It was the year 1781, a particular period for the'Italy, which was soon hastening to a new cycle of life. Also with regard to tales and stories for children.
In the aftermath of the Unification, the beautiful country was undergoing a period of change, of stabilization. This was the moment when the best known puppet in the world was also born for the first time, "Pinocchio". It was created by father Carlo Lorenzini, in art Collodi. The writer gave shape and face to one of the most interesting figures of all time. Loved by both adults and children and always studied due to its enormous peculiarities.
Pinocchio comes to light
For the first time, on July 7 of that same year, the writer, Lorenzini, who at that time was beginning to make a voice thanks to his particular stories, proposed a new story to the public. The protagonist was precisely Pinocchio. A very special wooden puppet, created by the hands of master Geppetto. Pinocchio was capable of dreaming and of having all the feelings, fears and vitality of a real child.
In that hot summer, the story was sent for the first time to the editorial office of the Children's Journal. It was a supplement, directed by Ferdinando Martini, which appeared every Thursday in the Florentine newspaper "Fanfulla ". The title of the first story was 'The story of a puppet ”.
Since its appearance, the text aroused great interest. A large audience, which over time, began to be passionate about the stories of this little one with a wooden heart.
The first book
In 1883, the book entitled "The Adventures of Pinocchio", within the premises of the publisher Felice Pages, which, thanks to this volume, had great prominence and fame over time.
Enrico Mazzanti, on the other hand, was commissioned to create the illustrations, again for the first text. To date, it is estimated that Collodi's work was translated into 240 languages. A worldwide phenomenon, a climb to success that the then penniless Collodi could not have imagined.
From paper to cinema, up to the reproduction of Roberto Benigni's film
Over the years, the tale had so much fanfare that even the Walt Disney decided to make an animated film dedicated to the story of Pinocchio in 1940.
A great success, almost as much as the first release of Collodi's story, was, however, above all the film made by the Italian actor Roberto Benigni in 2002. The cinematographic masterpiece has some differences from the text. A sort of reinterpretation that is not displeased to the public at all, rather that it has appreciated and not a little.
Costing around 45 million euros, it seems to have been the most expensive film in the history of Italian cinema to date. His reinterpretation did not bother anyone on the contrary, it created a new way of interpreting the famous Pinocchio. The actor acted in the role of the famous puppet, in this case played by an adult, while in Collodi's text it was a child. Many small but subtle differences like this one, which gave the story a new imprint, which aroused interest and appreciation.
Pinocchio is a classic that never goes out of style. A unique piece made with great skill that deserves to be seen, read and reread always.
