The document provides information about the film Life of Pi, including the plot summary, technical details, and suggested classroom activities to accompany the film. It describes Pi Patel's upbringing in India, the shipwreck that leaves him adrift at sea on a lifeboat with a tiger, and his efforts to survive for 227 days on the ocean. The dossier includes 8 activities focused on comprehension, vocabulary, characters, and themes in the film.

1. Curs 2013 - 14
LA VIDA DE PI
[LIFE OF PI]
www.cinemaperaestudiants.cat
Nivells: Cicle Superior de Primària / ESO / Batxillerats / Cicles Formatius / C. de Formació d’Adults - Àrees: Llengua anglesa / Religió /
Coneixement del medi natural, social i cultural / Educació per al desenvolupament personal i la ciutadania / Educació per a la ciutadania i els drets
humans / Educació ètica cívica - Temes: Educació en valors / Adolescència. Joventut / Mitjans de transport. Educació vial / Diversitat cultural.
Immigració. Emigració / Món animal i animals de companyia / Mort. Dol.

2. FITXA TÈCNICA I ARTÍSTICA
Suggeriments per al professorat
Índex d’activitats
Direcció: Ang Lee. País: USA. Any: 2012. Durada: 127 min.
Fitxa Patel), artística; sinopsi ….............................................…....
Gènere: Drama. Interpretació: Suraj Sharma (Pi tècnica i Irrfan
Khan (Pi adult), Tabu (Gita Patel), Rafe Spall (escriptor), Adil
El dossier que us fem Pi), Gérard Depardieu (Cuiner). Guió: David
Hussain (pare de arribar conté un
English Activities
seguit d’activitats per treballar amb
Magee; basat en la novel·la homònima The plot …............................................................................……………
de Yann Martel.
l’alumnat dins l’aula abans o després de i Ang- Lee. Música: Mychael
Producció: David Womark, Gil Netter
- Who
la projecció. Aquestes Claudio Miranda. Muntatge: is who in the film …………….…....................………………………..……
Danna. Fotografia: activitats són
Tim Squyres.
opcionals, deixant al vostre criteri, a
Disseny de producció: David Gropman. - Names of animals …………….…..…………….....................................…….
partir del coneixement real que teniu del
- Prepositions of place ………..........................................................……
vostre alumnat, la manera de treballar el
- Tiger info graphic ……………....….....................……………………………..….
film.SINOPSI
- Famous castaways in the movies ……………………………….….....……..….
A La Vida de Pi coneixerem Pi Patel, - Reorder sentences and exercises with there is / there are ………..….
fill del propietari del
- Reading: Survival at
zoològic de la ciutat de l'Índia on viuen. La seva família decideix sea ………………………………………….….………..….
Direcció i concepció gràfica: una tempesta fa naufragar el vaixell en
marxar al Canadà, però
Cinema per a estudiants
què viatgen. Pi aconsegueix salvar-se gràciesPensament i creences del protagonista, Pi Patel (en català)
a una barcassa en
la qual també hi ha un altre "passatger", un tigre de Bengala al
- “Sincretisme religiós” ……………………………….………….………….….………..
Activitats eladaptació de textos:
qual i jove intentarà domar per poder sobreviure. Pel·lícula
Abelbasada en la novel·la homònima del canadenc Yann Martel.
Gálvez i José Pica
- Fe, força de voluntat i convicció en si mateix …………………..……………
Pàgines
3
4-5
6
7
8-9
10
11 - 12
13
14 - 15
16
17 - 18
1

3. FITXA TÈCNICA I ARTÍSTICA
Direcció: Ang Lee. Interpretació: Suraj Sharma (Pi Patel), Irrfan
Khan (Pi adult), Tabu (Gita Patel), Rafe Spall (escriptor), Adil
Hussain (pare de Pi), Gérard Depardieu (Cuiner). Guió: David
Magee; basat en la novel·la homònima de Yann Martel.
Producció: David Womark, Gil Netter i Ang Lee. Música: Mychael
Danna. Fotografia: Claudio Miranda. Muntatge: Tim Squyres.
Disseny de producció: David Gropman. Gènere: Drama. País:
USA. Any: 2012. Durada: 127 min.
SINOPSI
A La Vida de Pi coneixerem Pi Patel, fill del propietari del zoològic
de la ciutat de l'Índia on viuen. La seva família decideix marxar al
Canadà, però una tempesta fa naufragar el vaixell en què viatgen.
Pi aconsegueix salvar-se gràcies a una barcassa en la qual també
hi ha un altre "passatger", un tigre de Bengala al qual el jove
intentarà domar per poder sobreviure. Pel·lícula basada en la
novel·la homònima del canadenc Yann Martel.
2

4. Looking for an idea for his second book, a writer visits a famous Indian
storyteller, Pi Patel, in Montreal, Canada. Patel has an amazing tale that will
make the writer believe in God. Patel is delighted to tell his story.
[ENGLISH
ACTIVITIES
]
ACTIVITY ONE - THE PLOT
Life of Pi is a fantastic movie
telling the amazing adventures of
Pi Patel at sea.
Read the plot of the film and then
choose the correct option in the
comprehension questions.
He was born in India in the territory of Pondicherry. His father was a zoo
owner and named his son Piscine Molitor after a swimming pool in France.
Piscine is bullied at school with cries of “Pissing Patel”, and he decides to
change his name at “Pi”, after the mathematical symbol. Religion fascinates Pi,
an unusual child, and he decides to add Christianity and Islam to his family’s
Hindu faith. He is also fascinated by one of the zoo’s animals, a Bengal tiger
which, like him, has a strange name, “Richard Parker”.
Economic and political problems push Pi’s father into selling the zoo and
deciding to emigrate to Canada, with his wife, Pi and Pi’s elder brother, plus a
number of animals. The 16-year-old Pi boards a Japanese cargo ship with his
family and most importantly Richard Parker.
As the family queue for a meal in the ship’s kitchen one day, the cook insults
Pi’s mother. Pi’s father attacks the cook. The ship encounters a fierce storm
while sailing over the deepest part of the world’s ocean, and it starts to sink.
Pi is on the deck watching the storm, and he does not realize the terrible
danger on the ship. He tries to save his family, but a crew member throws him
into a lifeboat, occupied apparently by just the cook. The ship disappears
quickly beneath the waves. Pi quickly discovers that he is sharing the lifeboat
with a zebra, an orangutan and a hyena… and the Bengal tiger. Pi’s faith is
then put to the test.
3

5. 1) Who visits Patel in Montreal?
2) Patel has got…
3) Patel was born
4) He was named after a…
5) He is fascinated by
6) How many religions does Pi have?
7) Pi also loves…
8) His family decides to emigrate to…
9) Who insults Pi’s mum on the ship?
a) his father
a) an amazing treasure
a) in Vietnam
a) swimming pool
a) astronomy
a) one
a) the zoo
a) Canada
a) the cook
b) Richard Parker
b) an amazing story
b) in India
b) an actor
b) ancient gods
b) three
b) a tiger
b) France
b) a sailor
c) a writer
c) an amazing map
c) in Thailand
c) a king
c) religion
c) two
c) his mum
c) Britain
c) Richard Parker
10) How many people survive the shipwreck?
11) How many animals are there in the lifeboat?
a) Pi and Richard Parker
a) four
b) Pi and his brother
b) three
c) only Pi
c) only the tiger
4

6. ACTIVITY TWO - WHO IS WHO IN THE FILM
Here, you have the
pictures
of
the
protagonists of the film.
Re-read the plot and try
to write the correct
names below the correct
pictures.
The Japanese sailor
Pi’s mum
Pi’s brother (Ravi)
The author
Adult Pi
The ship’s cook
Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi)
Pi’s father
1) …………………………
2) …………………………
3) …………………………
4) …………………………
5) …………………………
6) …………………………
7) …………………………
8) ………………………
5

7. ACTIVITY THREE – NAMES OF ANIMALS
-
Pi’s family owns a Zoo in Pondicherry,
India. When they move to Canada, they
board all the animals onto a cargo ship.
Animals are very important in this film.
Please, try to reorder these letters to
form correct animal names.
regti ……………………………………………
abrez ………………………….………………
nyeha …………………………………………
torangaun ………………………………..…
keatmers ……………………………………
leawh …………………………………………
sihf lyfing ……………………………………
ksahr ……………………………………….…
6

8. ACTIVITY FOUR – PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
Prepositions are words which
relate one noun (or pronoun) to
another, in time or space, such as
"before" (school starts before 9
am), "with" (I went to the cinema
with him), "by" (the house was
destroyed by the earthquake)
and so on.
Prepositions are very important
in English, and their use is quite
different from Spanish or
Catalan.
Study this chart with prepositions
of place and then have a look at
the next pictures from the film.
Can you fill in the blanks with the
correct preposition?
7

9. The tiger is ………. the boat
Pi is standing ………. the tarpaulin
The flying fish fly ………. the boat
The shark swims ………. the raft
The cargo ship sinks ………. the Mariana trench.
The meerkats climb ………. the tree
Pi arrives ………. the shore and lies ………. the beach.
Pi spends more than 200 days ………. sea.
The shining jellyfish are ………. the raft.
8

10. ACTIVITY FIVE – TIGER INFO GRAPHIC
1) Tigers are well known for its orange coat and …………………. …………………
Click on the info graphic* below, read
the information it gives you about tigers
and complete the following sentences.
2) The noise of cats is called PURR, but tigers can make five different noises.
What are they? …………………. , …………………. , …………………. , …………………. ,
………………….
* info graphic: information graphic, visual interpretation of data.
3) How many stripes does a tiger have?
4) Tigers can see BETTER / WORSE than humans at night.
5) A tiger’s roar can be heard a long way away TRUE / FALSE
6) Tigers use their ……………….. to keep balance when turning.
7) The only carnivore species larger than the tiger is the ……………………
8) Tigers have four paws with four claws in each one. TRUE / FALSE
9) Tigers are POOR / EXCELLENT swimmers.
10) If you find a group of tigers you must call it a …………………….
11) Tigers mainly hunt at DAY / NIGHT
12) Tigers can jump a total of …………………. feet in one jump. It is an equivalent
of …………………. metres.
13) Write the four different habitats where tigers can be found:
………………………. , ……………………………… , ……………………. , ………………………
9

11. ACTIVITY SIX – FAMOUS CASTAWAYS IN THE MOVIES
NAME OF FILM
A
person
who
is
stranded at sea is called
a “castaway”. This is the
case
of
Pi,
the
protagonist of the film.
In the history of films
castaways have been
protagonists of many
stories. Read the next
texts on page 12 and
then decide which film
each sentence describes.
Can you write the names
of the films beside the
sentences?
1. The castaways in this film had a pirate attack.
2. The actress in this film was awarded for her poor
acting.
3. The protagonist of this film had to put on weight
and then lose it again.
4. This film is an adaptation of a novel.
5. The story of these castaways is not a film but a TV
series.
6. These two films are starred by children and teens.
7. Three films involved a plane in the story.
8. The castaways in this film lived on a tree house.
9. The children in this story go wild on the island.
10. The protagonist of this film is addicted to working.
11. The island of this story was full of mysteries.
10

12. CASTAWAYS IN THE MOVIES
Castaways have always
been a very popular subject
for movie-makers. Over the
years there have been
classics and turkeys, some
of which you can see here.
SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (1960)
LORD OF THE FLIES (1963)
This is a Disney adaptation of a 1812 German novel. A
family sailing to New Guinea is attacked by pirates and
then shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island, where
they create a home in a huge tree house. Filmed in
Tobago, where there was little local wildlife, the studio
imported animals from around the world.
It was a brilliant adaptation of Nobel Prize-winner
William Golding’s classic novel. A group of English
schoolboys are evacuated from the country in the
middle of a war by plane; the plane is shot down near
a remote island. The children become savages after
reaching land. Most of them had not read the book, so
the result was highly improvised.
THE BLUE LAGOON (1980)
CAST AWAY (2000)
TV SERIES LOST (2004-2010)
It was a ridiculous romantic adventure, which cost $4.5
million and took an incredible $59 million at the box
office. Two young children are marooned on a tropical
island paradise. They grow up and fall in love. The
actress was only 14 and had to testify in Congress that
body doubles were used in her nude scenes.
Tom Hanks gained 23 kilos for this film to make him
look like an overweight, middle-aged man. After the
“fat” scenes were filmed, Hanks had a year’s break to
lose the extra kilos before filming began again. A
“workaholic” business executive is marooned on an
island after his plane crashes into the ocean.
More recently, the latest boom of TV fiction created
one of the best series of all time, Lost. This series is
about the misfortunes of the survivors of a plane crash
who find themselves on a mysterious tropical island.
The series was a huge critical and popular success, and
the last episode was watched worldwide.
ACTIVITY SEVEN.
11

13. ACTIVITY SEVEN
This is a short summary of the film, but
the sentences were torn by the tiger at
the zoo. Can you match the beginnings
and endings?
1. Pi has …
a. at the Zoo of Pondicherry.
2. Pi's classmates …
b. to Canada because his father
3. Pi's father works …
4. A Bengal tiger called
Richard Parker …
sold the zoo.
c. on the voyage to Canada.
d. with Richard Parker and other
animals in the lifeboat.
5. Pi's family has to move …
6. The ship sinks …
Pi's family's zoo has a lot of beautiful
animals. Complete these sentences
using “there's a/an” or “there are”.
Think whether the sentence is singular
or plural.
f. is the most wonderful animal at
7. Pi has to survive …
ACTIVITY EIGHT
e. an older brother called Ravi.
the Zoo.
g. call him funny names at school.
.......................... tiger in the zoo.
.......................... elephant in the zoo.
.......................... giraffe in the zoo.
.......................... a lot of flamingoes in the zoo.
.......................... rhino in the zoo.
.......................... parrots in the zoo.
.......................... snake in the zoo.
.......................... orangutan in the zoo.
.......................... zebras in the zoo.
.......................... lion in the zoo.
.......................... Komodo Dragon in the zoo.
12

14. ACTIVITY NINE – SURVIVAL AT SEA
After the ship sinks, Pi has a
difficult time at sea, but his
abilities help him survive the
disaster.
Read the next text, which has been
adapted
from
the
website
www.wikihow.com . Then try to
find the correct picture that
describes each survival tip.
HOW TO SURVIVE IF LOST AT SEA
No one wants to contemplate their peaceful sailing vacation or boat trip turning into a disaster - and
most mariners or ship passengers will have safe journeys. However, when faced with the
unpredictable nature of the sea, it is best to plan for the worst.
PLAN IN ADVANCE
1. Make sure your boat has the required supplies (seaworthy life raft, enough life jackets, dry suits,
bottled water, radio transmitters, etc...).
2. Package your emergency items in waterproof containers above decks, preferably strapped into
the lifeboat.
3. Create an emergency plan (one or two people should be in charge) and practice this emergency
procedure with your shipmates.
IN THE EMERGENCY
4. Move above decks if you are not there already.
5. Collect your survival objects and move toward the nearest lifeboat. If you are not able to board
the raft from the deck, swim towards it. Your odds of being rescued are much higher if you are
with the group on a large raft.
6. Take seasickness medication, even if you do not usually get seasick.
7. Cover the life raft. There is usually a cover provided. This will help protect you from the weather.
8. Signal a distress call on your radio. You must state the name of your vessel, your situation, your
last known location, and the number of people with you.
EXTREME SURVIVAL TACTICS
9. Collect seawater in a large container. Place a smaller container within this one, and cover both
with plastic wrap. Place a small weight in the centre of the plastic wrap. Evaporation will cause
the water to collect on the plastic, and drain inward, leaving the salt behind.
10. Catch fish using a curved piece of metal or plastic on a string. The shadow of the raft will attract
fish, even further out at sea. If you have a net, you may try using this instead. Prepare the fish by
removing all the guts (where parasites are most likely to be).
Adapted from: http://www.wikihow.com/Survive-if-Lost-at-Sea
13

15. A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)
G)
H)
I)
J)
14

16. 1. SINCRETISME RELIGIÓS
[ACTIVITAT
EN CATALÀ]
PENSAMENT I CREENCES DE PI PATEL
Llegeix aquests textos i comenta’ls a
classe
* El Yajur Veda és un dels quatre Vedes (les
escriptures sagrades més antigues de l'Índia).
"Vaig a explicar-te una història que et farà creure en Déu"
(Pi Patel a l'escriptor)
Una de les característiques de la societat actual és la barreja i la
combinació d'elements de diferents cultures, fruit de la mútua
relació que avui dia hi ha entre totes elles. Aquest procés de
transculturització i mestissatge entre diferents cultures es reflecteix a
la pel·lícula en el "sincretisme religiós" que professa el protagonista,
en les reflexions filosòfiques i espirituals del qual val la pena fixar-se.
D'entrada, el protagonista és originari de l'Índia i ha estat educat en
el sistema de creences hindú. En aquesta religió, composta de
diverses deïtats, els animals són tractats amb respecte. Alguns déus
hindús són animals, com Hanuman, el déu mico, o Ganesh, el déu
amb cap d'elefant.
"No has d’utilitzar el teu cos donat per Déu per matar
altres criatures de Déu, ja siguin humanes, animals o el que
sigui."
(Yajur Veda*, 12.32)
"Abstenint-se de matar qualsevol ésser viu, s'obté l'aptitud
per a la salvació."
(Manusmriti, 6.60)
15

17. Però a més, Pi viu la seva infància a
Pondicherry, al sud-est de l'Índia,
una zona ocupada per França des
de 1769 fins a 1954 i que va rebre la
influència de la cultura francesa. A
la pel·lícula, el protagonista explica
que alguns barris de Pondicherry
semblen pobles francesos.
Gràcies al coneixement que Pi té de
la religió cristiana portada allà pels
francesos (Pi visita una església
cristiana i demana als seus pares
ser batejat) i de la religió
musulmana (hi ha un barri musulmà
a Pondicherry), el protagonista fa
seves algunes idees de cada religió i
acaba creant el seu propi
pensament religiós, una mena de
"sincretisme religiós" barreja de
creences
hindús,
cristianes,
musulmans i jueves.
"La fe és una casa amb moltes
habitacions"
Imatge de Ganesh, el déu amb cap d'elefant
Situació de Pondicherry a l’Índia
(Pi Patel a l’escriptor )
16

18. 2. FE, FORÇA DE VOLUNTAT I CONVICCIÓ EN SI MATEIX
La vida de Pi és una pel·lícula d'aventures on es barregen una història
fantàstica i una història dramàtica, ambdues travessades per un profund
missatge sobre la importància que tenen en la lluita contra les adversitats la
fe, la força de voluntat i la convicció en nosaltres mateixos. Al llarg del film, el
protagonista s'ha d'enfrontar a molts reptes, el més gran dels quals és les
seves pròpies pors personals que poden acabar ocasionant-li la mort. Durant
32) seu solitari viatge per mar en companyia d'un tigre, Pi aprèn a aplicar els
el
ensenyaments rebuts i gràcies a ells aconsegueix tirar endavant. A més, Pi
descobreix noves coses sobre si mateix que també l'ajudaran: com no perdre
mai l'esperança i la convicció en què no s'ha claudicar, per molt dolentes que
siguin les circumstàncies que ens envoltin. Aquestes idees, i la por a morir,
són els motors que mantenen viu el protagonista.
Ang Lee (director del film) i Suraj Sharma (Pi Patel)
amb Richard Parker, el tigre de la pel·lícula
Fent una lectura més general sobre els ensenyaments i el missatge que
transmeten aquest film, podem concloure que a tots nosaltres, com li passa
al protagonista, se'ns poden presentar a la vida circumstàncies que soscavin
la nostra capacitat de resistència a diferents nivells (tant físic, com psicològic,
emocional, etc.) i són en aquests moments quan es posa a prova el grau de
convicció en nosaltres mateixos, la força de les nostres conviccions i ideals.
Alguns de nosaltres es recolzaran en les seves creences i valors religiosos,
altres en les seves creences i valors humans, alguns cercaran el consell i les
paraules de tercers... però tots, com Pi, haurem d'aprendre a ser forts i a no
deixar-nos vèncer per les adversitats, per molt grans que aquestes siguin.
17

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info@cinemaperaestudiants.cat
18