New take on ‘Pinocchio’ offers dark, scary fairy tale
This is the movie poster for “Pinocchio.” The Catholic News Service classification is A-II adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. (CNS photo/Roadside Attractions)
By Kurt Jensen • Catholic News Service • Posted January 8, 2021
NEW YORK (CNS) It’s no lie to say that “Pinocchio” (Roadside), Italian director Matteo Garrone’s live-action version of Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel which he also co-wrote with Massimo Ceccherini is scrupulously faithful to the grotesqueries of its source material. As such, it falls well short of what anyone might regard as straightforward family entertainment.
Fables are wonderful teaching instruments for the young as they involve talking animals and potential death to impart a moral. Whether it’s the short-sighted destruction of a valuable resource, the difference between clever expediency and a master stratagem, or using observational methods to expose deception in the identity of one’s grandmother, these satiric stories are evocative lessons in human folly.
The Adventures of Pinocchio, written in 1883 by Italian writer Carlo Collodi, has proven to be one of the more popular stories, having been adapted and reimagined countless times (along with this film, Netflix has an animated version directed by Guillermo del Toro due in 2021). The beloved tale of a wooden puppet longing to be human and his epic journey to fulfill that wish, Pinocchio’s saga imparts all the key wisdoms to indoctrinate a child into society. Do the right thing, stay in school, and work hard, and you too will have everything of which you ever dreamed.