writers_reign As a child I quite liked Danny Kaye and by extension the Kaye persona given that they were one and the same. On the other hand I never liked Norman Wisdom who traded on essentially the same persona albeit with an English accent. In other words it took several films/years for me to develop the cynicism necessary to realize that Kaye was deliberately manipulating his audiences, confident of charming his way past hearts hardened against a patina of childish innocence crossed with cute whilst in Wisdom's case I was on to it from his first film. Roberto Begnini is a natural successor to Kaye and in Pinnochio he has thrown down a gauntlet that demands an unrealistic suspension of disbelief way beyond what the average playwright and/or scenarist asks of his audience. In short, at the age of fifty he is playing a puppet and not, of course, just any puppet but one that is in Italy virtually sacred and beloved the world over. As a student of irony it has not escaped me that Kaye enjoyed one of his biggest successes via Bopo The Puppet but even Kaye was content to leave it at the three minutes playing time of the average 78 rpm record rather than two hours playing time on screen. Many viewers have commented favorably on the sumptuous sets, costumes and special effects and I am happy to endorse those opinions albeit noting that they overshadow rather than complement the performances. Begnini seems bent on becoming an Italian Bryan Forbes in writing leading roles for his actress wife, Nicoletta Braschi, that she is unable to perform other than at a basic level of competence and this film is no exception saddling her as he does with the principal role of the beautiful fairy who mentors Pinnochio and grooms him to become a boy. On balance an honorable failure.

wwe7961 It stays much closer to the book than the Disney movie, but it doesn't capture the magic of either. The Disney movie's story was different from the book, but it stood as its own version of the story. That version was classic. This film fails to capture any of the charm of the book or movie. All charm and magic is replaced by annoyance, and stupidity. The dubbing is the worst I have ever seen, and the voice actors of the dubbing do a horrendous job. The children are played by adults, and it feels so strange and awkward. I like strange things, but this the kind of strange that makes you scratch your head. The feel is all wrong. If your a big fan of the Disney film like me you will feel hurt watching this movie.0 stars out of 4

rooprect It's a sad day when IMDb rates "Electrocuting an Elephant" 4.0 but rates "Pinocchio" 3.5.This is a very enjoyable film. But first of all, you have to see the original Italian (subtitled) version, because the English dub sucks eggs. Second, you have to realize that this is a friggin kid's movie, as in G-rated, goofy and cartoonish. And thirdly, you have to see the humour in a 50-year-old man playing the part of a little boy (cracks me up just thinking about it).If you can get past those 3 points, I think you'll enjoy this film. It's extremely vibrant, surreal and bizarre like the original fairytale. Benigni is adorably annoying as the brat who never seems to learn his lesson. The sets and scenery are gorgeous. The message--though blatantly obvious (kid's flick, remember?)--has enough subtlety to give adults something to munch on; for while the main theme is that bad boys get punished, there is also a message to adults that they must remain patient, understanding & forgiving with children. I'm sure a lot of grownups miss this theme and find it ridiculous that nobody would spank the snot out of the kid. But if you pay attention, there's a message for all of us, young & old.

dbborroughs Roberto Benigni's film adaption is not the disaster that many have said it is, if you watch it in Italian. I can only imagine what sort of horror show the English dub is since much of the charm is based upon the right voices with the right faces, in particular Benigni, who can get away with murder simply because he's so charming. The film is technically brilliant with the pieces better than the whole, this is a film that has shots you'll want to hang on the wall, I love to just look at the film.The problem is the film is very quirky. I am a fan of Benigni, but not his films. He is very idiosyncratic and the films he directs tend to be extensions of his personality which is somewhere off center. I think this is the reason he hasn't really crossed over here in the US, he makes such odd films. Life is Beautiful is almost a normal film for him. The comedy is funny but rather odd, Gepetto's concern about his wig and the scene where the boys are trying to be nonchalant about the donkey ears are funny but out of another film.If you want to see a well made but slightly off center film I recommend the film, but in Italian.