With spectacular imagery of the sky, the water and the fully digital Bengal tiger, the latest Ang Lee film has been raved to be a visually orgasmic experience. Like in the scene depicted below, the morning sky is beautifully reflected across the horizon and onto the Pacific, mirroring the soft clouds and dull warm sun. It is a scene that contrasts heavily with the one just several moments before, where the calm water was transformed from large waves that raged with a thunderous storm and caused the sinking of a Japanese cargo ship on which the entire Patel family boarded.
For those of you who haven’t read the original novel by Yann Martel, the book tells the story of an Indian boy who survives a shipwreck with several animals from his father’s zoo. The constant terror of living in such proximity to carnivorous beasts is fully realized when the hyena attacks and kills both the injured zebra and the mother orangutan Orange Juice, but is then ultimately eaten by the tiger Richard Parker. Thus begins the adventures at sea of the boy Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel and his tiger companion that include encounters with glowing whales and jellyfish, a school of flying fish and an island of meerkats.
The movie is definitely a different experience in comparison to the novel, especially in 3D. The fantastical scenery becomes extra magical when painted on screen. Even the opening of the film that renders a realistic India and authentic botanical zoo-garden is artfully created. The cultural splendor of India is portrayed with lovely flower markets, dancing women in colourful dresses, and traditional religious custom involving lit candles floating on the river.
Sources:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeofpimovie/
http://collider.com/ang-lee-life-of-pi-interview/199050/