Set between Chapters 15 and 16 of Carlo’s Collodi’s classic novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, The Tree Man depicts Pinocchio’s seemingly final minutes as he hangs from a tree. As he slowly dies, the wooden marionette spiritually journeys into an inferno of fear, guilt and hope through his encounters with key symbolic characters such as the Maiden with Azure Hair and the ghost of the Talking Cricket. As he falls deeper into darkness he learns the crucial dangers and virtues of the mortality he seeks.
The music for this film was composed for orchestra and for the most part follows the rules for twelve-tone composition. I chose this compositional method because I felt it would evoke a mood of unease - of things not being quite "right".
Selected for Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival 2009, Angel Moving Image Festival 2009, Fantastic Planet Film Festival 2009, Filmstock International Film Festival 2009 and Anchorage International Film Festival 2009.
Music © 2009 Martin Thornton. All rights reserved. Currently unavailable for licensing. Photo © 2008 Tony Sinnett. More details about the film are available on the IMDb website.