I can affirm without fear of outburst that veritable rivers of ink have been written on What makes the difference between a filmmaker and an author and how can one of them be identified? in the film medium. To get out of doubt, there are few better examples than the premiere of an adaptation of a foreign material to the big or small screen, preferably addressed beforehand and on multiple occasions.
Adhering only to the requirement of having a unique seal that is difficult to imitate, There is no doubt that Guillermo del Toro is part of the select group. And it is that, in addition to having shown that it has its own universe as vast as it is fascinating in productions as diverse as ‘The Scarlet Summit’, ‘The Devil’s Backbone’ or even ‘Pacific Rim’, it has left its mark on licenses. like ‘Blade’ and ‘Hellboy’ and in the work of William Lindsay Gresham in his ‘Alley of Lost Souls’.
With his unrepeatable ‘Pinocchio’, the Mexican, accompanied by co-director Mark Gustafson, reaffirms himself as an author with capital letters; reinventing Carlo Collodi’s classic tale into an animated fable brilliant in every aspect. A true technical, formal, artistic and narrative delicacy capable of astonishing, drawing smiles and breaking hearts driven by that indisputable spirit of the house.
Philosophizing in Fascist Italy
The prologue to the feature film, in which Gepetto’s years of life with his son Carlo are condensed into ten impeccable minutes, stands as a perfect appetizer of what is to come. This introduction, in addition to being a clear example of the film’s narrative power, lays the tonal and stylistic foundations of an even darker and more regretful version of what you might expectand that makes it clear that this ‘Pinocchio’ is his father’s daughter.
This statement transcends the inevitable flirtations with terror that assiduously pepper the footage —the creation of the leading puppet and its presentation are worthy of the most horrifying work of the genre— and a captivating production design in which characters, settings and fantastic creatures fall in love deeply and at first sight.
Because if something makes ‘Pinocchio’ a rarity worthy of all praise, it is his irrefutable maturityprojected on a tone that balances the scale at times with a great sense of humor —sometimes quite black— unable to prevent it from ending up leaning drastically towards an adult public that, ultimately, will be the one who extracts all its juice at the thematic level.
In addition to a superb setting in the Italy of Benito Mussolini that surrounds the story with a lucid anti-fascist pleadel Toro elevates this miracle by articulating a rich discourse that transcends mourning and fatherhood to plunge into philosophical questions which I will not reveal to keep the experience of the premature reader intact —although the fact that Sebastian J. Grillo has a portrait of Schoppenhauer hanging on the wall gives a clue as to how devastating his readings can be.
It may be surprising that at this point in the text he has not yet mentioned the no less extraordinary technical section of a tape that captivates more through the heart than the eyes. In the same way, I cannot help but show my deepest admiration for a goldsmith’s work within the reach of very few masters like Frank Passinghamwho once again amazes with his work after his irreplaceable participation in ‘Kubo and the two magic strings’.
‘Pinocchio’, in addition to being Guillermo del Toro’s second potential masterpiece -along with ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’-, is one of the last great titles of 2022 and a firm candidate to win the Oscar for best film. animation. After all, it is not at all common to sit at writing a review with a knot in my stomach and still sore eyes for the amount of tears shed in front of the screen.