Carlo Collodi's book has always been a joy to read for me, although some of it is dark it has also always been an accessible read. Evidenced by me reading it from cover to cover one holiday in two days, not always the case with books even others that gripped me from the get go (namely because they were longer books and more complex). And the characters and story are timeless.
DEFA distributed a number of fairy tale adaptations from East Germany, some are better than others but they do intrigue. Mainly for seeing older versions of these stories and some have some very interesting differences to the original stories. All are worth a look, if some more for curiosity and completest sake. Their version of 'Pinocchio' from 1967 is one of their darkest (one might say "grotesque") and also one of their best and perhaps most successful. Also think it is one of the better versions of 'Pinocchio', the most famous of which deservedly is the Disney animated film (which to me is a masterpiece), which is second only to their 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' in the darkness factor.
'Turlis Abenteuer' (not sure about the significance of the title), DEFA's version of 'Pinocchio' is more faithful to the book, with more of the book's details and more faithful characterisation, and perhaps darker. Though the more gorier aspects aren't intact, understandably, the biting of a cat's paw is not exactly the most comfortable of images when trying to attract younger audiences. There is an awful lot to like here in this 'Pinocchio' and very little to dislike.
Occasionally the acting is a touch too theatrical, like with Stromboli (difficult not to play broadly).
However, this 'Pinocchio' looks great. Very beautifully and atmospherically shot and a lot of care and effort clearly went into the sets, that were so meticulous in detail. Especially good in this regard though, and actually surprisingly so, was the puppetry, some may find it creepy but not me. Actually admired the attention to detail and was amazed at the sometimes complex movement, wide range of body gestures and especially the wide range of expressions for Pinocchio, all of which required enormous technical skill and done better than a lot of puppetry in later films. The editing also helps quite a bit.
It would have been a tall order having music on the same level as that for the Disney film. To keep the comparison brief for fairness, it's not as instantly hummable or stays in the mind as long, but it regardless always fits and adds a lot to the atmosphere. It appeals to the ears too. The script doesn't become too camp, is lively and it feels natural and the story doesn't come over as traumatising or sugary, moving along nicely without feeling padded (a good thing as although 'Pinocchio' is not a massive story it is not a slight one either).
Direction does a great job in the technical front and also in the varied character interaction. Mostly the acting is deserving of credit, reacting just to a puppet is not easy at all but they don't come over as taxed. It is especially difficult for Geopetto, the fox and the cat, the ones with the most interaction in a way, who give the three best performances after the titular character. The fairy is suitably sincere too and Pinocchio himself is remarkably well characterised on all counts.
Summarising, extremely well done. 9/10
