Film review: Pinocchio

If your only knowledge of Pinocchio is Disney’s 1940 animated film, then brace yourself for a lesson in Italian folklore.

Released in the UK 7 August, this live-action adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio, holds truer to the original than any other version of this constantly re- imagined story. Although slightly dark at times, which shouldn’t surprise us coming from the director of mob drama, Gomorrah, Matteo Garrone’s PG version of Pinocchio is 2 hours 5 mins of pure magic.

Poor carpenter, Geppetto (Roberto Benigni) carves a puppet out of wood to help him earn a living. But the puppet, which he names Pinocchio (Federico Lelapi), comes to life and almost immediately runs away. Benigni, who himself played Pinocchio in a previously adaptation of the story, shines as Geppetto who is besotted with the boy he calls his son. He encourages him to study and to be good, but the mischievous puppet as other ideas. Travelling around impoverished 19th century Tuscany, Pinocchio gets into one fix after another. From which, after being swindled out of gold coins, hanged, turned into a donkey and eaten by a giant dogfish, he learns some solid moral values.

Such is Lelapi’s superb make-up, you could be forgiven for thinking the film used CGI. His wooden appearance, however, was painstakingly created by British prosthetic master, Mark Coulier who spent three hours applying it each day. The film was made entirely in Italian, which seems fitting for a story so revered by Italians. Two versions have been released; one dubbed with English - so skilfully synced that it’s almost impossible to tell, and a second in English subtitles – unless you’re taking the children, try to find the latter. This is very much a story that should be told in its beautiful mother tongue. 300 words