Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness

Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness
Directed by Merian C. Cooper
Ernest B. Schoedsack
Produced by Merian C. Cooper
Ernest B. Schoedsack
Written by Achmed Abdullah
Starring Kru
Chantui
Nah
Music by Hugo Riesenfeld
Cinematography Ernest B. Schoedsack
Edited by Louis R. Loeffler
Production
company
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • April 29, 1927 (1927-04-29)
Running time
 64 min.
Country United States
Language Silent film
English intertitles

Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (1927) is a silent film about a poor farmer in Nan Province (Northern Thailand) and his daily struggle for survival in the jungle, the film was directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack.[1] It was released by Famous Players-Lasky, a division of Paramount Pictures.

Plot

In the directors' own words, Chang is a "melodrama with man, the jungle, and wild animals as its cast." Kru, the farmer depicted in the film, battles leopards, tigers, and even a herd of elephants, all of which pose a constant threat to his livelihood. As filmmakers, Cooper and Schoedsack attempted to capture real life with their cameras, though they often re-staged events that had not been captured adequately on film. The danger was real to all the people and animals involved. Tigers, leopards, and bears are slaughtered on camera, while the film's climax shows Kru's house being demolished by a stampeding elephant.

Release

Home media

Chang was released for the first time on DVD by Image Entertainment on November 21, 2000.[2] Milestone Video would release the film on VHS and on DVD on January 8, 2002[3] and October 29, 2013 respectively.[2]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 8 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 7.6/10.[4] Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film three and a half out of four stars, calling the film "[a] fascinating ethnographic documentary/narrative".[5] Mordaunt Hall from The New York Times praised the film, calling it "vivid and thrilling".[6]

Awards

Chang was nominated for the Academy Award for Unique and Artistic Production at the first Academy Awards in 1929, the only year when that award was presented.

References

  1. ↑ Hall, Mordaunt (April 30, 1927). "Chang A Drama of the Wilderness (1927)". The New York Times.
  2. 1 2 "Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (1927) - Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack". Allmovie.com. AllMovie. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  3. ↑ "Amazon.com: Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (Silent) [VHS]: Kru, Chantui, Nah, Ladah, Natives of the Wild, Wild Beasts, The Jungle, Bimbo the Monkey, Namul, Than, Ernest B. Schoedsack, Merian C. Cooper, Achmed Abdullah: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. Amazon. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (1927) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Flixer. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  5. ↑ Leonard Maltin; Spencer Green; Rob Edelman (January 2010). Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide. Plume. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-452-29577-3.
  6. ↑ Hall, Mordaunt. "THE SCREEN - The New York Times". New York Times.com. Mordaunt Hall. Retrieved 9 April 2018.


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