Product description

Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio [2002] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Price: £7.70
Average customer rating: 4.0

Binding : DVD
EAN : 0786936223446
Label : Walt Disney Video
Manufacturer : Walt Disney Video
Publisher : Walt Disney Video
Release date : 2003-07-15
Title : Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio [2002] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actor : Array
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 2
Original release date : 2002-01-01
Region code : 1
Running time : 217
Studio : Walt Disney Video
Theatrical releaseDate : 2002
MPN : D31483D

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-11-08 rating:

An incredibly delightful children's movie
I'm a Benigni fan (I was totally bowled over by Life Is Beautiful [1999] and Johnny Stecchino [1991]). He is thoroughly convincing in the title role (despite clocking 50 at the time). He has a wilful innocence about him which is not cloying (like Pee Wee Herman for instance). Wisely they chose to cast the other "boys" with post teenage actors- and it still works. Nicoletta Braschi (the real life Mrs B) naturally takes the role of the Blue Fairy with measured poise. There's just enough CGI and not too much- definitely the recipe for making it convincing. I just loved the hordes of white rats pulling the Fairy's coach and the initial scene where the wooden log which will become Pinocchio crashes through the marketplace causing chaos! It's a thoroughly magical and self possessed fantasy and I'm at a loss to understand why it isn't better known and has yet to have a Region 2 release in the UK. Where Disney is a little too syrupy, this is more striking. It is a thoroughly odd morality tale after all!

The US release is supplied with two disks- the original Italian version and a dubbed US release (there's an alternative French soundtrack dubbing too). Both have subtitles. As a purist I prefer the Italian version- because Benigni is such sweet actor. However I can definitely spot John Cleese dubbing the voice of the annoying cricket, and I think David Suchet is voicing Geppetto, so it's not as though they skimped on the talent.

Although as an adult this was a see twice and remember fondly film, I feel I would have been thorougly besotted with it when much younger. It's well worth a look.

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