Classics Without All the Class discussion

Here is where people can compare the movie vs the book.

Has anyone seen the movie ? I loved the book but from what i've seen of the previews i'm a bit wary of the movie. There seems to be a love story ? Also the zebras last days were awful in the book and i don't want to watch that on the screen. Has anyone seen it and what did they think ?.

ANY book-to-film?

Tanya wrote: "ANY book-to-film?"

In this thread, it is for our pick for February which is Life of Pi. If we don't have a thread for any book to film, please feel free to start one. :)

I saw the movie a few days ago, but have never read the book. The 'love story' is really just a couple minutes showing SPOILER - him liking a girl in india before they have to leave.

The movie is BEAUTIFUL - we saw it in 3D and it's just breathtaking. I can't say how it compares to the book but I would recommend it, especially if you are a visual person because the cinematography is stunning.

The book is more. Meaning it is more gruesome, more religious, more specific about the events. The movie focuses on beauty with a unique perspective, using camera angles and 3D special effects, while the book uses careful and cleverly crafted language to reveal Pi's unique perspective. In the movie the elder Pi seems transcendent and wise. Pi has a fuller range of emotions in the book. The young Pi who speaks to the government officials is much more interesting in the book. Both challenge the audience to choose a perspective. Interesting... I am glad I saw the movie first. I enjoyed them both.

Nicola wrote: "Has anyone seen the movie ? I loved the book but from what i've seen of the previews i'm a bit wary of the movie. There seems to be a love story ? Also the zebras last days were awful in the book a..."

I found the fish, zebra and the orang-utan scenes distressing but maybe you could dive into the popcorn during those sections. It is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. I did not walk away thinking it was a love story between humans but within humanity and the human condition. Maybe I am off here.

Thanks Jennifer for that review. I like the fact that the mature Pi seems wise in the movie, that didn't come across much in the book. Was the CGI ok ?

The book is subtler (some of the exposition in the film is rather heavy-handed), but the film is visually stunning, and it was often hard to believe the tiger was "only" CGI.

I think I'm going to finish the book first before coming here. But I loved the visual part of the movie. Some scenes are just so so beautiful.

I fell in love with Richard Parker (or just any tiger for that matter)...he's so...majestic.

My favourite scenes were (SPOILER) the one with the whale and the one where Pi sees all the universe in Richard's eyes...to me, that last one, shows that the movie is more about the relationship between humans and nature (and creation or God) than anything else, as Jennifer said before.

I really loved the movie. It was amazing, and so well done. But, as is almost always the case, the book wins out. I saw the movie first, so I was surprised to find the scene with the Frenchman in there. I guess movies tend to be more 'Politically Correct', so implying that (SPOILER) your main character is a cannibal may turn the producers off a bit. It completely changes the way you view Pi after he gets to land. Now there's the question of how much eating human flesh has changed him, whether he'll do it again.

I dunno, maybe I just enjoy looking really deep into things like that. I mean, he was blind in that scene, which would have been extremely difficult to film.

Overall, though, the movie is an excellent and, mostly, true adaptation of the novel. The love story is the only part where I waver, because it seemed pretty unnecessary.

Saw the movie a month ago and thought it was good have now read 1/4 of the book and it is already 200% better than the movie

I finished this book. This is definitely on my top 10 list. I saw the movie about a month ago and loved it. I was upset that I waited so long to read the book, but am glad I read it even after seeing the movie. I was very surprised that the scene in the movie where Pi drinks from the holy water and the priest seeing this, offers a glass saying "You must be thirsty", was not in the book. I thought this was such a significant scene since the tiger's original name was Thirsty.
I was (and still am) confused about him eating human flesh. In the book, the animals seemed to die early on..or so it seemed. If that's the case, then who else was left to be eaten? (the other blind castaway represented whom?) I look forward to your responses to this book!!

I very rarely see a film before I have read the book. I feel it's all wrong, as the books are always so much better. I really enjoyed the film, despite thinking I would hate it & the 3d effects were great. However having finished the book last night, it wins hands down. You miss so much of the detail & thoughts of Pi in the film. Loved the book, & a great book for my first month in this group!

Life Of Pi has just won two Oscars. Best Cinematography and Best Special Effects.
And if they made the film anything like the book, I don't doubt the difficulties they had and what an achievement it is!

Tanya wrote: "Life Of Pi has just won two Oscars. Best Cinematography and Best Special Effects.
And if they made the film anything like the book, I don't doubt the difficulties they had and what an achievement ..."

I was excited for the movie as well! The clips I saw were absolutely beautiful. I might be inclined to watch it now. I have been told the movie isn't as brutal as the book was. Hope not! I don't think I could handle watching some of the parts described in the book.

Les Misrables got some awards too! So excited for Anne Hathaway!! She gave such an incredible performance.

Yes and Ang Lee got Best Director.
Considering what he had to work with, I agree!

I have vowed that I will not knowingly read a book before seeing a movie ever again. The movie never lives up to my expectations - with one exception, Jurassic Park.
Having said that, I don't think it would have mattered in this case. I found both very intriguing, but in different ways. The movie was so very visually appealing. The colors were so vibrant and the cinematography captivated me. I kept finding myself waiting for the descriptive imagery to show up in the book, but never got it.
The book covered so much more of the graphic details of what would've actually occurred in the experience Pi lived through, which I was grateful were left out of the movie. But while watching the movie I kept thinking to myself, "If he were really out on that life boat for 247 days, with only one set of clothes..."
I enjoyed both, but found the entire experience weird. Interesting, but weird.

I haven't finished the book yet but I really like it thus far. I loved the movie, I saw it twice, regular and then in 3D. I was captivated each time by the beauty of it. I didn't know much about the book before seeing the movie but it made me want to read the book. As with all adaptations I figured there was a lot of story missing. I feel like the book gives a much better perspective of Pi's view of the world.

I saw the movie after reading the book. I loved the details of the book, which were not all in the movie of course) but for me the film helped me understand the meaning of the book better.

The movie was in 3D and it was incredibly well done. Very realistic, breathtaking! If you only want to see the movie to really compare it to the book, I would not recommend it. But if you just like to watch movies and you will be able to see it as something 'extra' to the book (not comparitive) then GO! :D

I just watched the movie yesterday, about 6 weeks or so after having finished the book. The book was absolutely incredible and while, of course, the movie didn't move me in the same way, it was visually astounding. So much color and life! Somehow, though, the scenes just drifting in the ocean were much more tedious in the movie than the book, at least to me.