Life Of Pi Page #13

PI (CONT'D)

(A ringmaster's call:)

Let the trumpets blare, let the

drum rolls begin! Prepare to be

amazed! Here it is, for your

enjoyment and instruction, the show

you've been waiting for all your

life will soon begin!

(MORE)

46.

PI (CONT'D)

Are you ready for the miracle of

it? Well, then - I give to you...

Pi lets go of the second line, raising his hand with a

flourish.

PI (CONT'D)

... the ASTOUNDING BENGAL TIGER!

He pulls the raft next to the tarp end of the lifeboat. The

tiger crawls out from under the tarp, violently ill.

PI (CONT'D)

(Rocking the boat:)

Hello, Richard Parker. Sorry about

the choppy ride.

Pi pulls himself onto the bow. Richard Parker tries to lift

his head, then groans, giving it up. Pi lifts the whistle to

his mouth and blows it repeatedly as he advances to the front

edge of the tarp, opens his fly and pisses in a straight line

across the midpoint of the boat.

PI (CONT'D)

(Pointing:
)

MINE! YOU UNDERSTAND? YOURS - MINE!

(He blows his whistle)

You understand?

He steps back to observe the effect of this provocation on

the seasick tiger. Richard Parker staggers to the edge of the

tarp. He takes a deep sniff and winces, groaning, his tongue

hanging out in distaste. The tiger turns away from Pi, facing

the stern. Pi thinks the battle is won - until the tiger

lifts his tail and sprays him with a tremendous burst of

urine.

PI (READING V.O.) (CONT'D)

Step four:
disregard steps one

through three.

A97 EXT. THE RAFT - AFTERNOON A97

Pi pulls in the solar still. Pi bends down to suck fresh

water from the straw that protrudes from a water still,

delighted to discover that it works. He carefully pours some

of the water into a can for himself, then pours the rest into

a bucket.

47.

B97 EXT. THE RAFT/THE LIFEBOAT - A SHORT TIME LATER B97

Pi pulls himself up to the bow of the lifeboat, sets a bucket

of water in the boat and blows his whistle. Richard Parker

sticks his head out from under the tarp.

PI:

Here, Richard Parker. I've got some

water for you.

Pi blows the whistle once more, casting the raft adrift

again. Richard Parker sniffs, then begins lapping greedily at

the water.

103 EXT. RAFT - INSERT 103

INSERT of Pi writing in manual - text on page reflects Pi's

accompanying V.O.

PI (VO)

In the zoo, we fed our tigers an

average of five kilos of meat a

day. Richard Parker will be getting

hungry soon.

104 EXT. RAFT - CONTINUOUS 104

Pi chews for a moment, then spits out a blob of biscuit and

presses the food ball onto his hook, savoring the crumbs that

remain in his mouth. He tosses the hook and biscuit onto the

water - the hook sinks, leaving the crumble of biscuit

floating uselessly on the surface. Pi watches helplessly as

fish rise to the surface to nibble at the soggy crumbs.

PI (V.O.)

Tigers are powerful swimmers, and,

if he gets hungry enough, I'm

afraid the little bit of water

between us won't be any protection.

I need to find a way to feed him.

God made tigers carnivores, so I

must learn to catch fish. If I

don't, I'm afraid his last meal

will be a skinny vegetarian boy.

Pi thinks a moment. He takes off one of his shoes, using the

knife to cut a sliver of leather off the side. He presses the

hook through the leather and tosses it in the water. Pi pulls

in his fishing line - the leather is gone.

A SHORT TIME:

LATER -

48.

105 EXT. RAFT - DAY 105

Pi has cut his shoe into a dozen bits of leather and tried

fishing several times - Always with the same result. Richard

Parker, watching, mops at his jaw to wipe away drool - he's

clearly getting hungry.

PI:

Patience!

EXT. THE LIFEBOAT/THE RAFT - DUSK

Pi still fishes with no success. Richard Parker stares in the

water at the dorado. He leans over the side of the boat,

pawing hungrily at the surface as fish streak past - but the

fish elude him. Richard Parker leans out further, striking

with both paws - and finally jumps in altogether.

Richard Parker strikes and splashes as fish streak past. Pi

grins at the tiger's predicament - but the moment Richard

Parker realizes he can't climb back aboard, he begins

swimming toward the raft. Pi snaps to, recognizing the danger

he's in. He reels the raft over to the lifeboat, practically

leaping onto the bow.

As he hauls the raft aboard, Richard Parker manages to catch

the netting on the raft with one paw. Pi leans back against

an oar with all his weight, trying to lever the raft aboard;

the weight of the tiger tips the entire bow lower in the

water. Pi is about to lose the struggle when the tiger's claw

rips through the netting, and the lifeboat springs back up in

the water; the momentum flips the raft up onto the boat.

Pi turns, watching as Richard Parker swims up behind him

alongside the bow. He digs into the supply box and rises with

a hatchet in his hand, crossing to stand over the tiger and

blowing the whistle threateningly.

Standoff. Pi pumps the axe a few times, but cannot bring

himself to kill the tiger. Richard Parker stares up at Pi a

long moment, then paddles to the stern, trying once again to

pull himself aboard at the other end of the boat.

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