Federico Ielapi in Pinocchio. Once the movie enters its loony collage-like trajectory, the hits keep coming. Such is the nature of Pinocchio’s plight, and no matter its otherworldly nature, Garrone’s version shows how the premise has grown more relatable with time. None too subtly, the film suggests that to earn one’s humanity – in other words, to become a real boy – is a near impossible task in such an arbitrarily cruel world. Roberto Benigni has previous — also obsessed with Pinocchio, he directed his own version in 2002, casting himself as the boy, despite being 49. In the process, he exhumes the appeal of the original story all over again. Pinocchio (2020) Pinocchio (2020) Review. All rights reserved. Sitting in front of an ape judge, Pinocchio proclaims his innocence. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Unless you’re a small child, do seek out the latter. Garrone seems obliged to get through the origin story one beat at a time, setting the stage for unleashing the crazy once the pieces are in place. It was a curious decision that had potential — Benigni is a sprite, of sorts — but ultimately it proved to be a big bag of no, even if the film had its moments. 710067). In Matteo Garrone’s mesmerisingly creepy live-action reimagining, the misbehaving puppet is portrayed by child actor Federico Ielapi and aided by prosthetics expert Mark Coulier (Harry Potter, The Iron Lady). “Pinocchio” will never stop becoming a real boy. Pinocchio endures a range of imaginative horrors, from that terrifying whale to the eventual donkey transformation that in this version includes a hat-tip to Robert Bresson’s “Au Hasard Balthazar.” Of course, no “Pinocchio” is complete without a few white lies and a growing schnozzle, though this one seems like a pretty blatant metaphor for puberty (if it wasn’t already baked into the material from the start). Copyright © 2020 Penske Business Media, LLC. “Pinocchio” gets better as it gets weirder, and taking cues from its Homeric origins, it gets very weird. “In this country, the innocent go to prison!” rules a gorilla judge when Pinocchio attempts to report two thieves who robbed him. Pinocchio’s harsh experiences at the hands of unruly circus overseer Mangiafuoco (Gigi Proietti) don’t quite click, though they hint at many of the more unusual circumstances to come. Since its publication, Pinocchio itself has been consuming people — specifically film directors. 'Clouds' Review: Disney Plus' Faith-Based Music Biopic Floats Above Other Movies Like It, 'Blackpink: Light Up the Sky' Review: Netflix Documentary Offers Intimate Intro to K-Pop's Biggest Girl Group, 2019-2020 Freshman Shows: What's Renewed, What's Canceled, What's in Limbo, The Must-See Movies and TV Shows on HBO Max. Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. Share on Facebook; This story can only end one way, and when it does, “Pinocchio” tops off the silly-strange rhythm with a poignant finish. Pinocchio obsesses filmmakers like Moby Dick obsessed Ahab, often in unofficial capacities — it’s in the DNA of Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, and in Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg’s A.I. “Pinocchio” premiered at the Berlin Film Festival as a special gala. Movies: Pinocchio (2020) Actors: Roberto Benigni; Matteo Garrone; In late-19th-century Tuscany, poor … His hands are clumsy and slightly too big for his body, but his delicately chiselled ears are disarmingly lifelike. Collodi’s original was initially serialised in a children’s magazine, written in intermittent instalments, the puppet’s story literally strung together. Pinocchio, for all its ardent fans was never one of the Disney mainstays I was was introduced to as a child. It is cinema’s own white whale. You know the drill: Scatterbrained carpenter Mister Geppetto (Roberto Benigni) roams around his rural village looking for work, finding sudden inspiration when he spots a traveling puppet theater passing through town. Pinocchio’s an innocent creature at the mercy of ever-changing surroundings who learns to take charge, which is enough to make him a walking zeitgeist. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Director Matteo Garrone is similarly stricken, having loved Pinocchio since he was a kid. Such structure doesn’t easily translate to cinema, and Garrone’s film suffers a little from the scenario-jumping, dramatically not amounting to quite as much as it might. Pinocchio review: A beautiful, nightmarish vision destined to frighten children. (This isn’t a movie that demands prolonged mythological explanations for the magic at hand.) 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