Roadside Attractions has released the first trailer for Matteo Garrone's Pinocchio. The director has taken a much different approach to the source material than we've seen previously. In a recent interview, Garrone spoke about his approach to bringing the story to the big screen, noting, "We have built a world where realism and supernaturalism mix. I went and rediscovered the original text and the first drawings by the illustrator [Enrico] Mazzanti." The trailer teases both the "realism" and "supernaturalism" that Garrone mentioned, and it's rather dark. Pinocchio will open in select theaters on Christmas Day.
Shot in stunning Italian locations, Matteo Garrone's rich world of mystery and wonder stars Academy Award-winning actor Roberto Benigni as Geppetto, the old woodcarver whose puppet creation, Pinocchio, magically comes to life with dreams of becoming a real boy. Easily led astray, Pinocchio (nine-year old Federico Ielapi) tumbles from one misadventure to another as he is tricked, kidnapped and chased by bandits through a wonderful world full of imaginative creatures - from the belly of a giant fish, to the Land Of Toys and the Field Of Miracles
Matteo Garrone started to come up with his adaptation of Pinocchio around five years ago. "After Tale of Tales, I wanted to make another movie based on a fairytale, and so I read Pinocchio for the first time," he said. The director's mother liked to read to him when he was a child, and this particular story was the first-ever storyboard he ever created at the age of six. "When I was eleven or twelve, I saw the television version of Pinocchio. By then, the story of Pinocchio was like anew. Five years ago, for curiosity, I wanted to read the book. By reading it, I discovered so many things that I either didn't remember or didn't know."
Pinocchio is a project that Matteo Garrone was happy to make in Italy. "It is a very universal story, but it is also very Italian," says the director. Garrone went on to talk about past versions of the story and the fact that there will be more in the future. With that being said, he believes that his take will offer something that the others will not. He says, "Because we are Italian, I'm sure they will be very different from ours. Americans will probably have another vision. I am sure [Guillermo] del Toro will have another approach." While he respects the other directors, Garrone says he and his crew are "very confident that what we have done something that they cannot."
When looking at the Pinocchio trailer, it's hard not to focus on its darkness, even though there is humor thrown in. When discussing the darkness, Matteo Garrone says that it was a conscious decision. "It's always talking about us, about our fear," Garrone says. "It's also giving a warning to kids - how life can be violent and dangerous. Don't make wrong decisions! I think this is the lesson Collodi gives. I think there is some dark - it's necessary for the kids to grow up, to learn - but by the end there's the light." You can check out the trailer for Matteo Garrone's Pinocchio above, thanks to the RoadsideFlix YouTube channel.
