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Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" is a miraculous achievement of storytelling and a landmark of visual mastery. Inspired by a worldwide best-seller that many readers must have assumed was unfilmable, it is a triumph over its difficulties. It is also a moving spiritual achievement, a movie whose title could have been shortened to "life."

The story involves the 227 days that its teenage hero spends drifting across the Pacific in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. They find themselves in the same boat after an amusing and colorful prologue, which in itself could have been enlarged into an exciting family film. Then it expands into a parable of survival, acceptance and adaptation. I imagine even Yann Martel , the novel's French-Canadian author, must be delighted to see how the usual kind of Hollywood manhandling has been sidestepped by Lee's poetic idealism.

The story begins in a small family zoo in Pondichery, India, where the boy christened Piscine is raised. Piscine translates from French to English as "swimming pool," but in an India where many more speak English than French, his playmates of course nickname him "pee." Determined to put an end to this, he adopts the name " Pi ," demonstrating an uncanny ability to write down that mathematical constant that begins with 3.14 and never ends. If Pi is a limitless number, that is the perfect name for a boy who seems to accept no limitations.

The zoo goes broke, and Pi's father puts his family and a few valuable animals on a ship bound for Canada. In a bruising series of falls, a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and the lion tumble into the boat with the boy, and are swept away by high seas. His family is never seen again, and the last we see of the ship is its lights disappearing into the deep — a haunting shot that reminds me of the sinking train in Bill Forsyth's " Housekeeping " (1987).

This is a hazardous situation for the boy ( Suraj Sharma ), because the film steadfastly refuses to sentimentalize the tiger (fancifully named "Richard Parker"). A crucial early scene at the zoo shows that wild animals are indeed wild and indeed animals, and it serves as a caution for children in the audience, who must not make the mistake of thinking this is a Disney tiger.

The heart of the film focuses on the sea journey, during which the human demonstrates that he can think with great ingenuity and the tiger shows that it can learn. I won't spoil for you how those things happen. The possibilities are surprising.

What astonishes me is how much I love the use of 3-D in "Life of Pi." I've never seen the medium better employed, not even in " Avatar ," and although I continue to have doubts about it in general, Lee never uses it for surprises or sensations, but only to deepen the film's sense of places and events.

Let me try to describe one point of view. The camera is placed in the sea, looking up at the lifeboat and beyond it. The surface of the sea is like the enchanted membrane upon which it floats. There is nothing in particular to define it; it is just … there. This is not a shot of a boat floating in the ocean. It is a shot of ocean, boat and sky as one glorious place.

Still trying not to spoil: Pi and the tiger Richard Parker share the same possible places in and near the boat. Although this point is not specifically made, Pi's ability to expand the use of space in the boat and nearby helps reinforce the tiger's respect for him. The tiger is accustomed to believing it can rule all space near him, and the human requires the animal to rethink that assumption.

Most of the footage of the tiger is of course CGI, although I learn that four real tigers are seen in some shots. The young actor Suraj Sharma contributes a remarkable performance, shot largely in sequence as his skin color deepens, his weight falls and deepness and wisdom grow in his eyes.

The writer W.G. Sebold once wrote, "Men and animals regard each other across a gulf of mutual incomprehension." This is the case here, but during the course of 227 days, they come to a form of recognition. The tiger, in particular, becomes aware that he sees the boy not merely as victim or prey, or even as master, but as another being.

The movie quietly combines various religious traditions to enfold its story in the wonder of life. How remarkable that these two mammals, and the fish beneath them and birds above them, are all here. And when they come to a floating island populated by countless meerkats, what an incredible sequence Lee creates there.

The island raises another question: Is it real? Is this whole story real? I refuse to ask that question. "Life of Pi" is all real, second by second and minute by minute, and what it finally amounts to is left for every viewer to decide. I have decided it is one of the best films of the year.

Read and make comments here .

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Life of Pi (2012)

Rated PG for emotional thematic content throughout, and some scary action sequences and peril

127 minutes

Tabu as Gita

Suraj Sharma as Pi

Rafe Spall as Writer

Gerard Depardieu as Cook

Directed by

David Magee

Based on the novel by

Yann Martel

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Review by Brian Eggert November 22, 2012

In Ang Lee’s Life of Pi , a marriage between spiritual faith and the wonder of the natural world offers audiences a reflective parable for religious understanding and even the very nature of storytelling. The harrowing tale involves an Indian boy and a Bengal tiger on a lifeboat in the Pacific for several months, and as they battle each other for territorial superiority, the human and the animal begin to understand each other. Through their exchange, the screenplay by David Magee, based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel, meditates on how as individuals, we see the world as we choose to see it—whether that be the emotions we observe in animal behavior, the meanings we project onto events in our lives, or how we amplify our experiences for effect. Through the course of the film, we take part in a beautiful worldview, rich with visual spectacles and a spiritual epiphany that even the most devout cynics will cherish.

The film opens in Pondicherry, a former French colony in India, where the family of our young protagonist, Piscene Patel (played at age 12 by Ayush Tandon), runs a zoo. Schoolboys remind him that his name, taken from the French word for “swimming pool,” sounds like “pissing,” and so he changes it to Pi and establishes his nickname by memorizing the mathematical constant’s neverending tail. An inquisitive sort, Pi was raised Hindu, but to understand God, he explores Christianity and Islam as well, adopting trademarks from each religion for his own uses, much to his strict father’s dismay. When Pi’s father must sell the family zoo and the animals, he books passage to Canada aboard a Japanese ship. Pi—now a teenager and played by Suraj Sharma, an inexperienced actor who shows astounding range, is forced to leave his home and the young dancer (Shravanthi Sainath) with whom he’s fallen in love. In rough seas over the Marinas Trench, the Japanese ship sinks, Pi’s family dies, and he’s left on a 20-foot lifeboat with a single rat, a ravenous hyena, an injured zebra, a protective orangutan, and a large Bengal tiger known as “Richard Parker.”

When the inevitable collision of hunger and territorial clashes subside, Pi is left floating on a makeshift raft connected by rope to the main lifeboat, which Richard Parker has conquered. Two hundred twenty-seven days pass as man and beast attempt to coexist, and the film carefully spells out how Pi and Richard Parker form a unique trust over battles for food and space under the lifeboat’s protective tarp. Together they witness tremendous sights, from a wave of flying fish to a bioluminescent ocean surface breached by a whale, from another massive storm to a green living island populated by meerkats. Structurally, Pi’s adventure is bookended by modern-day scenes in Canada, where a wise middle-aged Pi (Irrfan Khan) recounts his adventure to a skeptical Canadian author (Rafe Spall) looking for his next book’s inspiration. At the very beginning and end, the film alternates between scenes in Pi’s contemporary home and flashbacks to his life’s story, while the central piece of the story remains Pi’s account of his survival.

At no point in the film does Lee betray the viewer’s suspension of disbelief, despite the vast use of computerized special effects employed to make these otherwise inconceivable movie moments come to life. The effects used to render the zoo animals throughout the picture are nothing short of amazing, particularly the CGI employed for Richard Parker. Although many scenes using four different tigers were shot, much of Richard Parker’s behavior would have been impossible for trainers to safely allow for a live animal, and the integration of real-life and computer-generated imagery is flawless. Wild attacks and even a seasick tiger are realized brilliantly, while the film’s sinking ship sequence contains a haunting exquisiteness. Shot in various international locales in Montreal and India, the production required Lee’s crew to build a massive tank in Taiwan for the sea sequences, each augmented by a vast amount of artificially designed imagery. The splendor inhabiting every frame of Pi’s seafaring survival story displays a painterly quality added to the horizon where the water and sky meet, and therein reflect one another in fantastic, illusory ways.

Lee’s visual mastery also makes the best use of the 3D device yet, even better than James Cameron’s Avatar, or any number of stop-motion animation projects to showcase the effect. It’s not that Lee sends animals reaching out to touch his audience; rather, he gives the adventure depth and space. Water seems to exist on an expansive surface, and with Pi’s lifeboat often a speck on this open plane, Lee truly places his viewer in the scene in ways no filmmaker has conceived before. At other times, Lee manipulates his aspect ratios to better frame a scene or action. At one point, the rectangle frame becomes a pan & scan square with Pi’s boat in the center, accentuating his isolation in the open sea. During the flying fish stampede, the film’s 1.85:1 frame widens to 2.40:1, and we follow a daredevil tuna chasing after its prey, the hind fin just bleeding out of the frame’s margins to enhance the effect. Such details occur throughout Life of Pi , but they never take precedence over the spiritual significance of the story.

Because of its more extravagant elements, Martel’s source text was considered technically unfilmable for years, and after several other directors left the project (among them M. Night Shyamalan, Alfonso Cuarón, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet), the pronounced challenges attracted the Taiwan-born American director. Lee’s diversity of projects begins with cherished period dramas Sense and Sensibility (1995) and The Ice Storm (1997), continues through his martial arts reinvention of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), and achieves rare explorations of intimacy in Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Lust, Caution (2007). But then, Lee is also capable of realizing grand epics such as the underseen Civil War piece Ride with the Devil (1999) or bringing a cartoony quality to expressive superheroes with Hulk (2003). He finds a perfect balance between the emotional profundity of his past efforts and his own visual ambition in Life of Pi , a project that sets a bold new standard for the use of 3D and CGI but also has a thoughtful and understanding message inside an incredible visual experience.

Early in Life of Pi, the Canadian author is told Pi’s story will make him believe in God, but perhaps a better assessment is that this tale will invoke a sense of understanding toward religions and stimulate an exploration of faith. The ways in which this is accomplished in the film an audience should discover for themselves. But when Pi’s inevitable survival comes to pass, the film ends by asking questions about what we have seen and how we interpret what has happened. What this critic has seen is a marvelous piece of visual poetry with insights that require contemplation long after the visual awe has subsided. Lee has created a superbly balanced motion picture that moves special effects and 3D beyond the realm of pure entertainment augmentation; where other films use such technical modes for thrills alone, Lee creates a breathless experience both visceral and philosophical—and also unforgettable.

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A critical review of ‘Life of Pi’

Eye on the Oscars 2013: Best Picture

By Todd Kushigemachi

Todd Kushigemachi

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The tale of a young man, a tiger and God, Yann Martel ‘s bestselling novel “ Life of Pi ” had been dubbed “unfilmable” countless times before Ang Lee’s adaptation screened. The Oscar-winning helmer handily silenced skeptics, delivering a pic praised by critics as a remarkable visual achievement.

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Several reviewers felt compelled to catalog the stunning images of the survival parable, acknowledging the stellar work by the visual effects team and cinematographer Claudio Miranda. Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal fondly recalled, among other memorable sights, “a whale breaching in the night, immensely phosphorescent.”

But perhaps the most reverential praise was reserved for the lifelike computer-generated imagery of Richard Parker, Pi’s Bengal tiger companion. Not particularly enthusiastic about the film, A.O. Scott of the New York Times still described the physical details of the beast as “so perfectly rendered that you will swear that Richard Parker is real.”

The 3D also drew special attention, including favorable comparisons to James Cameron’s stereoscopic milestone “Avatar.” Even the Chicago Sun-Times’ Roger Ebert, a vocal skeptic of the technology, praised Lee’s use of the cinematic tool.

“What astonishes me is how much I love the use of 3D in ‘Life of Pi,’ ” Ebert wrote. “Although I continue to have doubts about it in general, Lee never uses it for surprises or sensations, but only to deepen the film’s sense of places and events.”

The visual pleasures of the film might have been universally praised, but critics were less in sync about the film’s framing device, featuring adult Pi (Irrfan Khan) telling his story to a writer (Rafe Spall) decades later. Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times referred to their conversations as the “weakest link” in an “otherwise lyrical film.”

However, other writers were more focused on how these scenes establish a deeper, existential twist for the visual feast. While David Edelstein of New York Magazine described the scenes as “clunky,” he suggested that they pay off.

“The movie has a sting in its tail that puts what you’ve seen in a startlingly harsh context,” Edelstein wrote.

Variety said: “Summoning the most advanced digital-filmmaking technology to deliver the most old-fashioned kind of audience satisfaction, this exquisitely beautiful adaptation of Yann Martel’s castaway saga has a sui generis quality that’s never less than beguiling, even if its fable-like construction and impeccable artistry come up a bit short in terms of truly gripping, elemental drama.” — Justin Chang

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by Yann Martel

Life of Pi Summary

Life of Pi tells the fantastical story of Pi Patel, a sixteen-year-old South Indian boy who survives at sea with a tiger for 227 days. Pi, born Piscine Molitor Patel , grows up in the South Indian city of Pondicherry, where his father runs the zoo. A precocious and intelligent boy, by the age of fifteen Pi—Hindu from an early age—has also adopted Christianity and Islam, and considers himself a pious devotee to all three religions.

Thanks to government upheaval that has long been distressing Pi’s father, the Patels decide to close the Pondicherry Zoo and move to Canada when Pi is sixteen. Pi, his mother, father, and brother Ravi all board the Tsimtsum along with the zoo’s animal inhabitants (who are on their way to be sold around the world).

An unexplained event causes the Tsimtsum to sink, and Pi is the only human to make it onto the lifeboat and survive. Along with Pi, the lifeboat contains a hyena, a zebra, Orange Juice the orangutan, and Richard Parker the tiger. The hyena kills and devours both the zebra and Orange Juice, before Richard Parker kills the hyena. Pi is left alone on a lifeboat with an adult male tiger.

There is no land in sight and the ocean is shark-infested, so Pi builds a raft which he attaches to the lifeboat, to keep himself at a safer distance from Richard Parker. Eventually, however, life on the raft proves too exhausting, and Pi realizes that if Richard Parker gets hungry enough, he will swim to it and kill Pi. So Pi decides that he must tame Richard Parker. Using a whistle, seasickness, and a turtle-shell shield, Pi manages to assert his authority over Richard Parker and delineate his own territory on the lifeboat, where he is comparatively safe from the tiger.

While at sea, Pi and Richard Parker face many challenges, traumas, tragedies, and miraculous occurrences. They never have sufficient food and fresh water, and the constant exposure is highly painful. A severe storm, which they miraculously survive, destroys the raft. Pi manages to capture and kill a bird. They are almost crushed by an oil tanker, which then passes by without seeing them.

During an especially severe period of starvation, Pi and Richard Parker both go blind. While blind, Pi hears a voice, and realizes that they have drawn near another lifeboat that contains a similarly starving and blind Frenchman. Pi and this man converse for a while, and bring their boats together. The Frenchman climbs onto Pi’s boat, and immediately attacks him, planning to kill and eat him. He doesn’t realize that there is a tiger on the boat, however, and accidentally steps into Richard Parker’s territory. The tiger immediately attacks and kills him. Pi, saved at the cost of his attacker’s life, describes this as the beginning of his true moral suffering.

Pi and Richard Parker come upon a weird island that is made of algae with trees protruding from it, teeming with meerkats but no other life. Pi and Richard Parker stay on the island for weeks, eating the algae and the meerkats, growing stronger, and bathing in and drinking from the fresh water ponds. They never stay on the island at night, however, Pi because he feels safer from the tiger in his delineated territory, and Richard Parker for a reason unknown to Pi. Pi eventually starts to sleep on the island, and while doing so realizes that the island is carnivorous—it emits acid at night that dissolves anything on its surface. Greatly disturbed by this, Pi takes Richard Parker, and they leave the island.

Pi and Richard Parker eventually land on the Mexican beach. Richard Parker immediately runs off into the jungle without acknowledging Pi, which Pi finds deeply hurtful. Pi is found, fed, bathed, and taken to a hospital. There, two Japanese men come to question Pi about what caused the Tsimtsum to sink. He tells his story, which they do not believe, so he offers them a more plausible version, with the animal characters replaced by other humans, which casts doubt on the original story.

Throughout the novel, the story is interrupted by the author’s notes on Pi as he is now, telling this story to the author. After recovering in Mexico he went to Canada, where he spent a year finishing high school and then studied Religion and Zoology at the University of Toronto. At some point, he got married, and he now has two children. He still thinks of Richard Parker, and is still hurt by his final desertion.

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Life of Pi Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Life of Pi is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What is flight distance? Why is this important for zookeepers to know?

Flight distance is the amount of space that one animal will allow another animal before fleeing. Zookeepers need to be aware of this distance in order to keep from frightening the animals.

how pi describe the hyena

"I am not one to hold a prejudice against any animal, but it is a plain fact that the spotted hyena is not well served by its appearance. It is ugly beyond redemption. Its thick neck and high shoulders that slope to the hindquarters look as...

Please state your question.

Study Guide for Life of Pi

Life of Pi is a novel by Yann Martel. Life of Pi study guide contains a biography of author Yann Martel, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

About Life of Pi
Life of Pi Video
Character List

Essays for Life of Pi

Life of Pi essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Life of Pi written by Yann Martel.

Living a Lie: Yann Martel’s Pi and his Dissociation from Reality
A Matter of Perspective: The Invention of a Story in Martel’s Life of Pi
Religion as a Coping Mechanism in Life of Pi
Hope and Understanding: Comparing Life of Pi and Bless Me, Ultima
Religious Allegories in Life of Pi

Lesson Plan for Life of Pi

About the Author
Study Objectives
Common Core Standards
Introduction to Life of Pi
Relationship to Other Books
Bringing in Technology
Notes to the Teacher
Related Links
Life of Pi Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Life of Pi

Introduction
Inspiration

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Common sense media reviewers.

Beautiful, emotional, intense story of faith and friendship.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Strong themes of the power of faith, friendship, p

Pi survives against the strongest possible odds, f

Several very intense sequences with lots of action

Mild flirting between a teenage couple; women in s

A few uses of "pissing," mostly said by other boys

Positive Messages

Strong themes of the power of faith, friendship, perseverance, and the ability to let go. As a boy, Pi looks for meaning/comfort in many religions, ultimately embracing different aspects of several of them. His faith is tested many times over the course of the movie, but he holds tight to it. The idea that faith involves thinking and questioning, rather than blind acceptance, is put forward. Pi and Richard Parker develop a relationship that sustains both of them, unusual as it might be.

Positive Role Models

Pi survives against the strongest possible odds, facing down vicious storms, hungry animals, and self-doubt. His faith sustains him through much of what he faces; he's also determined, hardworking, and resourceful, and he cares deeply about his fellow creatures. His father encourages Pi to think critically and question the way things are: "I would rather have you believe in something I disagree with than accept all things."

Violence & Scariness

Several very intense sequences with lots of action, peril, and emotional impact. (Possible spoiler alerts!) Pi loses his family when their ship violently sinks during a raging storm at sea (huge crashing waves, chaos, etc.); he sees the eerie, doomed sunken ship under the water. Later, another terrible storm nearly costs him and Richard Parker their lives. Zoo animals confront, kill, and eat each other at very close quarters; a little blood is shown, and the scenes are upsetting. Richard Parker frequently growls, snarls, charges, and roars at Pi, which could scare younger children. Pi is very upset after he kills a fish for Richard Parker to eat, sobbing at the idea of having taken a life. Early in the movie, Pi's father makes him watch Richard Parker eat a goat (nothing graphic shown) as a lesson in the nature of wild animals. Some yelling/confrontations. Pi finds something very unsettling on a peculiar island.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Mild flirting between a teenage couple; women in swimwear.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

A few uses of "pissing," mostly said by other boys making fun of Pi's full name, Piscine. "Curry eaters" is said as an insult.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Life of Pi is an intense, emotional story of survival and triumph against the odds, with themes of faith, friendship, and perseverance. Although it's rated PG, and there's virtually no strong language, sexual content, or blood, this adaptation of Yann Martel's bestselling novel has several very harrowing (especially in 3-D) scenes of storms, shipwrecks, the possibility of implied cannibalism, and zoo animals threatening humans and confronting, killing, and eating each other -- all of which are likely to be too much for younger children (as are the themes of allegory and mysticism, which will require thoughtful parental explanation). Pi is in near-constant peril throughout the story (though it's told as a flashback, so you know he'll survive) and, after losing his whole family, he must negotiate sharing a very small space with a large, unpredictable tiger (one of Pi's tactics involves peeing on part of the lifeboat they share). But through it all, he remains determined and optimistic, relying on his strong faith to see him through every challenge he must face. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

Parents say (41)
Kids say (88)

Based on 41 parent reviews

Totally harrowing for under 14, I disagree with CSM here

Powerful, beautiful, what's the story.

Growing up in India, young Piscine "Pi" Patel (played by Ayush Tandon) is a thoughtful boy who finds himself curious about God in all of his many forms. The strong, if unusual, hybrid faith that he develops serves teenage Pi (played impressively by Suraj Sharma) well after -- spoiler alert ! -- he loses his whole family when their ship sinks during a terrible storm and he finds himself adrift on a lifeboat with four zoo animals: a wounded zebra, an aggressive hyena, a friendly orangutan, and the large, unpredictable tiger known as Richard Parker. Eventually just Pi and Richard Parker remain, and together they must figure out how to stay alive on the open ocean.

Is It Any Good?

LIFE OF PI is a beautiful, emotionally resonant tale of faith, friendship, and perseverance. A runaway bestseller when it was published in 2001, Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi was long considered by many to be unfilmable. After all, one of the two main characters is a tiger, who spends much of the story in close quarters with a teenage human. In the middle of the ocean. But director Ang Lee , who is nothing if not unpredictable himself, has proven any remaining naysayers wrong in spades.

It looks absolutely gorgeous -- like James Cameron did in Avatar , Lee uses 3-D to make the world of Life of Pi an immersive, almost tactile place, from the hummingbirds that flit toward your face to the enormous waves that bear down on you during the intense storm sequences. The CGI is equally impressive; while intellectually you know that it would be next to impossible to get a tiger to do the things that Richard Parker does, there are moments when his fur ripples so realistically that you'd swear he's 100 percent real. While some of the story's twists and themes will probably have more impact on those who haven't read the book, there's no denying that Life of Pi is a powerful movie that's just as likely to make you think as it is to make you shed a tear or cheer in triumph.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about which version of Pi's story they think is true. Why do you think that? Which one do you think the movie wants you to believe?

What is the movie saying about faith? Is it necessary to be religious to be faithful? (Or vice versa?) How is Pi's faith tested?

How does the movie depict Pi's many losses? Do you think you could overcome the challenges he faces? How do his experiences change him as a character?

If you've read the book, how does the movie compare? What changes did you notice? Why do you think filmmakers sometimes change things when adapting books for the big screen?

Movie Details

In theaters : November 21, 2012
On DVD or streaming : March 12, 2013
Cast : Irrfan Khan , Rafe Spall , Suraj Sharma
Director : Ang Lee
Inclusion Information : Indian/South Asian actors
Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
Genre : Drama
Topics : Adventures , Book Characters , Wild Animals
Run time : 127 minutes
MPAA rating : PG
MPAA explanation : emotional thematic content throughout, and some scary action sequences and peril
Award : Academy Award
Last updated : March 25, 2024

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Life of Pi (United States, 2012)

Life of Pi is a curious juxtaposition of the mundane and the majestic; a film that strives for something grander than what it perhaps achieves. At times, the simple story - one of spirituality and survival - exudes a quiet, hypnotic power, but there are also instances when it strikes a jarringly wrong note, particularly toward the end. The good in Life of Pi easily outweighs the bad but it could be claimed that the production is more remarkable because of superlative special effects than because of its strength of narrative, emotional impact, or allegorical complexity.

The movie, like the book, is divided into three segments. The first introduces us to the central character, Pi Patel (Suraj Sharma), whose name is short for "Piscene," but who changes it because it sounds too much like "pissing." We are given a brief primer of his early life and an exploration of his views of faith, a morphing philosophy that includes elements of Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. Essentially, he simply wants to "know" God, so he cherry-picks various aspects of different religions to create his own iteration. In India, Pi's family owns a zoo, so he becomes comfortable around the animals, although he learns a harsh lesson about the true nature of tigers when his father (Adil Hussain) forces him to watch an adult male Bengal, Robert Parker, make a meal of a live goat. Eventually, economic issues force the Patel family to emigrate to Canada. They, as well as the zoo's animal occupants, are packed aboard a freighter that makes the ocean crossing. In rough seas near the Marinas Trench, the ship sinks. The only survivors are Pi and four animals.

The shipwreck occurs roughly 45 minutes into the proceedings. The next hour, which comprises the second segment of the movie, explores the difficulties of crossing the Pacific on a 20-foot long lifeboat. Three of the four animals - a zebra, a hyena, and an orangutan - are quickly devoured by the fourth, Richard Parker. Pi abandons the lifeboat for an improvised raft he engineers (which is tethered to the boat), but circumstances eventually force him to forge an uneasy co-existence with the tiger. To do that, he has to prove himself to be the alpha male so he won't be attacked.

The movie's third segment, which has a tacked-on feel, offers an "alternative" narrative of Pi's sea adventures. The problem with this part of the movie is that it is not dramatized. Instead of presenting us with a visual re-interpretation of events, it offers Pi in a hospital bed telling this story, which is fine for a book but not satisfying in a visual medium like film. This results in a profound sense of anticlimax. If a key principle of movies is "show, don't tell," this is violated by Life of Pi 's third act.

The movie's structure neuters suspense by bookending the tale with scenes in modern-day Canada that feature a middle-aged Pi (Irrfan Khan) telling his story to a Canadian author (Rafe Spall). There's never any question of whether Pi will survive his ordeal - just a question of how bad things will get and how he will manage to co-exist with the tiger. During the course of the story, there are occasional breaks to allow the modern-day Pi to provide some commentary, but these are infrequent enough that they don't interfere with the flow of the story.

Unsurprisingly, the most compelling portions of the movie encapsulate the scenes detailing Pi's lifeboat ordeal. At its best, Life of Pi rivals other recent "survival" stories like 127 Hours and Cast Away . There's an undeniable fascination associated with exploring how Pi's relationship with Richard Parker evolves. The film doesn't make the mistake of anthropomorphizing the tiger. He remains a predator to the end and only becomes Pi's "friend" in the young man's mind. In a way, he's like Wilson was to Tom Hanks' character in Cast Away - the much-needed companion who staves off loneliness.

The special effects used to craft Richard Parker are nothing short of amazing. At no point does one doubt that this is a living, breathing tiger. In all likelihood, the animal is CGI (it's unthinkable that a real tiger would be used in many of these scenes and the creature is too fluid and lifelike to be animatronic). And, although Richard Parker is the most obvious example of top-notch computer design, it's not the only one. The most spectacular instance involves a whale that explodes skyward from the ocean during a scene of eerie, breathtaking beauty. The shipwreck is also impressive, although director Ang Lee doesn't attempt to outdo James Cameron in this department.

Thematically, Life of Pi is as much about faith as it is about survival, arguing that faith is necessary to survival. Pi believes it is the will of god that allows him to stay alive for more than 200 days at sea. His beliefs are not traditional - early in the film, his father chides him for attempting to follow so many different religions - but he would describe himself as deeply spiritual. His journey is the will of god and, like Job, he doggedly accepts every setback without cursing the divine being to whom he prays.

Director Ang Lee, who accepted this project after a number of other high profile filmmakers departed, has a more successful relationship with special effects than he had with Hulk , but Life of Pi plays more to his strengths as a filmmaker, focusing on exploring the internal life of a character. Lee wisely selects an unknown actor, Suraj Sharma, for the title role. With no other screen associations to his name, there's no difficulty identifying him as anyone other than Pi. For someone without previous professional acting experience, Sharma acquits himself admirably and manages not to be upstaged by either the tiger or the sea. The cast is comprised largely of faces who will not be overly familiar to mainstream American audience (although Irrfan Khan and Tabu are well-known to Bollywood movie viewers). Originally, Lee cast Tobey Maguire as the writer to whom Pi tells his story, but Maguire's scenes were eventually re-filmed with Rafe Spall in the part because Lee felt it would be too jarring for viewers to see a high-profile actor in a small role.

Life of Pi is a gorgeous movie; the decision to film and release it in 3-D may hurt it with more sophisticated viewers, who have largely abandoned the format as cheap and gimmicky. Lee uses 3-D more overtly than some recent filmmakers but he avoids too many "showy" shots. There are also questions about whether the lack of vibrant color in some scenes is a deliberate stylistic choice or a 3-D artifact. My impression is that, on balance, 3-D neither adds nor detracts from the overall experience; it's a question of individual preference.

Life of Pi is difficult to market. There's no easy way to sell a story in which half the movie is spent alone with a man and a tiger floating around the Pacific on a boat. Lee's success as a filmmaker is that he makes this relationship as interesting as one between two human beings and uses the lack of dialogue as a strength. Life of Pi has a weak ending (more disappointing than disastrous) but the strange approach taken to the "alternative" story in no way detracts from the surehandedness with which the "primary" one is told. There's an audience out there for this movie, but the question is whether they will find it.

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Life of Pi – review

No one can doubt the technical brilliance of Ang Lee's new film, an adaptation of Yann Martel's Booker-winning bestseller from 2001, a widely acclaimed book that I should say I have yet to read. The effects are stunning, more impressive than anything in the new hi-tech Hobbit, and on that score, Peter Jackson can eat his heart out. But for the film itself, despite some lovely images and those eyepopping effects, it is a shallow and self-important shaggy-dog story – or shaggy-tiger story – and I am bemused by the saucer-eyed critical responses it's been getting.

Pi is Pi Patel, played as a teenager by Suraj Sharma and as an adult by Irrfan Khan, and it is the adult Pi we see recounting his story to an inquisitive author (Rafe Spall), who yearns to hear something that will cure his writer's block. Pi tells him it might do more: it might enable him to believe in God. As a teen, Pi and his family journeyed by steamer from India to Canada, where his father hoped to restart his business as a zookeeper, and he brought his zoo animals with him. A storm wrecks the ship, and Pi finally finds himself all alone on a lifeboat with an adult Bengal tiger; in the existential ordeal that follows, Pi and the tiger face the battle to survive.

The digitally created tiger is incredible, or rather, very credible. I expected it to be an obvious CGI beast or uncanny-valley creature. It's better than that. Every second it was on screen, I thought: that unreal tiger really is mindblowingly real-looking – how did they do that? Well, I suspended my disbelief in good faith – and my scepticism about "magic realism" also – and Lee's brilliant digital work made that easy. But the adventures of Pi and the tiger are cancelled by an exasperating ending, the crux of which is a question Pi asks Rafe Spall's writer, and the answer he receives. Both seem founded on some fatuous assumptions. This is an awards-season movie if ever there was one. It deserves every technical prize going.

Drama films
Yann Martel
Irrfan Khan

More on this story

Life of Pi: 'I felt like I was going insane'

Life of Pi: Ang Lee answers your questions - video

Life of Pi - video review

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A 3D adaptation of a supposedly "unfilmable" book, Ang Lee's Life of Pi achieves the near impossible -- it's an astonishing technical achievement that's also emotionally rewarding. Read critic reviews

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Life of pi videos, life of pi photos.

After deciding to sell their zoo in India and move to Canada, Santosh and Gita Patel board a freighter with their sons and a few remaining animals. Tragedy strikes when a terrible storm sinks the ship, leaving the Patels' teenage son, Pi (Suraj Sharma), as the only human survivor. However, Pi is not alone; a fearsome Bengal tiger has also found refuge aboard the lifeboat. As days turn into weeks and weeks drag into months, Pi and the tiger must learn to trust each other if both are to survive.

Rating: PG (Peril|Emotional Thematic Content|Some Scary Action)

Genre: Adventure, Drama

Original Language: English

Director: Ang Lee

Producer: Gil Netter , Ang Lee , David Womark

Writer: David Magee

Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 2012 wide

Release Date (Streaming): Jul 31, 2014

Box Office (Gross USA): $125.0M

Runtime: 2h 5m

Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Production Co: Haishang Films, Gil Netter

Sound Mix: Dolby, SDDS, Datasat

Cast & Crew

Suraj Sharma

Irrfan Khan

Adult Pi Patel

Gérard Depardieu

Adil Hussain

Santosh Patel

Gautam Belur

Ayush Tandon

Vibish Sivakumar

Ravi Patel Age 18, 19

Ravi Patel Age 7

Mohd Abbas Khaleeli

Ravi Patel Age 13, 14

James Saito

Older Insurance Investigator

Younger Insurance Investigator

David Magee

Screenwriter

David Womark

Dean Georgaris

Executive Producer

Claudio Miranda

Cinematographer

Tim Squyres

Film Editing

David Gropman

Production Design

Mychael Danna

Original Music

Dan Webster

Supervising Art Direction

Art Director

James F. Truesdale

Anna Pinnock

Set Decoration

News & Interviews for Life of Pi

Morgan Freeman’s Five Favorite Films

2022 Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month TV & Streaming Calendar

AFI Fest Selections Score Big During Awards Season

Critic Reviews for Life of Pi

Audience reviews for life of pi.

superbly believable acting from the whole cast bolstered by the amazing less is more approach to the... i can't belive i'm saying this... beautiful CGI. the only ang lee reel i've liked. considering it was well hyped up i was pleasantly surprised.

Une histoire magnifique, des images extraordinaires, de bons acteurs ... rien de mieux pour une rÃ (C)ussite incomparable. Certains trouveront le film un peu long, mais Ã§a en vaut la peine!!!

Beautiful... Just beautiful. Ang Lee brings to life one of my favorite books and does it with such passion and determination. This adaptation, thought to be "unfilmable", achieves wonders in 3D and visual effects, as well as emotional story telling and great time first performance by Suraj Sharma.

Honestly, I read the book long ago before I watch this movie and when I heard that 'Life of Pi' will be made into a movie my question were : how can a boring book turned into a movie that will drawn the audiences' attention? But after I heard a lot of positive reviews on this movie, I was tempted to watch this movie.. And after I spent almost 2 hours watching this movie, I must gave a big two thumbs up to Ang Lee for making a beautiful visualization of this novel.. Suraj Sharma also make a great and quite impressive performance for his Hollywood debut performance as Pi Patel.. Overall, the Oscars that this movie got shows us how great the quality of this movie had..

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Visualizing Life of Pi Island: a Cinematic Analysis of Isolation and Imagination

This essay about “Life of Pi” analyzes how the film portrays isolation and imagination. Set against the vast expanse of the ocean, the protagonist, Pi, finds himself stranded with only a Bengal tiger for company. Through stunning cinematography and storytelling, the film explores Pi’s struggle with loneliness and his ability to construct alternate realities through imagination. The relationship between Pi and the tiger, Richard Parker, becomes central as they navigate the challenges of survival together, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. Ultimately, “Life of Pi” underscores the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of storytelling to illuminate the human experience.

How it works

In Ang Lee’s cinematic adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel, “Life of Pi,” the viewer is transported to a visually stunning world where isolation and imagination intertwine to create a profound narrative experience. Set against the backdrop of a vast and unforgiving ocean, the film explores the themes of loneliness, survival, and the power of the human mind to construct alternate realities.

One of the most striking aspects of “Life of Pi” is its portrayal of isolation. The protagonist, Pi, finds himself stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, with no one but a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker for company.

Through breathtaking cinematography and powerful performances, the film captures the immense loneliness that Pi feels as he grapples with his dire circumstances. The vast expanse of the ocean serves as a stark reminder of his isolation, emphasizing the sheer magnitude of his predicament.

However, amidst the isolation, Pi’s imagination becomes his greatest asset. As he struggles to survive, he constructs elaborate fantasies to cope with the harsh realities of his situation. Through mesmerizing visual effects and evocative storytelling, the film blurs the lines between reality and illusion, inviting the viewer to ponder the nature of truth and perception. Pi’s vivid imagination allows him to transcend the confines of his physical surroundings, transforming his ordeal into a transcendent journey of self-discovery.

Central to Pi’s imaginative world is his relationship with Richard Parker, the fearsome tiger who becomes both his adversary and his companion. Through their interactions, the film explores the complexities of human-animal relationships and the capacity for empathy in the face of adversity. As Pi and Richard Parker navigate the treacherous waters together, their bond deepens, ultimately transcending the boundaries of species and language. In this way, “Life of Pi” challenges conventional notions of companionship and belonging, suggesting that connection can be found in the unlikeliest of places.

Ultimately, “Life of Pi” is a testament to the power of storytelling to illuminate the human experience. Through its stunning visuals and thought-provoking narrative, the film invites viewers on a journey of introspection and wonder. As Pi’s story unfolds on the screen, we are reminded of the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of the imagination to overcome even the most daunting of challenges. In the end, “Life of Pi” reminds us that while isolation may be inevitable, it is our capacity for imagination that allows us to find solace and meaning in the face of adversity.

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Visualizing Life of Pi Island: A Cinematic Analysis of Isolation and Imagination. (2024, Mar 02). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/visualizing-life-of-pi-island-a-cinematic-analysis-of-isolation-and-imagination/

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PapersOwl.com. (2024). Visualizing Life of Pi Island: A Cinematic Analysis of Isolation and Imagination . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/visualizing-life-of-pi-island-a-cinematic-analysis-of-isolation-and-imagination/ [Accessed: 15 Apr. 2024]

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Ang Lee interweaves adventure and spirituality brilliantly. And if you still don't know what meditation feels like, Watch Life of Pi, it is therapeutic and profound.

Life of Pi Movie Review

Times of India

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A well crafted piece of art, successful in landing the viewers in a turmoil of emotions and leaving with a feeling of blankness and fulfillment both. Hats off to the entire team!

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This film marks the first collaboration of uncle-nephew duo Anil Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor. Arjun is the son of Anil’s brother Boney Kapoor. Share
This film marks the first collaboration of uncle-nephew duo Anil Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor. Arjun is the son of Anil’s brother Boney Kapoor.
This is the second time Arjun Kapoor is playing a double role, the first being Aurangzeb (2013).
The song ‘Yamma yamma’ from ‘Shaan’ is sampled in the song ‘Partywali Night' for the film.

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Movie Review On Religion, Reality And Transcendence In Life Of Pi

Type of paper: Movie Review

Topic: Literature , Film , Tourism , God , Life , Nature , Religion , Cinema

Words: 1800

Published: 02/08/2020

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Often touted as an ‘unfilmable’ novel, Yann Martel’s Life of Pi told the story of a young Indian boy named Pi who, over the course of the story, finds himself on a small life raft in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with only a dangerous Bengal Tiger (whom he names Richard Parker) to accompany him. Here, he goes on a hazardous journey of survival, during which he explores his spirituality and is taken to the depths of his understanding of life itself. Ang Lee’s 2012 film masterfully adapts these themes into an elegant, fairytale-like story that is alternatingly presentational and deeply personal. Here, Pi (played as a young teenager by Suraj Sharma and as an adult by Irffan Khan) relates this story to a young novelist (Rafe Spall), who becomes the audience conduit for the duration of the film. Life of Pi explores the nature of storytelling and religion, demonstrating the very human need for both uncertainty and solace – just as Pi tells a more interesting story that is more fantastical than the cynical story that is closer to truth, the audience learns the value of the process of believing in the beauty of our universe and the wonder of story. From a structuralist perspective on this film, Ang Lee makes plain the intersection between storytelling and religion: the process of buying into both in order to enrich one’s experience requires a similar leap of faith, and a choice regarding how you want to define your reality. Structuralism in film and literary critical theory explores the relation of texts to larger structures; in essence, it is a school of theory that relates directly to recognition of literary syntax (Propp, 1928). In essence, structuralism and semiotics point out the narrative conventions present in telling a story and make us understand their roles in the story’s affect. Where Life of Pi most acutely relays its themes of storytelling is in its varying framing devices – the film constantly switches between the living-room conversations between adult Pi and the novelist Yann Martel (Spall), and the story with Richard Parker that the film shows us. By framing this story within the film itself, the audience is allowed to examine its own process of absorbing a story: we are Yann Martel, Ang Lee the filmmaker is Pi, and in those scenes we are seeing him craft the story for our benefit. By externalizing the process of filmmaking and showing it in the film’s plot, Life of Pi comments on the audience-filmmaker contract; Yann is told he will “make you believe in God”; for the purposes of this narrative, this is the artist indicating his ability to fire up the imagination of his audience. There is a power given to storytelling, particularly through the character of Pi; through these tales, even in the beginning, Pi is turned from a young boy who is mocked for his unfortunate first name (‘Piscene’ sounds like ‘pissing’) into a math wizard who has the respect of his peers. This scene establishes the importance of detail, of narrative, and of emotional involvement in the creation of a good story; the way the audience is engaged with the first story of Pi’s name is a litmus test for how they will respond to the more fantastical tales that lay ahead. The film is inherently metatextual in its presentation; Pi’s journey is the classic hero’s journey stripped down to its basest elements. Furthermore, Pi is a tremendously open character – open to all things, all faiths, and all creatures; the biggest disappointments he meets in the film are when animals do not respond in equal measure to the kindness he gives them. Pi’s naivete is shown simultaneously as a strength and a weakness – his cynical father believes it will get him killed, while his mother believes it is a strength. The mother’s perspective is the one shared by the film, as his positivity grants him the power of storytelling. The structuralist exploration of stories as something we must believe in is expressed strongly through the film’s take on religion. Life of Pi is, ostensibly, a highly religious film, though its religious preferences skew toward the polytheistic and the pluralistic. Even as a young child, Pi cannot choose a single religion to follow; he becomes simultaneously a Christian, a Muslim and a Hindu, never seeming to think these faiths contradict one another. In this way, Life of Pi is a polytheistic film: while these faiths are tested, and others question the validity of his faiths, Pi insists he “just wants to love God,” and his polytheism indicates his belief that spirituality lies beyond the strict dogmas and rituals that a single religion establishes for its followers (Bolton, 2013). During the main journey that comprises the majority of the film, Pi’s faith is tested, to be sure – no matter what he does right, God seems to keep taking things away from him. After the initial shipwreck, he has several animals who survive on the raft with him, but they are quickly taken care of by the elements and Richard Parker. Even the one bit of solace they receive during the trip – a brief reprieve on a man-shaped island – is soured when he discovers that the island itself is cannibalistic. At his lowest point, the young boy shouts to the heavens, “I lost my family! I lost everything! I surrender! What more do you want?” However, the experience merely strengthens his love for God by the end, as he is thankful for his survival and that of Richard Parker’s. The relationship between man, nature and God is of primary importance to the film, with much of Pi’s growth coming at not just a newfound respect for nature, but of an understanding of his place in it. Because of Pi’s pantheistic perspective, his journey and his faith is expressed through nature itself. Pi’s God seems to be one of all-inclusiveness, involving all of nature, and the film carries through this elemental, visceral spirituality in its setting. Pi’s liferaft, with its constantly-shifting wooden planks and improvised inventions to protect and nourish Pi and Richard Parker are often contrasted with the typically-still waters of the Atlantic. Water is a very important symbol in the film; in a way, it provides a blank canvas upon which Pi can express his thoughts and tell his story – new story elements often leap from the water, from torrential waves to giant neon whales to a school of piranha. By setting the film as a man vs. nature story, Pi’s journey becomes much simpler and allegorical – Pi is fighting his faith in God (any of them) in the face of tragic events, learning to become more self-sufficient and use the things he has been given to survive. It is his test of faith, to see if he still believes in a God (nature) that can kill him in many different ways. The religious nature of the film goes hand in hand with its subtext of the storytelling process, as filmmaking techniques are almost presentationally used to link the hero’s journey with making a film. The film’s visuals, including Academy Award-winning cinematography from Claudio Miranda and special effects from visual effects company Rhythm & Hues, contribute significantly to the themes of illusion and artifice involved in storytelling through their simple beauty and seeming artificiality (Castelli, 2012). Colors are bright and saturated, with neon used liberally in some of the more fantastical elements of the film (the whale, the acidic island at night). Though the CGI in this film is impressive, there is a rubberiness, an artifice that is almost certainly intentional, and goes hand in hand with the film’s suggestion that the events are not what really happened. The camera angles used in the film play up the epicness and spectacle of the tale Pi is telling; wide shots and sweeping vistas are given appropriate weight by Lee pulling the camera back and allowing us to see everything, alternating with shots of Sharma’s emotive face showing Pi’s reaction to the majesty around him. In the Japanese hospital near the end of the film, Pi offers an alternate explanation for his plight to sate the cynical insurance agents. This story is much more realistic, gritty, cynical and unfortunate – the animals are all various victims of the murderous cook (Gerard Depardieu), and Pi is Richard Parker, killing the creature that killed the other animals. By pointing out these 1:1 metaphors, the film asks us to engage with the creative process, and the visuals enhance that – the fantastical and outrageous nature of the CGI reminds us that this is a film we are watching, and that these things are not real. Conversely, the more realistic tale is told in a single shot, focusing on Pi’s face, not cutting once as the camera slowly pushes in on the disillusioned boy as he flatly recounts this alternate account. In conclusion, the structuralist elements of Life of Pi paint a story that is about stories – filmmaking is used as a subtext to show the importance of hoping, dreaming and believing to the human condition, regardless of what harsher realities may also be present. Pi’s story follows the typical ‘hero’s journey,’ a story about coming of age and finding himself amongst a cruel and heartless world, learning his place within it – by embellishing this story with those fantastical elements, the structure of these kinds of stories (and the process of assuming religious faith) are laid bare for the audience. To that end, Pi’s (and the film’s) sentiment that it does not matter which story is true, because the one with the tiger is “the better story,” plays into the film’s celebration of storytelling and filmmaking. When Yann picks the Richard Parker story as the one he would rather believe, Pi replies, “Thank you. And so it goes with God.”

Bolton, C. (2013). Life of Pi. Journal of Religion & Film, 17(1), 42. Castelli, J. C. (2012). The Making of Life of Pi: A Film, a Journey. Harper Design. Detmer, D. (2013). The Philosopher as Filmmaker. A Companion to Woody Allen, 460. Lee, A. (dir.) (2012). Life f Pi. Perf. Suraj Sherma, Irffan Khan, Rafe Spall. 20th Century Fox. Lyden, J. (2003). Film as religion: myths, morals, rituals. NYU Press. Propp, V. (1928). Morphology of the folktale.

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By Yann Martel

An expertly crafted story of Pi's survival and self-discovery is an extraordinary meditation on the essence of existence. Pi's journey through the Pacific challenges readers to embark on their introspective voyage through life's uncharted waters.

About the Book

Article written by Mizpah Albert

M.A. in English Literature and a Ph.D. in English Language Teaching.

Yann Martel’s masterpiece, ‘ Life of Pi ,’ seamlessly weaves together a tapestry of captivating characters, profound themes, evocative language, and thought-provoking context. This philosophical adventure novel has captivated the hearts and minds of readers worldwide and remains an enduring classic for its depth and exploration of the human condition.

The story of Pi

‘ Life of Pi ‘ is a mesmerizing exploration of the human spirit’s capacity for endurance and the complexities of belief in the face of adversity. Pi Patel, a young Indian boy, is shipwrecked in the Pacific Ocean after a devastating storm. Alone on a lifeboat, he is accompanied by an unlikely companion, a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Together, they face the challenges of the open sea, forging a remarkable bond between human and beast. Pi’s ingenuity and resilience are tested as days turn into months, prompting him to draw upon his religious beliefs and inner strength. The novel’s narrative takes an intriguing turn as Pi’s story is questioned, leaving readers to ponder the nature of truth, faith, and the power of storytelling.

The choice of characters

One of the most commendable aspects of ‘ Life of Pi ‘ is Martel’s deliberate and brilliant choice of characters. Each character in ‘ Life of Pi ‘ has a unique personality and plays a vital role in the story.

The protagonist, Pi, is a fascinating character with a multi-dimensional personality that makes him relatable and endearing. Martel did an excellent job of contrasting Pi’s curiosity and interest in religion and zoology, highlighting the human desire for intellectual understanding and spiritual fulfillment.

Further, adding Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger, as Pi’s companion on his journey was an ingenious stroke of literary brilliance. It symbolizes the duality of nature and the internal struggle of human nature itself. The juxtaposition of Pi’s vulnerability with Richard Parker’s primal instincts raises questions about humanity and its inherent savagery.

Impressive choice of themes

The story of ‘ Life of Pi ‘ is a truly remarkable work of literature that impressively intertwines the themes of survival, faith, and storytelling. The author’s skillful portrayal of Pi’s curiosity and interest in religion and zoology highlights the human desire for intellectual understanding and spiritual fulfillment. The themes of faith and reason, belief and skepticism, are explored in a way that challenges readers to question their own convictions and find meaning in a world full of uncertainties.

Physical and spiritual survival is another central theme that permeates the novel . The juxtaposition of Pi’s survival in the unforgiving vastness of the Pacific Ocean against his psychological survival amidst adversity epitomizes the resilience of the human spirit. The novel forces readers to question their capacity for survival in the face of adversity and the extent to which faith can act as a refuge during challenging times.

Historical and cultural context

Enriched by its historical and cultural context, the novel tells the story of a young Indian boy named Pi Patel who survives a shipwreck and ends up stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The historical and cultural context adds depth to the story, highlighting the complexities of identity and the intermingling of cultures in a globalized world.

The historical context of India’s colonial past and subsequent journey toward globalization contributes to the narrative. Pi’s family owns a zoo, and the animals symbolize the connection between humans and the natural world, impacted by colonialism and modernization. The zoo’s closure and Pi’s journey to Canada reflect India’s changing socio-economic landscape, influenced by both its colonial history and the forces of globalization. The novel’s context serves as a backdrop for fostering cross-cultural understanding and empathy.

Martel’s choice of language and writing style

Martel’s language in ‘ Life of Pi ‘ is a seamless blend of lyrical prose and vivid imagery that transports readers to the very heart of Pi’s journey. The author’s exceptional storytelling prowess keeps readers engaged, balancing the emotional intensity of the narrative with moments of philosophical contemplation. Martel’s ability to paint breathtaking visuals and evoke a sensory experience makes the journey palpable, captivating readers with the novel’s immersive nature.

Martel’s writing is enchanting, with vivid imagery that transports readers to the heart of Pi’s struggle for survival. The author seamlessly interweaves Pi’s day-to-day challenges with moments of introspection, delving deep into the complexities of the human psyche when faced with isolation, fear, and the primal need for sustenance. As readers witness Pi’s growth from a naive boy to a resourceful survivor, they are drawn into the emotional rollercoaster of his experience.

Life of Pi Review

Life of Pi by Yann Martel Novel Book Cover

Book Title: Life of Pi

Book Description: In this compelling narrative, Pi faces the ultimate test of survival while lost at sea, offering a profound exploration into the complexities of human existence. As he journeys through the perilous waters of the Pacific, the story challenges readers to undertake their own introspective voyages into life's great uncertainties.

Book Author: Yann Martel

Book Edition: First Edition

Book Format: Hardcover

Publisher - Organization: Knopf Canada

Date published: September 11, 2011

ISBN: 0-676-97376-0

Number Of Pages: 319

Lasting Impact on a Reader

Life of Pi: An Exploration of Faith and Fortitude

Yann Martel’s Life of Pi is a masterpiece that resonates with readers on multiple levels. The choice of characters, including the enigmatic Pi and the enigmatic Richard Parker, invites us to explore the depths of human nature and spirituality. Themes of survival, faith, and storytelling inspire profound contemplation, while Martel’s eloquent language immerses us in a world of wonder and introspection. The contextual intricacies add another layer of brilliance to the narrative, making Life of Pi a thought-provoking and unforgettable reading experience. This novel is a testament to the power of storytelling and its ability to enrich our understanding of the world and ourselves.

Layered narrative with symbolism and allegory
Compelling narration
Exploration of a wide range of spirituality and faith
Use of descriptive language
Ambiguous end that leads to multi-layer understanding
Lack of empathy
Animal cruelty
Complex use of symbols and language

About Mizpah Albert

Mizpah Albert is an experienced educator and literature analyst. Building on years of teaching experience in India, she has contributed to the literary world with published analysis articles and evocative poems.

Cite This Page

Albert, Mizpah " Life of Pi Review ⭐️ " Book Analysis , https://bookanalysis.com/yann-martel/life-of-pi/review/ . Accessed 15 April 2024.

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Best Movies Essay Examples

Life of pi movie review.

297 words | 1 page(s)

Life of Pi is a movie surrounding the adventures of Pi, an Indian man who gets lost at sea after the sinking of a Canada bound ship he and his family was aboard. The entire story is a retrospective where Pi, now older, is telling a reporter about his life leading up his rescuing after being at sea for so long. Pi obviously survives the ordeal but certain aspects of his story seem unlikely. At one point, Pi is giving his story to representatives from the company who owned the sunken boat; these people hear his story and do not believe him. Due to this, Pi gives them another story.

Pi tells them that he doesn’t not know why the ship sank; but the cook onboard the lifeboat killed two people onboard. Finally, Pi killed the cook. Pi made an elaborate story up in order to cope with killing someone and being stranded at sea. It becomes clear towards the end of the movie why Pi made these lies up. Although, Pi’s troubles seemed to have ended in the ocean, it is clear that the man is still coping.

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Pi has severe emotion issues relating to his survival at sea and cannot cope with them by purely facing the facts. Pi seemed to have resolved his initial conflict; however, he created the lifelong conflict of constantly lying to himself. Pi seemingly chooses to believe in the story surrounding the animals. He possibly placed these manifestations on these people due to their behavior and its similarities towards animals. In the end, Pi is coping with his loss in the best way he knows how, denial. Pi is shown at the end of the movie to have a family and be well adjusted, so maybe the denial helped him.

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Daily Times

Your right to know Monday, April 15, 2024

Movie Review: Life of Pi

July 26, 2021

A story that begins in a small family owned zoo in the enchanted town of Pondicherry, a boy Pi and his family live typical small town life. Each aspect of his childhood story is divinely real, from his name to the entry of the new tiger in their zoo (Richard Parker) to the lessons his father taught him as a child.

When the zoo goes broke and they decide to ship themselves and the animals to Canada, a shipwreck dooms the teenage boy to destiny. Cast away by a storm in a lifeboat with an adult Bengal Tiger in the middle of the Pacific.

Life of Pi is an exceptional story of survival. With a bucket, a knife and a guide book as his prized possessions, Pi and his fierce companion spend 227 days cast away on an adventure of hope, strength and human spirit. A story like that takes immense bravery to adapt to screen. And what an adaptation indeed.

Ang Lee is a visual artist, he paints on screen, paints like he is Picasso’s heir. CGI on Richard Parker the ferocious Bengal Tiger is by far the best animation I have seen. Richard Parker is real, as far as I am concerned- he is no CGI tiger. He is every bit the rival and companion to Pi that we see. Suraj Sharma as Pi pulls off a remarkable performance, emoting vulnerability, spirit and wisdom through his young eyes. Irrfan Khan as always throws in a bankable performance as the middle aged Pi narrating his story.

Despite such a spectacular visual experience and such brilliant storytelling, Life of Pi is still at 3.5 not 4 stars. And there is only one reason for that. A story of this magnitude, a story with so much depth, required far more than a 125 min screen adaptation. No matter how hard you try, you cannot capture the depth of an epic story like that in 2 hours. It is going to lack depth. Pi is going to feel underdeveloped as a character.

Pi’s childhood in itself is a 2 hour film. His 227 days as a castaway should be as long as a Lord Of The Rings Trilogy. But with all due respect, if Life of Pi was to be made into a film, it couldn’t have been better than this. Kudos Ang Lee, I sense another Academy Nomination here.

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Movie Review: Life of Pi

CHECKLIST RATING: 4/5

REVIEWER: Pompy Bhowmick, BCom 2 nd Semester, Department of Commerce and Management, Tetso College

The movie ‘Life of Pi’ is a fictional story which is based on Yann Martel’s novel of the same name. This film was nominated for three Golden Glove Awards and also won Oscar prize. It has been rated as 7.9 out of 10 in IMDB.

This movie is an extremely brilliant and the best movie I have seen. The story has been divided into parts in which the visuals are expressed in an impressive way by featuring philosophical and spiritual themes. And the use of 3D effects are subtle and effective.

The movie begins with Pi and the writer which was sent by Pi’s uncle. Pi recounts his life story starting with how his name “Pi” was named. Pi’s full name was Piscine Molitor which was named after the swimming pool in France by his father. He was raised in a Hindu family who practices vegetarianism, but he believes and follows Christianity and Islam. In this part of the movie, the concept of spiritually has been beautifully shown. In the second half, there is a turning point in Pi’s life where his family has to move to Canada after selling their zoo in India. While travelling, there was a shipwreck which separated Pi from his family. The course of the movie takes over 227 days in a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal Tiger. Pi’s account of survival remains as the central piece of the movie.

The movie familiarizes the viewers with the attitude of Pi, the ungiven spirit and the ways to face the obstacles in the ocean for his survival. The screenplay was very creative and impressive for its engaging pace. And the reality which has been brought on the screen is quite remarkable.

On account of Suraj Sharma, the teenage Pi, who was a newcomer without any acting skills has done a commendable performance. While Richard Parker, the Bengal Tiger was a digital creation which was completely realistic in view.

On the whole, this movie was a classic film where the director Ang Lee brilliantly highlights the powerful story of hope, faith, determination and spirituality.

Personally, I like this movie and I would like to recommend you to watch if you haven’t already.

CHECKLIST is a review column initiated by Tetso College that aims at giving students, reviewers and writers a platform to review and reflect upon books, movies, television shows, documentaries, magazines, restaurants and catering services, games, software, and product reviews. The reviews should be a reflective writing encompassing the writer’s opinions about the subject matter while avoiding unprecedented subjective bias. This is an unsponsored review column. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the Institution. Type your review in a Google Docs or MS Word document and email it to [email protected] .

11 Books and Movies That Inspire a Relationship With Nature

Posted: April 15, 2024 | Last updated: April 15, 2024

<p><em>In the Shondaland series </em><strong>The Novelty of Nature</strong><em>, we’re digging into the power of natural places and the wellness benefits of embracing the elements. From camping tips and safari stories to eye-opening tales about the environment to inspiring ways to reclaim your relationship with nature, these stories show it’s never been a better time to get lost in the great outdoors.</em></p><p>Day to day, it’s easy to think about what’s happening inside our own four walls — or right outside of them. At this very moment, though, there are entire worlds living below the surface, up in the sky, and in lands far away.</p><p>From the Korean countryside to the Indian Ocean, flowers are blooming, and ecosystems are thriving. Classic nature reads like <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Walden-Henry-David-Thoreau/dp/1619493918?tag=syndication-20&ascsubtag=%5Bartid%7C2134.g.44131329%5Bsrc%7Cmsn-us"><em>Walden</em></a> and popular films like <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=74968X1553576&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fvideo%2F83bbd786-ff66-4440-b5e1-021f9ceccaa9%3FdistributionPartner%3Dgoogle&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shondaland.com%2Finspire%2Fg44131329%2F11-books-and-movies-that-inspire-a-relationship-with-nature%2F"><em>Free Solo</em></a> are regularly pointed to as works that traverse places many of us have never been, but there are many lesser-known stories and storytellers who cross the planet — or even stay in their backyard — in search of making the unknown known.</p><p>Whether it’s on Saint Helena Island or on the Pacific Crest Trail, or pulling back the curtain on the animal kingdom or the plant kingdom, nature writing and films remind us to look at the great outdoors differently, and there’s no shortage of awe to be had. Here’s a collection of some of our favorite books and movies that encourage readers and audiences to take a walk on the wild side — or simply appreciate it.</p>

In the Shondaland series The Novelty of Nature , we’re digging into the power of natural places and the wellness benefits of embracing the elements. From camping tips and safari stories to eye-opening tales about the environment to inspiring ways to reclaim your relationship with nature, these stories show it’s never been a better time to get lost in the great outdoors.

Day to day, it’s easy to think about what’s happening inside our own four walls — or right outside of them. At this very moment, though, there are entire worlds living below the surface, up in the sky, and in lands far away.

From the Korean countryside to the Indian Ocean, flowers are blooming, and ecosystems are thriving. Classic nature reads like Walden and popular films like Free Solo are regularly pointed to as works that traverse places many of us have never been, but there are many lesser-known stories and storytellers who cross the planet — or even stay in their backyard — in search of making the unknown known.

Whether it’s on Saint Helena Island or on the Pacific Crest Trail, or pulling back the curtain on the animal kingdom or the plant kingdom, nature writing and films remind us to look at the great outdoors differently, and there’s no shortage of awe to be had. Here’s a collection of some of our favorite books and movies that encourage readers and audiences to take a walk on the wild side — or simply appreciate it.

<p><strong>$14.99</strong></p><p>Be prepared to be cracked open by this moving, honest account of writer Cheryl Strayed’s 1,100-mile solo hike at the age of 22 along the Pacific Crest Trail. Propelled by sheer willpower after her mother died and her marriage dissipated, Strayed set off on the physically and mentally taxing journey with no “experience or training” but was healed by nature in the process. The memoir was selected for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 and made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Reese Witherspoon, so you know it’s good.</p>

1) Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Be prepared to be cracked open by this moving, honest account of writer Cheryl Strayed’s 1,100-mile solo hike at the age of 22 along the Pacific Crest Trail. Propelled by sheer willpower after her mother died and her marriage dissipated, Strayed set off on the physically and mentally taxing journey with no “experience or training” but was healed by nature in the process. The memoir was selected for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 and made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Reese Witherspoon, so you know it’s good.

<p><strong>$13.25</strong></p><p>Robin Wall Kimmerer’s essay collection is a masterful exploration of the power of nature and environmental regeneration (how some plants and animals have the ability to naturally restore damaged or missing cells, tissues, organs, and body parts). The Native American botanist and professor of environmental and forest biology weaves in the wisdom passed down from her lineage of Potawatomi elders to highlight how nature is our greatest teacher. Who knew the plant kingdom was so ripe for life lessons?</p>

2) Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

Robin Wall Kimmerer’s essay collection is a masterful exploration of the power of nature and environmental regeneration (how some plants and animals have the ability to naturally restore damaged or missing cells, tissues, organs, and body parts). The Native American botanist and professor of environmental and forest biology weaves in the wisdom passed down from her lineage of Potawatomi elders to highlight how nature is our greatest teacher. Who knew the plant kingdom was so ripe for life lessons?

<p>Bong's most recent film prior to <em>Parasite </em>was this 2017 Netflix original, a dark satire examining corporate relations with animals, specifically here a genetically-engineered 'superpig' made specifically with the purpose of being eaten. Just like <em>Parasite, </em>much of what's here is an allegory for a larger social point, but the story is gripping and the visuals are stunning. And the cast? Yeah, with Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, and even Choi Woo-shik (who you'll recognize as the son from <em>Parasite</em>), you're definitely in good hands. </p><p><a class="body-btn-link" href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80091936">Stream <em>Okja </em>Here</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjCebKn4iic">See the original post on Youtube</a></p>

Equal parts heartwarming and heart-wrenching, this film — directed by Oscar-winner Bong Joon Ho and starring Seo-hyun Ahn, plus familiar names like Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Steven Yeun, and Lily Collins — follows the story of a young girl named Mija who befriends a pig named Okja and goes on a mission to save her. The depiction of the relationship between humans and animals is thought-provoking and deeply touching, and the gorgeous visual portrait of the lush Korean countryside is captivating.

See the original post on Youtube

<p>The 1991 independent film, which was written, directed, and co-produced by Julie Dash, follows three generations of Gullah women living on Saint Helena Island in 1902. Not only was it the first feature film directed by an African American woman distributed theatrically in the United States, but Arthur Jafa’s cinematography capturing the beauty of coastal life won the top cinematography prize at Sundance that year. The stunning film was later chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdMxR2M_ddM">See the original post on Youtube</a></p>

4) Daughters of the Dust

The 1991 independent film, which was written, directed, and co-produced by Julie Dash, follows three generations of Gullah women living on Saint Helena Island in 1902. Not only was it the first feature film directed by an African American woman distributed theatrically in the United States, but Arthur Jafa’s cinematography capturing the beauty of coastal life won the top cinematography prize at Sundance that year. The stunning film was later chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

<p><a class="body-btn-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004D0A6O8?tag=syndication-20&ascsubtag=%5Bartid%7C2141.g.43442547%5Bsrc%7Cmsn-us">Shop Now</a></p><p>If you liked <em>Earth</em>, you won't want to miss this documentary. Explore marine life in the planet's five oceans, discover the impact of human activity on the environment, and quickly change your own habits (goodbye, plastic straws!). </p><p><em>$4, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004D0A6O8?tag=syndication-20&ascsubtag=%5Bartid%7C2141.g.43442547%5Bsrc%7Cmsn-us">amazon.com</a></em></p><p><strong>RELATED: <a href="https://www.redbookmag.com/life/mom-kids/g14762184/best-kids-movies/">16 of the Best Kids' Movies of All Time</a></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXLbQrK6cXw">See the original post on Youtube</a></p>

Disney Nature’s revered 2009 documentary is the ultimate majestic excursion into the deep blue in just 1 hour and 24 minutes. Narrated by Pierce Brosnan, the film takes viewers on an epic adventure following the migration of whales, racing great white sharks, and dolphins at play. Dipping into each of the planet’s five oceans, the journey is truly jaw-dropping and encourages viewers to appreciate the vastness of the ocean and the awe-inducing wonders and life that lie beneath its surface.

<p><strong>$25.39</strong></p><p>“Black poets have long had a tradition of incorporating the natural world into their work, although nature writing is a genre that historically hasn’t been counted as one in which they have participated,” according to the book’s synopsis. In this 432-page anthology, Camille T. Dungy selects 180 poems from 93 African American poets that provide unique perspectives on the great outdoors, the wild, and more. The collection includes such acclaimed writers as Gwendolyn Brooks, Rita Dove, Phillis Wheatley, Sterling Brown, and other writers who lived during Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, and other time periods.</p>

6) Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry

“Black poets have long had a tradition of incorporating the natural world into their work, although nature writing is a genre that historically hasn’t been counted as one in which they have participated,” according to the book’s synopsis. In this 432-page anthology, Camille T. Dungy selects 180 poems from 93 African American poets that provide unique perspectives on the great outdoors, the wild, and more. The collection includes such acclaimed writers as Gwendolyn Brooks, Rita Dove, Phillis Wheatley, Sterling Brown, and other writers who lived during Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, and other time periods.

<p>The novel <em>Life of Pi </em>was thought to be an unfilmable book, but Ang Lee begged to differ with this sweeping, visually stunning work. It’s not a strict fantasy by traditional definitions, but it features an epic adventure, an unlikely bond forming between Pi and the tiger Richard Parker, and some strange moments of magical realism they encounter while floating through the ocean following a shipwreck.</p><a class="body-btn-link" href="https://tubitv.com/movies/100002324/life_of_pi?start=true&tracking=google-feed">Watch on Tubi</a> <a class="body-btn-link" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=74968X1553576&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.peacocktv.com%2Fwatch%2Fasset%2Fmovies%2Flife-of-pi%2Fa9d596fe-81ea-312d-86ce-99a4f04612b0&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.esquire.com%2Fentertainment%2Fmovies%2Fg35066935%2Fbest-fantasy-movies%2F">Watch on Peacock</a><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2WgseSrtls&ab_channel=20thCenturyStudios">See the original post on Youtube</a></p>

7) Life of Pi

Based on the 2001 novel by Yann Martel, this visually stunning adventure movie follows Pi, a young Indian boy who is stranded at sea with a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck. Taking place mostly on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean, the movie — which has recently been transformed into an equally breathtaking Broadway play — explores themes of survival, spirituality, the powerful bond between all living things, and the beauty, power, and danger of life and water.

<p><strong>$7.48</strong></p><p>Revisiting one of Dr. Seuss’ most beloved books turned <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/70208102?source=35">movie</a> is a treat at any age. Once banned in 1989 in a California school, the timeless and hopeful children’s book about a place devoid of flowers or trees reminds readers of the pleasure and beauty of living in a world with the towering green giants. The Lorax fights to protect his world by warning of the dangers of mindless human consumption of nature, encouraging kids to stand up for others, and urging people to treat the planet with kindness — but it also reaches through the page to remind us of the same things.</p>

8) The Lorax

Revisiting one of Dr. Seuss’ most beloved books turned movie is a treat at any age. Once banned in 1989 in a California school, the timeless and hopeful children’s book about a place devoid of flowers or trees reminds readers of the pleasure and beauty of living in a world with the towering green giants. The Lorax fights to protect his world by warning of the dangers of mindless human consumption of nature, encouraging kids to stand up for others, and urging people to treat the planet with kindness — but it also reaches through the page to remind us of the same things.

<p>Following the careers of famed French scientists Katia and Maurice Krafft, <em>Fire of Love</em> puts viewers up close with active volcanoes—one of Earth’s most destructive and near-apocalyptic forces. The two volcanologists bond over their shared obsession chasing these erupting behemoths as they collect samples of the bubbling and scorched earth that lit a flame for their love in the process. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMArx64RBO4">See the original post on Youtube</a></p>

9) Fire of Love

For those seeking both a love story and a tale about nature, this 2022 indie documentary may be the perfect watch. The film — directed, co-written, and co-produced by Sara Dosa — trails the lives of the courageous volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, a couple whose scientific discoveries changed the world’s understanding of nature. With a Rotten Tomato score of 98 percent, the striking documentary features archival footage of the duo chasing volcanoes across the planet and documenting what they find. The film won the Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award when it premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival for its stunning collection of footage.

<p>Living in the modern world means that we’re all largely disconnected from nature in some sense. “Simon Barnes’ series of stories argues that it is not the land that should be rewilded, but us,” says a Herald Scotland review of the book. Like a loving family member speaking straight to you, this book offers new tips and techniques for readers to embrace the outdoors and enjoy nature — and even become part of it.</p>

10) Rewild Yourself

Living in the modern world means that we’re all largely disconnected from nature in some sense. “Simon Barnes’ series of stories argues that it is not the land that should be rewilded, but us,” says a Herald Scotland review of the book. Like a loving family member speaking straight to you, this book offers new tips and techniques for readers to embrace the outdoors and enjoy nature — and even become part of it.

<p><strong>$18.49</strong></p><p>This collection of poems, personally selected by Mary Oliver — the woman who birthed the <a href="https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/poetry-180/all-poems/item/poetry-180-133/the-summer-day/?loclr=blogpoe">popular musing</a> “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” — is composed of her most illuminating work. The Pulitzer Prize-winning nature poet beautifully pens magnificent and astute observations about the creatures and physical world that surrounds us all. A New York Times bestseller and selected as one of Oprah’s “Books That Help Me Through” for Oprah’s Book Club, this selection of her best work inspires every reader to embrace thoughtfulness when stepping outside.</p>

11) Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver

This collection of poems, personally selected by Mary Oliver — the woman who birthed the popular musing “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” — is composed of her most illuminating work. The Pulitzer Prize-winning nature poet beautifully pens magnificent and astute observations about the creatures and physical world that surrounds us all. A New York Times bestseller and selected as one of Oprah’s “Books That Help Me Through” for Oprah’s Book Club, this selection of her best work inspires every reader to embrace thoughtfulness when stepping outside.

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COMMENTS

Life of Pi movie review & film summary (2012)
A tiger can crowd a lifeboat. Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" is a miraculous achievement of storytelling and a landmark of visual mastery. Inspired by a worldwide best-seller that many readers must have assumed was unfilmable, it is a triumph over its difficulties. It is also a moving spiritual achievement, a movie whose title could have been shortened ...
Life of Pi (2012)
In Ang Lee's Life of Pi, a marriage between spiritual faith and the wonder of the natural world offers audiences a reflective parable for religious understanding and even the very nature of storytelling.The harrowing tale involves an Indian boy and a Bengal tiger on a lifeboat in the Pacific for several months, and as they battle each other for territorial superiority, the human and the ...
Life of Pi
His magnificent new film is a version of Yann Martel's Booker prize-winning novel, Life of Pi, adapted by an American writer, David Magee, whose previous credits were films set in England during ...
A critical review of 'Life of Pi'
The tale of a young man, a tiger and God, Yann Martel's bestselling novel "Life of Pi" had been dubbed "unfilmable" countless times before Ang Lee's adaptation screened. The Oscar-winning helmer ...
Life of Pi Summary
Life of Pi tells the fantastical story of Pi Patel, a sixteen-year-old South Indian boy who survives at sea with a tiger for 227 days. Pi, born Piscine Molitor Patel, grows up in the South Indian city of Pondicherry, where his father runs the zoo.A precocious and intelligent boy, by the age of fifteen Pi—Hindu from an early age—has also adopted Christianity and Islam, and considers himself ...
Life of Pi
A visually stunning and powerful drama that teaches us much about faith. 2012 S&P Award Winner. Film Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. "Faith is the touching of a mystery. It is to perceive another dimension to absolutely everything in the world. In faith the mysterious meaning of life comes through. . . .
Life of Pi Movie Review
Our review: Parents say ( 41 ): Kids say ( 88 ): LIFE OF PI is a beautiful, emotionally resonant tale of faith, friendship, and perseverance. A runaway bestseller when it was published in 2001, Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi was long considered by many to be unfilmable. After all, one of the two main characters is a tiger, who spends much of ...
Life of Pi
November 21, 2012. A movie review by James Berardinelli. Life of Pi is a curious juxtaposition of the mundane and the majestic; a film that strives for something grander than what it perhaps achieves. At times, the simple story - one of spirituality and survival - exudes a quiet, hypnotic power, but there are also instances when it strikes a ...
Life of Pi
Life of Pi - review. The digital effects are mindblowing, but the ending of Ang Lee's magic-realist fable is exasperating. Peter Bradshaw. Thu 20 Dec 2012 16.30 EST. Watch the Life of Pi trailer ...
Life of Pi
Life of Pi Reviews. A marvelous piece of visual poetry with insights that require contemplation long after the visual awe has subsided. Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Sep 21, 2022. The ...
Life of Pi
Movie Info. After deciding to sell their zoo in India and move to Canada, Santosh and Gita Patel board a freighter with their sons and a few remaining animals. Tragedy strikes when a terrible ...
Visualizing Life of Pi Island: a Cinematic Analysis of Isolation and
Essay Example: In Ang Lee's cinematic adaptation of Yann Martel's novel, "Life of Pi," the viewer is transported to a visually stunning world where isolation and imagination intertwine to create a profound narrative experience. Set against the backdrop of a vast and unforgiving ocean, the film
My thoughts on Life of Pi : r/TrueFilm
The rational story, or the supernatural story. The choice is ours. That, in and of itself, is the meaning of the movie. And possibly the meaning of life. The story presents us with two versions. One is presented as the rational and easy to believe story, but devoid of beauty and magic. The other presented as mystical and supernatural but ...
Life of Pi: Mini Essays
Pi is the sole member of his family to survive the sinking of the Tsimtsum, and he is able to do so largely because he has inherited (from Mamaji) strong swimming skills and an affinity for water. Now Pi must propagate the Patel line. When we learn that Pi is a father, the author tells us, "This story has a happy ending.".
Life of Pi Movie Review
Renuka Vyavahare, TNN, Updated: May 16, 2016, 07.31 PM IST Critic's Rating: 4.0/5. Story: Based on Man Booker-prize winning novel 'Life of Pi' by Canadian author Yann Martel, this film tells the incredible survival story of Pi, a teen stranded on a lifeboat for what seems like forever, with a tiger for company at sea in the Pacific Ocean.
Life of Pi Movie Review
Life of Pi Movie Review. Life of Pi is an interesting journey through life and faith in an extraordinary experience. Pi Patel is a man who speaks of his loss, his gain, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Pi Patel is a Christian Hindu who underwent a series of unfortunate events. Troubles about his own name, chaotic exposure to different ...
Movie Review On Religion, Reality And Transcendence In Life Of Pi
Here, Pi (played as a young teenager by Suraj Sharma and as an adult by Irffan Khan) relates this story to a young novelist (Rafe Spall), who becomes the audience conduit for the duration of the film. Life of Pi explores the nature of storytelling and religion, demonstrating the very human need for both uncertainty and solace - just as Pi ...
An Analysis of the Life of Pi, a Movie Directed by Ang Lee
Download. The movie Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee and released in 2012, tells the story of a tragic and magical adventure of a boy named Pi Patel and a tiger. When Pi's family decided to sell their zoo and move to Canada from India, they embark on a trip at see. During a storm, the ship wrecks, leaving Pi to be the only one of his family ...
SPM Essay Sample: Life of Pi Movie Review
Life of Pi Movie Review. Recently, I had the opportunity to watch "Life of Pi" and found it to be an interesting film. Life of Pi is a American adventure drama film directed by Ang Lee and based on Yann Martel's novel of the same name. The film tells the story of a Tamil boy, "Pi" from Pondicherry who survives a shipwreck and is left ...
Essay on 'Life of Pi' Movie
Essay on 'Life of Pi' Movie. This essay sample was donated by a student to help the academic community. Papers provided by EduBirdie writers usually outdo students' samples. Films, from the beginning of their invention, have been based on the manipulation of the captured image. Over the years this has only been made easier with the introduction ...
Life of Pi Review: An Exploration of Faith and Fortitude
4.2. Life of Pi: An Exploration of Faith and Fortitude. Yann Martel's Life of Pi is a masterpiece that resonates with readers on multiple levels. The choice of characters, including the enigmatic Pi and the enigmatic Richard Parker, invites us to explore the depths of human nature and spirituality. Themes of survival, faith, and storytelling ...
Life of Pi Movie Review
Life of Pi Movie Review. Life of Pi is a movie surrounding the adventures of Pi, an Indian man who gets lost at sea after the sinking of a Canada bound ship he and his family was aboard. The entire story is a retrospective where Pi, now older, is telling a reporter about his life leading up his rescuing after being at sea for so long.
Movie Review: Life of Pi
Movie Review: Life of Pi. A Rafique. July 26, 2021. Life Of Pi is one of those rare films that amaze, inspire and leave you in awe of the human spirit - all at the same time. A screen adaptation ...
Movie Review: Life of Pi
CHECKLIST RATING: 4/5. REVIEWER: Pompy Bhowmick, BCom 2nd Semester, Department of Commerce and Management, Tetso College. The movie 'Life of Pi' is a fictional story which is based on Yann Martel's novel of the same name. This film was nominated for three Golden Glove Awards and also won Oscar prize. It has been rated as 7.9 out of 10 in ...
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11 Books and Movies That Inspire a Relationship With Nature
7) Life of Pi Based on the 2001 novel by Yann Martel, this visually stunning adventure movie follows Pi, a young Indian boy who is stranded at sea with a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck.