Life of Pi

Life of Pi (movie)
Directed by Ang Lee (2012)

As this movie is based on a favourite book of mine, I was steeled for disappointment when it came to the screen version. I read Life of Pi by Yann Martel (New York : Harcourt, 2001) in 2004 as part of a Postcolonial Literature paper and loved it, though I remember being slightly bemused by the ending. I'm not overly keen on 3D either - things always look a bit blurry and trying to focus for two hours has given me a headache in the past. Nonetheless, the timing was such that 3D was the only option, so in I went clutching my silly glasses and emergency panadol...

From the very beginning I was transfixed. This may have been the most beautifully shot film I have ever seen. The opening credit sequence was a medley of stunning wildlife photography, introducing the zoo animals that feature throughout. This standard was kept up for the entire length of the film, particularly during the time Pi is stranded on a small lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with Richard Parker the Bengal tiger. The sheer beauty is astonishing, from the glossy sunset shots to the effervescent luminous nighttime scenes, one of which stars a leaping whale.

I read that Suraj Sharma was not an actor until he met Ang Lee, and only went to the auditions because his brother promised to buy him lunch if he came along. He was very good, obviously a natural. Lee said in the interview that he likes working with raw talent because they have no preconceived ideas about the process to hold them back. The other main characters were all zoo animals, which were very realistic despite being mostly CGI.

The treatment of the story was very true to the book, bringing out all the best elements and humour. Pi's early religious experiementation and allegiance to several religions ties in excellently with the ending, when those grappling with alternative versions are advised to choose the one that is the best story. This is an appealing allegory for organised religion - the way I see it is all the explanations that have been put forward so far are equally ridiculous and unlikely to be the true story. The best approach is choosing the one with the most appealing story, or just enjoying all the stories. I'm not sure that Yann Martel is quite as cynical about religion as I am though. The movie version of Life of Pi actually dealt with the confusion at the end better than the book I think - or perhaps it just wasn't as shocking this time when I was expecting it. Regardless of this, it was as good as, if not better than, an excellent book, and well worth seeing!

Time is a rascally burglar

I heard that phrase somewhere - I can't remember where - and not even Google can help me find out! As I've come to a stage of internet-reliance now which results in my complete bewilderment when a Google search fails to help, I have no idea what else to do about it.

Thus I have stolen someone's phrase, and I'm not even going to acknowledge them! Ironically, I have myself become a rascally burglar.