Life Of Pi Big Fish Analysis

Throughout the course of human existence, we have always been fascinated by the concept of stories. They enhance our understanding and further illustrate ideas. Our civilization was essentially built upon the backs of 200, 000 years worth of stories. Myths, fables, novels, and even modern movies are a part of this age old practice. Life of Pi (directed by Ang Lee) and Big Fish (directed by Tim Burton) both ponder the effectiveness of stories. This “fact versus fiction” motif continues throughout the entirety of each film. Lee and Burton both used many techniques to portray the difference between the fantastical worlds and harsh realities.

Big Fish was quite “big” on colour. Fantasy and reality could be differentiated exceptionally well on the basis of

The boat in which Pi makes his treacherous journey has an orange-red interior, and sunsets displaying the same hue appeared an awful lot. On the island that Pi finds when he is most in need, was full of lush greens and foliage. Although green is very prevalent in nature, the magnitude with which it could be found was a little over the top. Red and green may be the traditional colours used in fantastical scenes, but Life of Pi also used a very specific shade of blue to demonstrate the difference between fiction and reality. This blue, although pale, was very bright, and housed a luminous quality. This particular colour could be seen in the magical happenings that laced Pi’s story, such as when the whale jumped over his boat, or when he gazes into the water filled with bioluminescent jellyfish. In the very beginning of the book’s silver screen adaptation, grey is everywhere. After Richard Parker kills the goat in front of Pi, this colour makes its not-so-glorious return. Grey, as previously mentioned, is a very lackluster colour, and represents reality very often. But, in this specific case, I can think of another reason this shade was used. Pi’s father, Santosh