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The Nature of the Tale

Questionable Adaptations / Daniel Carlson

Trade News | February 18, 2009 | Comments (15)

The book is always better than the movie. Great movies can be made from books — The Godfather — but most of the time, the rule holds that the book is better simply because it can afford to take the time to be more emotionally immersive with a character.

Yann Martel’s Life of Pi is a good book, but whether it will turn into a good movie remains to be seen. It’s being adapted by Fox 2000, and this week it was announced that Ang Lee will direct. The project has gone through several versions, including one written by M. Night Shyamalan, but the studio probably wasn’t happy with the twist where everything turned out to be happening in a modern-day compound in the woods. There was even a version developed with Jean-Pierre Jeunet, which would have been pretty amazing. Still, Lee’s got The Ice Storm and Brokeback Mountain to his name. The studio is in the process of hiring a writer, and Lee will supervise the new script.









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Comments

I hope the movie is better than the book. I think it probably could be, since Lee could drop out the worst bits.

I started off liking the book, but then towards the end, it completely lost me. That shit with the island? Completely fucks with the reader. It's like Martel says, "Hey, thanks for playing along with my literary conceit, here's a sharp stick in the eye for your trouble."

Posted by: Wednesday at February 18, 2009 12:54 PM

It was a great book and will most likely be a disappointing movie.

Posted by: Crewmeister at February 18, 2009 1:08 PM

I agree with Wednesday - I liked the book right up until the last act. It was a truly horrible ending in my opinion that undermined everything that came before. Perhaps my agnostic's opinion is no surprise given the faith-centric themes of the book, but I enjoyed the way that Martel discussed religion and nonbelief early on in the story. I would have been more inclined to be inspired (and essentially "converted" as a believer in the power of miracles) had Martel gone with a more secular and less allegorical slant. That carnivorous island was a load of bollocks.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at February 18, 2009 1:28 PM

The book already has a twist at the end... M. Night might have actually been good for it. I'm sure they'll cast the kid from Slumdog Millionaire.

Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at February 18, 2009 1:29 PM

That said, I'm an Ang Lee fan for the most part and I enjoyed the book's basic premise, so I'll probably give this film a chance.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at February 18, 2009 1:30 PM

I haven't read the book, but I am a huge fan of anything Ang Lee has ever done. Sense and Sensibility and Brokeback Mountain are two of my favorite movies of all time. Hell, I even liked what he did with The Hulk. Shut up. I'm a fangirl.

So I'm excited to see anything he does. Hurrah!

Posted by: figgy at February 18, 2009 2:04 PM

i thought the part with the island was cool. i read it when i was laid up in the hospital... but whatever, crazy shit like that island part is cool.

Posted by: farik at February 18, 2009 3:13 PM

Since I liked the book, I am inclined to look kindly on the possible movie. Now, don't screw this up, Hollywood.

Posted by: rlr260 at February 18, 2009 4:24 PM

I agree with Wednesday (and others), the whole deal with the island was pretty awful. But damn, that cover art has to rank up there with the all-time greats! Hope they adapt it for the movie poster.

Posted by: flickfan at February 18, 2009 5:55 PM

This was one of those books I was supposed to read but never got around to it. Easily distracted you know. (I did get around to reading The Chrysalids...again)My friend said it was good though and since she's an avowed hater of all shitty books I thinkk she may have a point.

Plus, I have a soft spot for Ang Lee, so i think he may do well with this.

Posted by: Four Eyes at February 18, 2009 7:21 PM

Ang Lee is a genius, but I don't know if I feel like seeing a movie adaptation of Pi for a number of reasons.
1. There are some nasty scenes from the book I am still banishing from my memory.
2. The allegory at times needs a lot of explanation eg the island of WTF.
3. The book's greatest strength, in my opinion, lie in Pi's unique narrations and his analysis of his life. That doesn't seem well suited to film adaptation.

Then again, Ang Lee is a genius, so if anyone can do it he can.

Posted by: Empress of All the Russias at February 18, 2009 10:14 PM

I actually disagree with Wednesday. I understand your position, but I tend to like fantastical/sci-fi type stuff, so....

Anyhoo, I think for a film adaptation, maybe they'd have to leave that part out. It wouldn't work as well in a film as it did in my (anyone's) imagination.

Actually, I always assumed that part may have been a bit of a hunger and dehydration induced hallucination.

No matter. This is one of my fave books of the last few years, so I hope they do it. No joke, I've read it probably 4 times. Even so, I'm still not sure which truth I believe... :-)

Posted by: ykw at February 18, 2009 11:02 PM

Peronally I don't think a live action film is the way to go. It would be much easier to maintain the elements of 'magical realism' (and get around the logistics of boy + tiger + confined space) if the film were animated along the lines of Persepolis or Waltz with Bashir

Posted by: Conrhal at February 19, 2009 5:03 AM

I don't know, ykw. I like fantasy and science fiction too, but not in the middle of a book which I assumed was placed in the real world. If you're going to have something freaky like a carnivorous island, why let that be the only weird thing? And, well, the part where he discovers a molar would have been incredibly creepy if it weren't so ridiculous.
(By the way, I really liked the beginning of the book, could stand the middle, and was disappointed by the end.)

As for a movie - enh, too early for me to have any real opinions about it. We'll see.

Posted by: Kanarthi at February 19, 2009 9:44 PM

I know Ang,
If anyone can do this he can!
This will not be an easy film to create, but Ang has the vision and experience to pull this off.
I can understand why so many directors have either pulled out from this or have been removed, its a make or break deal and they are worried about their reputations.
High props to Ang for stepping up to the plate and showing some real courage.

Posted by: Anthony at February 28, 2009 11:53 AM