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The Adventures of Pinocchio (1911 film)

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Wikipedia article




'The Adventures of Pinocchio' is a 1911 Italian live-action silent film directed by Giulio Antamoro and starring Ferdinand Guillaume.

It is the first movie based on the 1883 novel 'The Adventures of Pinocchio' by Carlo Collodi, and one of the first Italian feature films.

Plot



Geppetto carves Pinocchio from a large piece of wood. Pinocchio comes to life, causes havoc in the street and his creator Geppetto is arrested while Pinocchio escapes. At home he burns his feet, but is saved by Geppetto, who also gives him new feet.

Pinocchio plays with children and helps them steal fruit. The landowner catpures Pinocchio and ties him to a dog house. At night, Pinocchio barks to alert the landowner. Grateful for this deed, the landowner gives Pinocchio his freedom back. The thieves have been waiting nearby, captures Pinocchio and hangs him from a tree. The Turquoise Fairy (La Fata Turchina) saves him from the tree and gives him some money.

Pinocchio meets a Fox and a Cat, who take him to a city of anthropomorphic animals. In the forest they talk him into plant his money in the soil and water it. Later the Fox and the Cat return to retrieve the money themselves. When Pinocchio returns he discovers that the money is gone, and when he meets the two con artists, a brawl breaks out and Pinocchio is arrested and put in prison. He escapes through the window and by tying sheets into a rope.

He swims into the ocean and is swallowed by a large fish. In the creature's stomach he finds Geppetto. They escape with the help of Indians. At the camp, the Indians have hung Geppetto over a fire, but Pinocchio tells them to release him. Pinocchio tells Geppetto to leave. Later he runs away too, to a camp of Canadian soldiers. The soldiers shoot Pinocchio, riding on a cannonball, all the way home to Geppetto.

Pinocchio joins a puppet theater, but escapes from that too. When he returns home, Geppetto is angry. Pinocchio tries to be a good boy, but his friend Lucignolo talks him into coming along to the Land of Toys, where one never studies but always play. They are greeted by its waiving inhabitants. After 10 days, they grows donkey ears and eventually turn into donkeys. The Turquoise Fairy changes him back into a puppet.

Pinocchio returns home. Geppetto scolds him but forgives him again. During a meal, the Turquoise Fairy appears and the spirit of Pinocchio takes human form, and the now lifeless puppet falls to the ground.

Cast



The cast of the film was:

* Ferdinand Guillaume as Pinocchio

* Natalino Guillaume as Lucignolo

* Augusto Mastripietri as Geppetto

* Lea Giunchi as the Fairy

Production



It was believed that The adventures of Pinocchio would be spectacular on the big screen. Ferdinand Guillaume, who at the time was one of the most famous faces in comedy cinema, was selected to portray the protagonist Pinocchio.

The film was produced in a few months. When it was released in Italian cinemas it was a great success, and an abridged version was exported to other countries.

Lost and found



The film was once believed to be a lost film, but in 1994 the original negative was found at Cineteca Italiana in Milan. In 2002, 'Time' reported that a 30-minute version had been rediscovered and restored.

Cineteca Italiana describes the film as the least faithful to the novel, where only some of Collodi's story appear. They also named it the most unsettling, and credited actor Guillaume for this.

Later screenings



In 2018, a screening at the Zorrilla Theatre in Spain was held in which a 42-minute restored version of the silent film was accompanied by live electronic music by the band Miclono.

Academic interest



In 2021, the film was the subject of a thesis. The thesis examined the film and how it over time underwent modification and adaptation to contemporary aesthetic tastes.

Further reading



* 'Il Pinocchio cinematografico di Giulio Antamoro (1911)' (2012) by Raffaele De Berti"[https://web.archive.org/web/20220811183821/https://air.unimi.it/handle/2434/204857 Il Pinocchio cinematografico di Giulio Antamoro (1911)]" (archived) (Italian), University of Milan.

References





Michael Brunton. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20200806232854/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,364351,00.html A Tale Of Two Pinocchios]" (archived), 'Time', 13 October 2002.

Marco Castagna "[https://web.archive.org/web/20201020060445/http://www.recensionifilosofiche.info/2013/05/fabbri-paolo-pezzini-isabella-cura-di.html Fabbri, Paolo, Pezzini, Isabella (a cura di), Pinocchio. Nuove avventure tra segni e linguaggi]" (archived) (Italian), recensionifilosofiche.info.

Chiostro Nina Vinchi. "[https://www.piccoloteatro.org/it/2014-2015/cinema-musicato-pinocchio In questultimo appuntamento...]" (Italian), piccoloteatro.org, 3 September 2015.

"[https://www.festivalfilmets.cat/en/la-combinacio-de-la-projeccio-de-la-pellicula-muda-de-1911-pinocchio-elettronico-amb-musica-electronica-interpretada-en-directe-al-teatre-zorrilla-causa-sensacio-al-festival-fi/ The screening of the 1911 silent film Pinocchio elettronico with the accompaniment of electronic music performed live at the Zorrilla Theatre becomes a sensation at FILMETS]", festivalfilmets.cat, 21 October 2018.

"[https://web.archive.org/web/20190417131002/https://www.cinetecamilano.it/cinestore/dvd-cd/pinocchio Pinocchio]" (archived) (Italian), Cineteca Italiana.

Joel Eisenberg. "[https://medium.com/writing-for-your-life/is-pinocchio-the-scariest-fiction-of-them-all-3af67258c17c Is 'Pinocchio' The Scariest Fiction of Them All?]", medium.com, 1 May 2020.

Razmig Bedirian. "[https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/film-review-matteo-garrone-s-pinocchio-is-a-dark-but-tender-retelling-of-the-classic-1.1077492 Film review: Matteo Garrone's 'Pinocchio' is a dark but tender retelling of the classic]", 'The National', 14 September 2020.

"[https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/pinocchio-to-come-back-in-a-new-avatar/articleshow/80270592.cms Pinocchio to come back in a new avatar]", 'The Times of India', 15 January 2021.

Samuele Picarelli Perrotta. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20220810225513/https://amslaurea.unibo.it/23486/ Pinocchio by Giulio Antamoro Philological reconstruction of the first film adaptation of Collodi's novel]" (archived) (Italian), University of Bologna, 8 July 2021.

"[https://web.archive.org/web/20220805091549/https://tg24.sky.it/spettacolo/cinema/approfondimenti/pinocchio-film Pinocchio, i migliori film dedicati al personaggio creato da Carlo Collodi]" (archived) (Italian), Sky Italia, 29 July 2022.




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