Life of Pi
Releases: 1 Jan 2012
Rating: PG – Contains scary scenes
Duration: 127 minutes
Genre: Action
Starring: Suraj Sharma, Ayush Tandon, Irrfan Khan and Adil Hussain
Director: Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
Reviewer: Jon E Clist
The Premise>> Based on the best-selling novel by Yann Martel, is a magical adventure story centering on Pi Patel, the precocious son of a zoo keeper. Dwellers in Pondicherry, India, the family decides to move to Canada, hitching a ride on a huge freighter. After a shipwreck, Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean on a 26-foot lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, all fighting for survival.
The Review>> What a crazy tale to partake in. This is a story that is one part fantasy, one part adventure and a whole lot of dazzling brilliance. It is one of those movies that is really hard to explain. It contains so many wonderful components that have been brought to life with a stunning array of beautifully filmed locations, both on location and imagined.
While the story begins in India, Pi is soon transported on to a solitary life raft on the open sea with only a Tiger for company. The scenes in and around the boat are amazing and thrilling, and are brought to life by a wonderful performance by AyushTandon as the teenage Pi. Like that of Tom Hanks in Castaway, Tandon does a superb job of building empathy for his non-human co-star. Remember how much you actually felt for Wilson in Castaway? It is very touching how connected you feel for the Tiger as the story unfolds. I guess this is a great tribute to Ang Lee’s vision and ability to transfer it onto the big screen. Visually this is such a brilliantly dazzling display of imagination exploding to life on the big screen.
For the most part, the story is unbelievable in so many ways, unlikely, dubious and somewhat implausible and yet completely acceptable to watch and to be drawn in to. The way in which this film deals with various faith systems and one boys search for a deeper meaning to life is quite beautiful in so many ways. The dialogue is so cleverly thought out and executed. I remember sitting in the cinema and feeling the movie just washing over me in so many spiritually amazing ways and feeling that so many moments and lines are so very quotable in life.
Adult Pi Patel: “Faith is a house with many rooms.”
Writer Interviewing Pi: “But no room for doubt?”
Adult Pi Patel: “Oh plenty, on every floor. Doubt is useful, it keeps faith a living thing. After all, you cannot know the strength of your faith until it is tested.”
I found myself thinking more about what I personally believed and if asked how I would explain the inner workings of my own personal faith. Yes it is a very personal thing, and sometimes what is in our hearts and souls is hard to express in words. However it is a good thing to sit down in the quiet and attempt to explain the dreams within.
The Verdict>> A film that needs to be seen to understand how to describe it. Stunning in beauty and delightful in execution.
Some extra bits to know about the film and to look out for>> As in the novel, the name of the Japanese ship is Tsimtsum. Tsimtsum is in fact a Hebrew word used by the 16th-century Kabbalist Isaac Luria to denote God’s “contraction” of Himself from the world at Creation. In the novel, the adult Pi mentions doing a college thesis on Luria’s theories about creation. In the movie, he simply mentions teaching a course on Kabbalah and does not specifically reference Luria.
Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) was named after a swimming pool (Piscine Molitor) in France. It is next to the park Bois de Boulogne, and between Stade Roland Garros and Parc des Princes. The pool was classified as a French monument historique on March 27, 1990, after having fallen into disuse and closing in 1989.
Yann Martel, the author of the book has stated that his inspiration for the book’s premise came from reading a book review of Brazilian author Moacyr Scliar’s 1981 novella Max and the Cats, about a Jewish-German refugee who crossed the Atlantic Ocean while sharing his boat with a jaguar.
Pi, played by Suraj Sharma, was never actually in the boat with a live tiger. Most of the tiger was very high-tech CGI technology and only some scenes like the tiger swimming in the water had a real tiger used.
Newcomer Suraj Sharma, who plays the main character Pi, never intended to audition but was cast accompanying his brother to the casting call. He was ultimately chosen by Ang Lee’s team among more than 3,000 hopefuls for the lead role.
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