Discovering the tiger within...
Statement |
Technique |
Example |
Effect |
Pi discovers his more basic, primal survival instincts
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low angle head and shoulders shot
Composition
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Pi's furious facial expression
Low angle long shot of Pi on the tarp in the background. RP bursts out through the tarp in the foreground, replacing Pi in the shot.
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Shows us Pi has reached a turning point
Pi is transformed as he discovers his primal savage self and takes control of survival.
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Pi discovers he needs these base instincts (his tiger).
He discovers the connection between himself and the tiger - both vulnerable and powerful at the same time. |
High angle/low angle shots
Sustained close up of tiger's face |
Pi is shown in a low angle shot cut together with high angle shots of Richard Parker.
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Pi is in a position of control and has the choice to kill the tiger (his more primitive instincts?). But the sustained close-up of the tiger creates intimacy and pathos for Pi and the viewer. Pi cannot kill it, ironically proving his own humanity by accepting his inner savage.
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Pi discovers the balance between his wild and civilised selves.
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Dialogue
Short training scene |
"I could not tame Richard Parker, but by God's will I would train him."
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Here Pi acknowledges that the tiger within cannot be civilized (by definition it is wild). He can only hope to get it under control so it doesn't consume him. The training montage reveals him training the tiger to come out only when needed, suggesting he is rediscovering a balance between his human and bestial selves.
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