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Pi
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price:
$14.98
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$9.99
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Manufacturer: Lions Gate
Starring: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Pamela Hart, Stephen Pearlman
Directed By: Darren Aronofsky
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Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Lions Gate
EAN: 9780784012130
Format: Black & White
ISBN: 078401213X
Label: Lions Gate
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Publisher: Lions Gate
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 1999-01-12
Running Time: 84
Studio: Lions Gate
Theatrical Release Date: 1998-07-10
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Editorial Reviews:
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A brilliant mathematician teeters on the brink of insanity as he searches for an elusive numerical code in this critically acclaimed schizophrenic thriller. Special features: commentary by director darren aronofsky and actor sean gullette deleted scenes interactive menus production notes and much more. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 02/18/2003 Starring: Sean Gullette Ben Shenkman Run time: 85 minutes Rating: R Director: Darren Aronofsky
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: More on the Great Work
Comment: It's interesting how when you start to focus on a subject...suddenly, BAM! Just like magick, new signs & wonders seem to materialize your way. Such was my experience with this extraordinary b&w (as in "black" & "white") film called Pi (as in geometry, first known in the ancient world as geomancy.) I noticed other reviewers felt "gipped" because the film was not in color. I can't imagine it any other way--it deals in numerals & figures--b&w is totally appropriate and masterfully done.
I have been interested in the metaphysical/alchemical concept of "The Great Work" for a long time. Recently I've re-focused on the subject after reviewing certain books & films (see links list below.) There are various interpretations of The Work, there's no easy way to explain it, but I'll try: The Great Work is known as Jivanmukti in Hindu philosphy & refers to a complex system of Yoga ("yoke" or uniting) the Practioner with Divinity; microcosim to Macrocosim; subject to the object; Cosmic Consciousness. In alchemical terms it is the search for the fabled Philospher's Stone that can turn base metal into gold. Historically The Great Work has also played a role in magick ritual--both "white" & "black"--and has been described as a "dangerous path"--one that has driven Adepts mad.
In more modern terms it can be seen as the quest for finding The Thoery Of Everything (TOE) in astro-physics and advanced mathematical terms.
Such is the background of "The Work" in a very capsulated overview.
In Pi the dramatic focus is on the hero's obsession to figure out the perfect number to play the stock market. This is obviously a very materialistic interpretation of The Work. However, as the hero becomes increasinly strung out, deeper ramifications take hold of his mind.
The film is remarkable in its stark, often grainy blend of black & white images, brought together in a surrealist/existentialist cauldron that borders on madness itself. There are very few actors in the movie, but their performances are deftly displayed by expert direction. Reportedly the movie was produced on a $60,000 budget.
This is an extremely visceral film & brutal in its examination of the political & religious exploitation of The Work. A lot of people are bound to be offended by certain aspects of this movie. For example, the protagonist is a secular Jew who meets a wise cracking, supposedly religious Jew who gets him involved with a rabbinical group of Jews who are working with Kabbalah, The Zohar & the computerized "Old Testamant Code." Their goal is to enter the mind of god, to control the elemental power of creation.
These are the antagonists who, along the anti-hero's deteriorating mental state, degenerate into downright sinister characters. I can see how this aspect of PI might be a problem for some people, because the scenario comes dangerously close to reinforcing the International Jewish Conspiracy garbage promoted in The Protoculs of the Elders of Zion (i.e. that an evil "Cabal" of Jews run the world.) Maybe I'm reading too much into the script; I tend to see everything as a Political Conspiracy these days. I'll have to assume director Aranofsky knew what he was doing in regards to this aspect or possible interpretation of his absolutely brilliant film.
Throughout the movie the hero keeps gulping down handfuls of what I presume are amphetamine & he obviously has been up for a very, very long time.
This reminded me of the strange, unsolved case of Philip Taylor Kramer who disappeared along with his van on 12. February 1996. Kramer was a bassist in the 60's band Iron Butterfly. He was also a brilliant mathematician, computer programmer & technological visionary who apparently had top level government clearance. Reportedly he had been working on a faster-than-light communications system.
Before vanishing off the planet, Karamer called 911 from his van, claiming that he was going to committ suicide. His disappearance was almost immediately reported & extensive searches made; but neither Kramer or his vehicle were ever found, not a single trace.
The following quotes are from: [deleted because external hyperlinks aren't permitted on Amazon reviews--readers can go to a search of Kramer. This one is posted under "skeptictank"]:
"I observed the growing rumors and the widening conspiracy yet I didn't think much of it -- until KTLA News here in Los Angeles ran a short five minute report on his disappearance and confirmed that Kramer had indeed been working on a faster-than-light communications system. KTLA reported that Representative James A. Traficant Jr. of Ohio was concerned about Kramer's disappearance due to the fact that Kramer held nuclear-oriented security clearances tied to the MX Missile project and due to the type of mathematical research Kramer was working on."
"What is in agreement is that Kramer's mental stability was slipping. Just days before he disappeared, he stated that the Earth was going to end due to a supernova; that his father, a Professor of engineering at Youngstown University in Ohio, was really a god; that Jennifer, his wife, was really Mother Earth. As they were looking for a new home several days before his disappearance, he told his wife that he was frightened that people were going to come for him. "Honey, we're going to have to live behind walls. Honey, people are going to want to get at me."
"Perhaps Kramer actually believed that he had stumbled upon an astounding breakthrough. The paranoia expressed tends to make me think that perhaps Philip Kramer disappeared to try to protect his wife and family from what he believed were dangerous government agencies who would eventually come after him after news of his breakthrough became known to them. That leads me to think that, if he is still alive and simply in hiding, he will eventually resurface and perhaps try to either start a laboratory of his own to develope his breakthrough else find a laboratory he feels he can trust and sign on with them."
12 years later Philip Taylor Kramer is still missing & presumed dead.
In a cyrptic phone message to his wife, Kramer sounded like a person suffering from a manic psychotic overload--much like our friend in Pi. Perhaps he found the Key to The Work in music & advanced technology. We may never know the real story. I will say this: It's harder to dispose of a body than one might imagine (or so Agatha Christie once wrote.) Were he & his van Beamed Up? Was he the victim of dabbling in the Occult and The Work? Did he committ the perfect suicide?
There are core elements in the Kramer mystery that run parallel in Pi.
We may never know the real story.
Mercurius: The Marriage of Heaven and Earth
The Ninth Gate
Kabbalah, Magic & the Great Work of Self Transformation: A Complete Course
Man and His Symbols
The Portable Jung (Viking Portable Library)
The Theory of Almost Everything: The Standard Model, the Unsung Triumph of Modern Physics
Customer Rating:
Summary: Are you joking?
Comment: This indeed is a low budget film and one of the worst sci-fi movies I've seen. It's totally in black and white, which is not disclosed in description of the film as far as I can see. The acting is very lame, with little dialog. I found myself clinking the fast forward button to skip large portions of the film consisting of no dialog and just animated screams from the main character. He continually takes drugs of some sort for no clear reason other than headaches. The sound quality is so poor that it's difficult to make out the short dialog when it does occur.
How anyone can rate this as anything other than 1 or zero stars is a mystery to me.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Pi
Comment: Very poor movie. Not recommended. Certainly does not rate anything over one star. I selected it on its subject matter and having four stars from other viewers. It clearly shows the low budget available. It was a waste of DVR space and $2.99.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece!
Comment: You need to see this. Period.
Pi is a gritty film with perfect pacing and an inventive story line. Enough folks here have discussed their interpretation and relevance of the film. See for yourself.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A head trip that will leave you wondering...
Comment: The grainy black and white photography in this film is just one of its many compelling aspects. It's all about mathematics, the number Pi, Euclid, Pythagoras, the Golden Ratio, the spiral pattern, Jewish mysticism, the stock market, and a very strange computer operated by a troubled man, Max Cohen. A shadowy group wants the information in his mind: a 216-digit number that is apparently the key to a lot of things--and spells out the true name of God, according to a Rabbi. Max suffers in the meantime from excruciating headaches, possibly the result of having stared into the sun when he was a small boy. But he's also got a strange welt/mark on his scalp that may have something to do with his problems too.
If you don't mind doing some thinking while watching a film, then this is a good choice for you. Don't expect everything to get tied up neatly at the end; this is not standard fare.
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