“WHEN ALL YOU’VE EVER KNOWN IS LOST.”
From the Life of Pi movie trailer
“[David]Magee struggled to find the right voice and tone for the screenplay. The book [Life of Pi], after all, ranged in content from philosophical musings on religion and zoology to the slapstick silliness of a young schoolboy. How to encompass both in one screenplay? It wasn’t until late June of 2009, during a trip to South India that Magee, [and director Ang] Lee, and the researcher took to gather ideas and images for shooting locations, that the screenwriter found the answer. He was sitting in the back of a van, bouncing along a dusty road in Tamil Nadu, struggling to keep his laptop from sliding off his sweaty knees, when Lee told him that Life of Pi was like a children’s story. Lee said, ‘It’s got to have that wonder of adventure and fun…’ Hearing that, Magee thought of the novel’s zoo and imagined Pi telling the story to kids about its wonders….’That’s when I finally understood what the tone should be,’ Magee recalls, ‘charming and light, like an old fashioned fable, while carrying a deeper, more serious message that wold come out as the story progressed.’ This approach ‘would allow you to get philosophical without sounding too heavy.’”
Jean-Christophe Castelli
The Making of Life of Pi; A Film, A Journey
Thanks for this inspiring excerpt, Scott. I agree Magee has done a marvellous job in turning the book to a screenplay, and still keeping the essence of it. I think he has balanced extremely well the playfulness of youth with the seriousness of the subject matter. Kudos to Lee for achieving what’s deemed as ‘unfilmable’. If you or your readers are interested, here’s my personal take on this wonderful production.