Pinocchio (Ben Sharpsteen and Hamilton Luske, 1940): USA
Reviewed by Byron Potau. Viewed on DVD.
Film adaptations of fairy tales have traditionally been significantly toned down from their source material, yet Disney’s Pinocchio still retains some of its wicked grimness, as well as its adult appeal, amidst its delightful charm.
When wood carver, Gepetto, makes a wish upon a star that his newly carved puppet boy become a real boy the Blue Fairy sees fit to grant his wish, but only so far. Pinocchio must prove himself worthy of being a real live boy before he is fully made one. Assigned the chatty cricket, Jiminy Cricket, to be his conscience, Pinocchio tries to prove himself worthy only to be seduced by shady characters with promises of an easy life and wicked fun.
For those familiar with the original story of Pinocchio, the boy begins somewhat mischievous, but in this version he is a complete innocent, preyed upon by those who would corrupt and use him for their own personal gain including the greedy, abusive Stromboli, and the devious Honest John. Pinocchio eventually learns to avoid life’s temptation and acquires the attributes that usually result in coming of age from boy to man, but here it is from puppet to boy.
The film boasts delightful voice characterizations, especially Dickie Jones as Jiminy Cricket, and is wonderfully animated. There is lots of delightfully, almost bawdy humor in the detail of Gepetto’s workshop including cuckoo clocks with drunks, bare bottomed children getting spanked, and Jiminy putting his hand on the rear end of a miniature statue of a lady.
Few, if any, Disney scenes are as adult and as frightening to children as Pleasure Island with its naughty boys, drinking, smoking, and vandalizing as they idle their life away only to transform into donkeys to be enslaved. It almost seems inappropriate for a children’s film, and probably would be today, but this attitude of not playing the film down too much for children is one of the reasons it has endured so well over the years.
Filled with memorable scenes, characters, and songs, for adults and children alike you can hardly go wrong with this fable.
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