CHARACTERIZATION:

In Pinocchio, a National Character (Daniel Williams, October 7, 2002, Washington Post)

Italy is reclaiming Pinocchio from the belly of Disney's cinematic whale this week, and the rebirth of the wooden puppet who would be areal boy provided a chance for Italians to engage in two national sports: self-regard and politics.

Roberto Benigni, the comic actor and director of the Oscar-winning movie "Life Is Beautiful," fashioned the new Pinocchio from a $40 million budget, making the movie the most expensive in Italian history. It is being released Friday in 800 theaters -- a third of the country's available screens, also a record. Even before the film's debut for critics the other day, Pinocchio's hold on the country's collective psyche was evident. It washard to find a commentary that did not include a phrase like, "We all have a little Pinocchio in us."

"Pinocchio is us, our national character, in the sense that he is a petty thief and foolish, a liar and betrayer, but is able to strip away every handicap,find in himself the good child, after crying bitter tears of remorse," wrote Giuliano Ferrara in Panorama magazine. [...]

Some Italians took offense that on the posters for Pinocchio, Benigni's name is prominent, but Collodi's is nowhere to be seen. Benigni dismissedthe criticism by saying that the Bible needs no introduction of its author.

God, however, got better reviews. Several critics said the movie was boring; one said he fell asleep during the showing.

Say what you will about Walt Disney, but it seems significant that contrary to Mr. Ferrara's vision of how Pinocchio reflects Italian character, Disney made an utterly American Pinocchio, one that's about needing to take responsibility for yourself and develop morally before you can become fully human. The difference surely has something to do with why our democracy works and their's doesn't. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 7, 2002 12:23 PM