Life of Pi and Back to 1942
I watched “Life of Pi” this morning and “Back to 1942” in the afternoon. Many parents brought their children to see “Life of Pi”. I believe parents and children all came for the 3D tiger, which also led to a poor overall viewing experience. Screams from children came from the theater from time to time, and parents gave in-depth explanations. However, I really admire the children’s knowledge. I really didn’t know the meerkat, but they knew it, and the children could even understand Pi’s Indian English. I saw a lot of white-haired elderly people in the “Back to 1942” theater.
I believe this batch is the elderly who experienced the natural disasters of 1961. They wanted to find shadows of the past in the movie, but Director Feng, under pressure from the censorship department, did not describe the disaster of 1942 like a disaster of 1942, but adhered to the tradition of Chinese dynasties writing history for the previous dynasty, objectively describing the history of the Republic of China.
There are many similarities between the two films. First, both have famous directors in the Chinese-speaking circle. My understanding of Ang Lee comes from Chai Jing’s exclusive interview with him, and my understanding of Feng Xiaogang comes from seeing his ugly face full of vitiligo on the Internet, as well as his New Year comedies and his beautiful wife Xu Fan. Second, both tell stories of survival in a narrative way, whether it is Pi’s drifting in the Atlantic Ocean, or the landlord and his group fleeing west in the Central Plains, it is all for survival, to live. Third, both films discussed the impact of religion and faith on life, and “Life of Pi” seemed to be deeper. Finally, both films won praise from domestic audiences, which is well deserved.
I believe many people, like me, went to “Life of Pi” to find faith, but for our generation who never had faith, it is difficult to penetrate Director Ang Lee’s thoughts on religion and faith.
I believe many people, like me, went to “Back to 1942” to find traces of famine. After all, we are only 50 years away from the last famine, but limited by our censorship system, it is difficult for us to find real memories.
Published at: Nov 24, 2024 · Modified at: Jan 14, 2026
