Pinocchio (2002 film)
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Pinocchio is a 2002 Italian fantasy comedy-drama film written, directed and starring Roberto Benigni. It is based on the 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, with Benigni portraying Pinocchio. Filming took place in Italy and Kalkara, Malta. It was dedicated to costume and production designer Danilo Donati, who died on 1 December 2001.
The film was released in Italy on 11 October 2002 by Medusa Distribuzione, which was met with mixed reviews.<ref name=guardian/> It received an English-language dub in the United States in December 2002, released by Miramax; this version was critically panned. Pinocchio was selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 75th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Plot
Template:Long plot A magical log falls off a wagon, stopping at Geppetto's door. The wood carver creates a puppet from the log named Pinocchio. It surprisingly comes to life and is very mischievous. Pinocchio runs away and along the street, turning the town upside down. The carpenter is blamed and taken to prison by the carabinieri, while Pinocchio escapes.
Back home, a talking cricket scolds him for his behavior; this annoys Pinocchio, so he throws a hammer at him. Tired and hungry, he falls asleep with his feet on the brazier. Geppetto saves him from the flames when he returns. Wanting to be forgiven, Pinocchio promises he will go to school and study: Geppetto sells his only coat to buy schoolbooks for him. However, the naughty puppet goes on several adventures, dreading school.
Joining a puppet theater, Pinocchio is almost eaten by the puppet master Mangiafuoco. Lying to get out of the situation, he is given five gold coins. He then meets The Fox and the Cat, who trick him out of his money, telling him to plant it to grow a 'money tree'. Blue Fairy, encourages Pinocchio to give up his obnoxious ways, and saves him from being hanged. She gives Pinocchio medicine and coffin-bearing rabbits dressed as Undertakers appear when he initially refuses it, so he immediately takes it.
Pinocchio lies when the Blue Fairy asks about the gold coins, saying he lost them, and his nose grows. She tells him there are two types of lies: those with short legs, and those with long noses. Pinocchio promises her from then on, he will work hard to be good.
Pinocchio finds the Fox and the Cat again, who remind him of his coins. While Pinocchio is waiting for the tree to grow, they dig them up and run off, and the Talking Cricket tells him. He then tells the judges about the Fox and Cat, and is sentenced to five years in jail for foolishness. While there, Pinocchio meets Lucignolo (Leonardo in English), a thief.
Geppetto continues searching for Pinocchio. Four months later, during the celebration of the King's son's birth, Pinocchio is set free when he convinces the warden he is a crook. He stumbles across the grave of the Blue Fairy, who supposedly died of grief because of his antics. A dove tells Pinocchio his father was heading out to sea to look for him. Pinocchio arrives at the shore, finding Geppetto on his ship.
Pinocchio nearly drowns trying to save his father, then washes up by a city where he helps a lady carry her pitchers. Arriving at her home, he sees she is the Blue Fairy in disguise who faked her death to forgive Pinocchio. Starting anew, on his way to school he gets into a fight. A kid throws a book at him, he ducks, and it hits Eugenio, who loses consciousness. Thinking he is dead, the others run away, leaving Pinocchio at the scene.
The carabinieri arrive, Eugenio is taken to the hospital and Pinocchio is arrested. Upon nearing the Blue Fairy's house he escapes, ending up in a grape farmer's trap. Pinocchio is freed by Lucignolo, and returns to the Blue Fairy's, where he admits he did not go to school. She forgives him. The next day, the people at the school arrive at the Blue Fairy's party where the schoolmaster presides. Pinocchio leaves to look for Lucignolo.
Lucignolo tells him he is on a trip to 'Fun Forever Land', all is play and no work or school. Later that night, they board a stagecoach bound for Fun Forever Land together. When there, Pinocchio has some fun while the Cricket is trying to find him. When he does, he tries to warn them all they will turn into donkeys if they do not leave. The next day, Pinocchio awakens to find that he has sprouted donkey ears, and goes to find Lucignolo. The Cricket arrives, telling him the boys-turned-donkeys are sold for hard labor. Pinocchio soon becomes a donkey, and is sold to a circus ringmaster.
During his performance, Pinocchio gets hurt and is thrown into the sea. The Blue Fairy appears on the shore, he emerges from the water in his normal form, vowing to make up for his misdeeds. She warns him about a giant shark, he starts to swim, but is swallowed whole. Reuniting with Geppetto inside, he apologizes, and they escape together.
Pinocchio takes Geppetto to a farm to help him recover. Working there, he finds Lucignolo's donkey form dying in a stable and mourns his death. Weaving outside that night, the Blue Fairy, Medoro, and the Cricket visit. Rewarding his efforts to strive for moral prudence, the Blue Fairy transforms him into a real boy. The film ends with Pinocchio going to school, while his shadow - as a puppet - chases a butterfly.
See also
- Pinocchio - another adaption (from 2019) that Roberto Benigni starred in, but this time in a different role (as Geppetto).
