343. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio; movie review

 

GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO

Cert PG

117 mins

BBFC advice: Scary scenes, mild violence, rude humour, language

He's got no strings to hold him down!

Indeed, in Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio, the naughty little wooden boy never does have any.

This is certainly not as friendly as the Disney movie which we all know and love. It is much darker.

It is narrated by Ewan McGregor who voices The Talking Cricket and is ever at Pinocchio's side.

He tells how Geppetto (David Bradley) is brokenhearted for years after the death of his beloved son (Alfie Tempest) during World War One.

He then carves a boy from the tree next to the lad's grave and, while he is asleep, a wood sprite (Tilda Swinton) brings him to life.

However, the boy (Gregory Mann) is much more mischievous than his real son and his many scrapes are what make up the heart of this story.

Of course, this being Pinocchio, there are some stirring songs and, it being a Del Toro film, it looks great.

But here's the question - is it too bleak for children and families to enjoy or will they say, as Mrs W. did: "This isn't Pinocchio"?

Many of the characters are particularly malevolent, including the the ringmaster (Christoph Waltz) who lures the wooden boy away from his maker.

Meanwhile, there is the backdrop of sinister politics as Italy falls under the fascist leadership of Mussolini.

This is a movie which will please those who enjoy the nuances of filmmaking and am not surprised to hear critics eulogising over it because it is so lovingly crafted and its detail is remarkable.

And for that alone, it has to score relatively highly.

But the final scenes leave it on such a downer that they are likely to give kids nightmares.

Reasons to watch: It's a version of one of cinema's great stories

Reasons to avoid: Very scary for young kids

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? The Adventures of Pinocchio was originally published in serial form in the Giornale per i bambini, one of the earliest Italian weekly magazines for children, in 1881. In the original, serialised version, Pinocchio dies a gruesome death, hanged for his innumerable faults, at the end of Chapter 15.

The final word. Guillermo Del Toro: "I think one of the themes that links Pan’s Labyrinth to Pinocchio directly is disobedience as a virtue — which is a real countermovement to the traditional story of Pinocchio, which is, 'If you obey, you’ll become a real kid.' In this, it’s 'If you disobey, you will always have been real to yourself.'" Polygon

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