selznick's desk are books and items used as research for 'The Marvels.' There's a tiny paper theater set. I see enough to generate hours of conversation in the 30 feet from the door to Selznick's studio, where we finally land. They share space with Selznick's extensive snow globe collection from around the world. To drive the point home, bottles of Pepto Bismol line the sink. There's a pink bathroom the color of Pepto Bismol.

'Who paints a portrait of Mariska Hargitay?' he asks. Selznick is delighted when I ask about it. Less esteemed is a flea market-purchased portrait of Law and Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay. Standing out is an iron grate cover from the train station set of 'Hugo,' the 2011 Academy Award-winning film directed by Martin Scorcese based on Selznick's book 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret.' That book earned Selznick the 2008 Caldecott Medal, a prestigious award given to illustrators of children's books. 'You can hear the sound of the future from 1963,' Selznick said.Īrt covers the walls in salon style. Selznick slowly lifts the oven door to accentuate the Jetsons-like sound effect. The author and illustrator of children's books is an enthusiast for things that have a story or sense of history.įor example, Selznick and his husband, UCSD professor David Serlin, chose their mid-century condo because of the 1963 Frigidaire oven, which is original to the building.

The invention of hugo cabret the marvels