The Bookstore in the Movie 'Hugo'

The two-storey bookstore in the movie "Hugo"
with its majestically towering volumes of books

As you probably know by now nothing gives me a kick more than the sight of books, and bookstores magically recreated in films are not an exception.   When I saw the movie Hugo, I was immediately struck by the beautiful two-storey bookstore where Hugo and Isabelle would spend time together.   The movie, which was based on the Caldecott Medal winning book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, is a treat for booklovers, especially the bookstore!

The task of recreating the shop fell on Francesca Lo Schiavo, the Set Decorator, who is also the wife of the film's Production Designer Dante Ferretti.  Filled with over 40,000 volumes, the store is shot from within, without, through the windows, and even from the top and bottom.  Lo Schiavo recalls, “Everyone who collected books knew about us, about my search for thousands of books, so we dealt with many collectors. It was interesting for me because I met a lot of people who are involved in the book world. We also had some made in plaster, and I put a lot of marble busts and sculptures and framed prints in the shop…it was meant to be as a library feeling...and, again, very special.”

Mr. Ferretti said, “Since the books are so heavy, when you have to move them for the camera, you lose too much time.” So some of the books were made of fiberglass and painted. The effect was the same bookshop charm but made the set easier to manage.  

When the author Brian Selznick visited the set he was overwhelmed.  "It was artistry on a grand scale," he said.

89-year-old Christopher Lee, who plays Monsieur Labisse, proprietor of the train station’s wondrous bookstore, recalls traveling in France in 1931, “I remember very well those shops, cafés and restaurants. So to me, in a way, it’s like stepping into my past. My character is sort of a guardian angel, and I help open the world to these children through literature.”  Isabelle tells Hugo that Monsieur Labisse says giving a book to someone is “…sending a book to a good home”.

Set creators Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo won the Academy Awards for Art Direction for their outstanding work on the film, which didn't just include the bookstore, but also magically recreating the entire train station in a studio in London.

Finally, here are stills of the bookstore I managed to capture from the film for your better appreciation. Click on any image to enlarge.  Enjoy!

The bookshop proprietor Monsieur Labisse, played by Christopher Lee

Here's a beautiful shot from above the store
looking down on to Monsieur Labisse's desk

Hugo and Isabelle browsing the back shelf



Some of the towering books were made of fiberglass and painted
to make them easier to move around for the camera



Another beautiful shot from the top, the back shelf

Monsieur Labisse receives a fresh delivery of books

Marble busts and sculptures were added
 to give the bookshop a 'library' feel

 

Robin Hood, the book that Hugo tells Isabelle
he and his father used to read together

Hugo and Isabelle on the second storey of the store

 



Another shot of the second storey with its gallery of books



This last image is actually two stills that I stitched together
to appreciate the expanse of the bookstore.
The camera pans from right to left as Isabelle and Hugo walk
hand in hand from the back shelf to the front of the store.
Click on the image to enlarge.