Sunday 13th June 2010

Pinocchio

Director: Roberto Benigni
Year: 2002
Stars: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Carlo Giuffre

This film's mad. Not Disney mad, but Italian Benigni mad. As long as you're in the mood for it, it's great. But you have to be in a crazed "I feel I'm 11 again" mood. Luckily for me, this film put me in it quite early on and I went along with the madness. This apparently was not the case for the majority of IMDB voters, who gave it a total score of 3.5 out of 10. I'm sticking with it though, and claiming it's a fun mad I enjoyed.

I suspect most of you know the story of Pinocchio - a boy whose nose grows long when he lies, and wants to be a real boy. To become a real boy though, he has to first be a good boy. Before he manages this (here's a surprise) much madness ensues. I also suspects this film sticks more rigidly to the book than the Disney adaptations (although I could be wrong as I haven't read the book) which may be the reason it all seems a bit mental.

One thing I will agree with those IMDB reviewers on is the dubbing. I watched the English language version, and it's very badly dubbed. It's a shame because it ruins what otherwise looks like a beautiful film. I wish I had watched the Italian version - if nothing else, I think having Benigni's voice would have meant the film could be watched as intended (and I understand enough Italian that it might even have helped me learn some more).

Rating: 3.5 out of 5