Pinocchio

Pinocchio

Garrone's adaptation brings back the magic and some of the grit of the original fable with a Del Toro-esque magic.

I can't really understand how 'Pinocchio' can be considered dry or boring, on the opposite, it might be Garrone's most emotionally involving feature. The director of Gomorra and Dogman is no stranger to the adaptation of fables, a few years ago he directed The Tale of Tales, with an international cast, an adaptation of fables written by a sort of southern Italian equivalent of the Grimms.

There's a great deal of faithfulness to the original novel. Various scenes of the original Pinocchio have been forgot over the years, but this new adaptation is not afraid of reinstating them. At the sane time, the story maintains its original picaresque value and message. Some scenes, mostly due to film lenght, where however omitted nonetheless, but the most important sequences are all present.

I did say that this Pinocchio has a Del Toro-esque feel, that is due to the implementation of extensive make-up and props for all the various creatures that Pinocchio encounters during his journey, and on pinocchio's actor himself. The result is so flawless that honestly I don't know how Del Toro can overcome it with his own planned stopmotion version that's going to be released a few years from now.

The cast should be also noted, with Benigni, Gigi Proietti and more well-known actors that seem just perfectly fit for their roles.

I should also mention the scenery, very italian, very rural, and stunningly photographed.

Italian cinema suffered through the years, but it's certainly not due to the filmmakers, but rather the poor marketing and limited distribution. I really hope that this movie gets widely distributed internationally.