The Adventures of Pinocchio () is a 1972 Italian five-part miniseries directed by Luigi Comencini, which originally aired weekly on Rai 1 between April 8 and May 6, 1972. Based on Carlo Collodi's 1883 novel with the same name, the miniseries received a large critical success, and had an average of twenty-one and a half million viewers during its first airing. All the episodes together make up 280 minutes of runtime.
An extended cut of the series, totaling 320 minutes of runtime divided into six episodes, first aired in France on Première chaîne de l'ORTF between December 19 and December 31, 1972. Also, a 135-minute edit of the miniseries was released as a theatrical film in Italy on December 21, 1972, and later released in other countries.
Plot
First episode
In a small 19th century mountain village in Tuscany, the caravan of the famous puppeteer Mangiafuoco arrives for its spring tour in the region; his two musicians, the Fox and the Cat, are tasked with heralding his arrival. A promotional poster inspires the widowed and financially struggling carpenter Geppetto to create a puppet for himself and make his own living as a traveling puppeteer. He visits his more well-off neighbor Mastro Ciliegia (who just had a strange encounter with a log of wood) and asks for a log to make a marionette. Ciliegia offers the magic log, but Geppetto refuses, suddenly the wood flies at Geppetto striking him. Geppetto (thinking Mastro Ciliegia has thrown the wood at him) attacks him, they then calm down and Geppetto takes the magic log.
When Geppetto gets home he starts to carve and shape the wood into a marionette and decides to name the puppet Pinocchio thinking it will bring him good luck. But once he makes the head and eyes, the eyes look around the room. Geppetto only thinking he is hunger-crazed eats a dinner of bread cooked over coals. Geppetto makes the puppet's arms and when the arms hit him on the head, he then realizes that puppet is really alive. Once the puppet is finished and clothed, it starts to walk but stumbles and falls.
Later that night when Geppetto is sleeping, the Fairy with Turquoise Hair (who resembles Geppetto's wife) visits the carpenter's shop to see Pinocchio. The woman makes a deal with the puppet: if he behaves, honoring his father in the process, he will become a human being, otherwise, he will remain a piece of wood. Pinocchio promises and magically becomes a real child.
The next morning Geppetto is shocking to find his puppet a real boy, but then Pinocchio runs off. He steals food from a fisherman but two Carabinieri catch him. Deciding Geppetto is at fault, he takes him to jail. Pinocchio tries to find food but only gets water dumped on him.
Second episode
Pinocchio goes home and finds the Talking Cricket, who tells him to be good. But Pinocchio just throws a hammer at him, smashing a picture of Geppetto's wife. Pinocchio puts his feet in the fire and turns back into a puppet.
Geppetto comes back and sees Pinocchio has burned off his feet, but Pinocchio weeps so much that the Fairy turns him back into a real boy. Pinocchio now decides to try being good and go to school but he will need a school book, Geppetto decides to sell his coat to buy Pinocchio a primer. On his way to the schoolhouse, Pinocchio is distracted by the music from Mangiafuoco's caravan and decides to see the show, selling his primer for a ticket. He is brought on stage by the marionettes of the company and turns back into a wooden puppet, but Mangiafuoco takes Pinocchio.
Geppetto and Mastro Ciliegia go to the schoolhouse to greet Pinocchio, but find he is not there. While Ciliegia consoles Geppetto, he notices that a child has Pinocchio's primer and discovers that it was bought by the child's father from Pinocchio to watch the show. Mangiafuoco's company has now traveled out of the village and has spotted for the night. Mangiafuoco's mutton is cold so he tells the Fox & Cat to go grab Pinocchio. But the Fairy turns Pinocchio back into a boy. Mangiafuoco thinking the Fox and Cat have robbed him chases them away.
Pinocchio admits to Mangiafuoco that he was the puppet who disrupted the last spectacle and tells his story. But Mangiafuoco's mutton is still cold and wants to burn his Marionette Harlequin, but Pinocchio says that if anyone should be burned it should be he. The Master is so heartfelt he sneezes (which happens every time he gets emotional) and decides to eat his mutton raw.