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intensity created by stylized lighting that fills the landscape with brightness, and at other
times by a pervading mist that envelops the royal palace. The result is the creation of a
dreamlike sensation as all three techniques affect normal perception by rendering characters
and environments remote and weightless.
The otherworldly sensation created by the combination of pastness and altered
perceptual elements is not affected by the present tense dialogue between Siddhartha and the
other characters, as this fails to create immediacy due to the theatrical aesthetic of the set,
costumes and make-up, which emphasize the staged nature of the images. To conclude the
analysis of the reality status of Little Buddha, it is worth considering Grodal's observation
that when a film portrays the co-existence of real and unreal situations, 'the change of focus
of attention may highlight the systems of reality-representation" (Grodal 1997: 35). This view
reflects the concept that the mise-en-scene of Little Buddha is designed to make viewers
switch between two levels of perception, and reinforces this chapter's argument that the
gradual effacement of the boundary between the two narrations constitutes the film's essence
- reflecting an intention to get viewers to re-experience and relate to the marvellous in the
way that a child readily welcomes even extraordinary events as real. Consequently, viewers
become accustomed to sequences in which the three children take part in Prince Siddhartha's
narration, such as the scene where the children first view their reflections in a illusionary
pond, are shaken by a howling wind and a sea storm, before eventually playing with a
cascade of flaming arrows transmuted into a cascade of petals.
A dual process of viewer identification
This dual cognitive scheme is emphasized by the existence of a dual process of identification
- as outlined in Murray Smith's work - which serves the twofold purpose of the film; this
consists of introducing viewers to, and arousing their interest in, Buddhist principles and
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