Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness

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Template:Infobox film Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness, also known simply as Chang (from Thai ช้าง, "elephant") is a 1927 American silent documentary film about a poor farmer in northern 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

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,[2] while the film's climax shows Kru's house being demolished by a stampeding elephant.

File:Chang A Drama of the Wilderness (1927).webm
Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (1927)

Release

Home media

Chang was released for the first time on DVD by Image Entertainment on November 21, 2000.[3] Milestone Video would release the film on VHS and on DVD on January 8, 2002[4] and October 29, 2013, respectively.[3]

Reception

Chang was one of the "biggest movies of 1928."[2]

Template:Rotten Tomatoes data

Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film three and a half 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,[2] the only time that award was presented.

See also

References

  1. Hall, Mordaunt (April 30, 1927). "Chang A Drama of the Wilderness (1927)". The New York Times.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Biggs, Andrew (July 21, 2019). "What's past is prologue". Bangkok Post. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (1927) - Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack". Allmovie.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  4. Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness Silent VHS. ASIN 6302420512.
  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". New York Times. Retrieved April 9, 2018.

Template:Ernest B. Schoedsack