PINOCCHIO

RELEASED 14 AUGUST TBC | 124 minutes

Director Matteo Garrone

Cast Roberto Benigni, Frederico Ielapi, Massimo Ceccherini

If you were wondering, this isn’t the critically mauled 2002 Pinocchio, which Roberto Benigni directed and starred in as the puppet. Rather, this is a 2019 Italian film where Benigni plays – perfectly well – Pinocchio’s creator Gepetto, in a version clearly made out of respect for Carlo Collodi’s original children’s book.

Outside Italy, the tale has been obscured by Disney’s cartoon, though it continues to echo today – for example, Alita: Battle Angel felt extremely Pinocchio-ish. This version is an extremely low-key, pale-palette treatment, set against the backdrop of Italy’s countryside and tumbledown rural towns. Dubbed acceptably, it’s utterly nonchalant in presenting its bizarre story and fantasy characters, as a matronly snail and a simian judge pop up out of nowhere. The approach feels very close to the BBC version of Worzel Gummidge which was aired last Christmas.

What the film sorely lacks is Worzel’s heart and personality. The original tale was always pointlessly cruel, edging into sadism in its treatment of its colourless hero, and it’s no fun to see its hanging and drowning scenes faithfully replicated.

It’s also extremely episodic and rambling, with a great many scenes running on interminably. Everyone involved clearly believes deeply in the project, but that doesn’t stop it being a mean-spirited bore. Andrew Osmond