Thoughts of the Sea
The movie, "The Life of Pi", gets considerable mileage from the oceanic environment. That is, life at sea, on a very small boat, a life boat. Changing conditions are incorporated in the story, photographed and enhanced with digital special effects. Quite a few segments are filmed from under the surface with the ambient light refracted by the water. With modern technology, the visual effects are amazing and on the big screen, absorbing to the viewer in his seat. Of course, some of the visuals are fantastic, literally, dream like, wild, monstrous, with colors that defy description.
The character, Pi, has to come to grips with the ocean and all its physical qualities: saline and undrinkable; violent and dangerous; life giving and supportive of a menagerie of sea creatures both mammalian and cold blooded; and of incomprehensible size.
Having spent a year on the Pacific Ocean, the scenes conjured up many images of that year: calm, glassy surfaces; violent, wind-whipped waves; thunderous lightning strikes; flying fish by the 100's; dolphins by the dozen; phosphorescence that mesmerizes the observer; and both sunrises and sunsets that compete for the best ever. Man has described life at sea since he learned to write, and descriptions abound in literature, both ancient and modern. But Ang Lee, the director, has added something new- digital technology to a known commodity that has to be seen to be believed-the enhanced version.
Despite its length, the movie does wonders in explaining life at sea: the struggle to survive. How does one accomplish this? Watch the scenes as we learn along with Pi: collecting rainwater; trapping fish; dealing with sharks; dealing with solar rays and heat; and surviving storms and violent winds and waves. It's all there.
So, while enjoying the story, enjoy the ocean, it's a great part of the story that few viewers know.
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