Comparative analysis of the narrative frames in "Life of Pi," "Slumdog Millionaire," and Nithilan Saminathan's "Majaraja."
Comparative analysis of the narrative frames in "Life of Pi," "Slumdog Millionaire," and Nithilan Saminathan's "Majaraja."
Introduction :-
This new edition of Film Study offers a fresh approach to the study of film, focusing on film as a medium, thematic approaches, film history, and appendices with extensive indexes and appendices. The information and knowledge of film study create the essential sense to watch all angles of the film and analyze the hidden meanings of the scenes. This task is based on the thinking activity, and this task was assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad, sir. This blog task is also part of the film study from various angles. In this blog, I discuss the two parts, like in the first part, I discuss a clip of the film, and in the second part, I will discuss the comparative narrative of three films like 'Life of Pie', 'Slumdog Millionaire', and 'Maharaja'.
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Part 1 :- Analysis of the Frames from the movie :-
Part 2 :- Comparative Narrative Analysis
1) 'Life of Pie' (2012)
Director :- Ang Lee
Narrative Analysis :-
Present-Day :-
In which we can observe the non-Linear storytelling technique. The story is framed by an adult Pi telling a writer about his survival. This framing acts as a stabilising device, contrasting Pi's story's fanciful aspects with a more sombre, contemplative viewpoint. The narrative is given a clear framework by the present-day frame, which leads the viewer through Pi's journey's chronological retelling. The writer's queries and Pi's answers act as organic transitions between various story segments, ensuring that the narrative progresses in a logical and captivating way.
A "story within a story" structure is created by using a present-day framing, which gives the narrative another level of intricacy. By arousing curiosity and suspense about how the previous events will play out and how they connect to the characters' current circumstances, this narrative style draws the viewer in.
Flashbacks :-
The majority of the movie is told through flashbacks, which describe Pi's early years in India, the shipwreck, and his subsequent ordeal at sea. These flashbacks frequently veer towards magical realism and are vividly detailed. The audience is able to observe Pi's emotional and physical development thanks to the flashbacks. The film's dramatic tension is increased by the use of flashbacks. The audience is kept wondering how Pi's story would turn out and what will happen in the end as the narrative alternates between the present-day frame and the flashbacks.
Dual Narratives :-
Towards the conclusion, Pi gives two accounts of his survival: one that centres on the tiger and another that is more ruthless and grounded in reality. The audience is compelled by this dual story to consider the nature of truth, the persuasiveness of belief, and the value of storytelling.
Narrative Graph :-
2) 'Slumdog Millionaire' (2008)
Director :- Danny Boyle
Narrative Analysis :-
Game Show :-
Jamal's involvement in the game show serves as the framework for the current story. Each question in this framework leads to a more in-depth examination of his background, building a suspenseful and urgent structure. The framing of the game show also acts as a social commentary on the striking differences between Jamal's affluent upbringing and the glitzy game show environment. It draws attention to the structural problems of poverty, inequality in class, and the fight for survival in Mumbai's slums.
The use of close-ups and tight framing during the game show scenes heightens the tension and focuses on Jamal's expressions and reactions. Jamal's character drives the narrative forward. His participation in the game show is not motivated by greed but by a desire to reconnect with his lost love, Latika.
Flashbacks :-
The film "Slumdog Millionaire" makes considerable use of flashbacks, which are a potent narrative device that help to clearly depict Jamal Malik's early life and teenage years. These flashbacks portray the brutal reality of poverty, violence, and survival while bringing the viewer into the vivid and chaotic world of Mumbai's slums. A question from the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" sets off each flashback, connecting Jamal's current knowledge to certain incidents from his history. Scenes showing Jamal and his brother Salim surviving personal catastrophes, avoiding oppressive authorities, and navigating life in the slums demonstrate the tenacity and resourcefulness that characterise Jamal's journey.
Police Interrogation Frame :-
A new level of reality and suspense is added to the story in "Slumdog Millionaire" through the police questioning frame. Jamal Malik is held and questioned by the authorities on suspicion of cheating following his unlikely run on the game program "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" As Jamal recounts how he knew the answers to each question, the interrogation sessions reveal his backstory through a series of flashbacks. The distrust and harsh treatment Jamal received from the police officers underscores the system's widespread violence and corruption, as well as the obstacles he has had to overcome.
This storytelling technique not only makes the tension higher but also gives Jamal's amazing adventure a more genuine feel. The questioning sequences give the story's more fantastical components a harsh, grounded context, which heightens the impact and plausibility of Jamal's eventual victory.
Narrative Graph :-
3) 'Maharaja' (2024)
Director :- Nithilan Saminathan
Narrative Frames Analysis :-
'Maharaja' is a 2024 Indian Tamil language movie and directed by Nithilan Swaminathan, who co-wrote the script with Raam Murali, and editing by Philomin Raj. This movie had a huge impact on the thinking and observation of the making scene and their places. The protagonist of this movie captivating the strongest eyes of the audience throughout the storytelling. It explores the vibrant atmosphere of storytelling and frames dynamic.
The 'Maharaja' movie has fascinating themes like crime, thrillers, family, and emotions. The emotional depth and consequences of the protagonist Maharaja (Vijay Sethupati) and the power of the antagonist to control major things and steal money, jewelry, and many more things. Through the creative use of past events and then present events, it's become more magically apparent in this movie. We can clearly observed when we watched the movie the depth of the editing and placement of scenes in various storyline. The chronological structure of the scenes makes every major event of the protagonist and antagonist of the film reliable. The movie drives the major thought like "what goes around comes around". It suggesting the person's action, whether good or bad, will eventually have consequences for them. In the movie, we can find out the actual factors of life.
Narrative Graph :-
Discuss how the narratives are constructed and the techniques used to engage the audience.
The stories in "Life of Pi," "Slumdog Millionaire," and "Maharaja" are painstakingly constructed to captivate the spectator by combining vivid visuals, non-linear storytelling, and emotional depth. Flashbacks are a crucial device used in every movie, enabling audiences to piece together the protagonist's path from their previous experiences to their current situation. This non-linear method not only makes the story more complicated but also keeps the audience interested by providing important details and character development bit by bit.
"Life of Pi" is set in the present, with flashbacks to Pi's early years, the shipwreck, and his incredible sea adventure woven throughout as an adult Pi tells his survival story to a writer. The film's blend of breathtaking visual effects and mystical realism combines to produce an immersive experience that captivates the audience. The story of "Slumdog Millionaire" revolves around Jamal's involvement in a game show, where every answer triggers memories of his turbulent upbringing and adolescence. This arrangement heightens the tension and keeps the viewer interested in Jamal's quest. The utilisation of vibrant, frequently harsh visuals from Mumbai's slums creates a striking background that heightens the story's emotional effect. And in "Maharaja," the magic of the past and present scenes to build a very strong storyline and captivating suspense, create vivid imagery of protagonist life and thriller, and keep awake the audience to drive into the depth of the storyline and hidden challenges. In this movie, the development of characters, use of virtual themes, crime, and editing make it more interesting to the audience and make them find something attractive about the movie.
Comparative analysis :-
Similarities and differences :-
Using flashbacks as a primary technique to unfold their stories, in all three films we should observed this in deep, we can see the similarities of it. "Life of Pi" focuses on survival, faith, and the boundaries between reality and fiction, set against the backdrop of a shipwreck and a mystical journey at sea. 'Slumdog Millionaire' deals with themes of destiny, love, and the harsh realities of slum in Mumbai. The 'Maharaja' movie delves in the themes like crime, family, emotional depth. This kind of differences we can observed in this movie.
Narrative Approach :-
"Life of Pi" uses an interview format, with an adult Pi narrating his story to a writer. "Slumdog Millionaire" is anchored by the game show, where each question triggers a flashback. 'Maharaja' uses an episodic structure and uses the major life events. Uses of past events, present events, and combined stories in the end create a more powerful dynamic in the viewer's thought and thinking process.
Visual and Cinematography :-
"Life of Pi" employs magical realism and extensive CGI to create a fantastical yet poignant visual narrative. "Slumdog Millionaire" uses gritty, realistic imagery of Mumbai's slums, combined with energetic and vibrant cinematography. 'Maharaja' likely balances the dynamic action sequence with protagonist and antagonist journey of life.
As we compare the narrative technique used in these movies, it evokes a sense of realistic moments and good conversation. This narrative storyline makes comparisons between human nature and animal nature. The film also narrates the technique of emotional depth. The protagonist's emotions are connected with the Richard Parker (tiger), and after the end, Richard Parker has no emotions towards the protagonist (Pie). The story preserves the depth of the writer's eagerness to know the protagonist's story and elaborate the frames. In both films, we can also see the same kind of the technique like flashbacks, past and present sequences, emotional depth, and many other things.
In 'Slumdog Millionaire', we can clearly see the past or childhood memories, which helps in the game show to give the answers. In the same way, in the movie 'Maharaja', past events are used to understand the present storyline in certain ways. In 'Maharaja', they take revenge for something that happened in the past. The editing sequence of the past event and the present event should be connected in the end sequence of the storyline or movie. The sequences are intere connected in all these films.
Conclusion :-
In conclusion, as we compare the narrative analysis of these three films, we know about the structure of the film, various time frames , various events like past and present and both events combined at the end of the movie. This comparative narration create more sense to understand the significance of the frames and hidden meaning and depth of the frames.
Reference :-
Penny, Nicholas. “Frame Studies: I. Reynolds and Picture Frames.” The Burlington Magazine, vol. 128, no. 1004, 1986, pp. 810–25. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/882705. Accessed 26 July 2024.
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