zardoz-13
Before they teamed up to make "King Kong," co-producers & directors Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack made this outstanding pseudo-documentary drama "Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness" about a village of Siamese people struggling to roll back the jungle. This 75-minute, black & white, epic doesn't pull its punches, especially when the armed & dangerous tribesmen wield their rifles against an array of lethal predators. You won't find a celebrity Hollywood actor in this spectacle. Actual natives played the village in this movie. One of the highlights is the elephant stampede at their village. Early in the film, the villagers embark on a hunt for the vicious critters that are wreaking havoc. The photography is incredible as are the many camera set-ups that thrust us into the heart of the action. A must see for documentary filmmakers!
anwarul210
How this was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards is beyond me. This is not a movie, but a documentary- and not a good one at that. The title cards for this silent movie try to give the impression of grandeur to the jungle whilst explaining what a simple Siamese family is up to. However, they end up as hokey, antiquated and unnecessary.Most of the film is spent on how the Siamese people trap or kill animals or escape from them. It appears that most of the killings were for the benefit of the film crew as the animals did not look like they posed a threat to the people normally. As for the family, I did not care what happened to them.Dull and boring. I have seen better documentaries on 'Sesame Street'.
CitizenCaine
An impressive film in its day, Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness is about a young Siamese family trying to eke out an existence in the jungles of what is now known as Thailand. Life is a daily struggle for family as their daily needs for food and shelter are threatened, primarily by other predators. Leopards, tigers, snakes, and elephants present challenges that must be overcome. The film's highlights are the various means of ingenuity villagers employ to trap animals and the huge elephant stampede near the end of the film. The film was nominated for artistic quality of production, losing to Sunrise, in the only year the academy offered the award. The production team of Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, who later gave us the original King Kong, filmed the entire production themselves. One wonders why they only caught scenes with the animals in them and not other threatening aspects of nature like weather. Still, the cinematography is quite impressive with natural lighting only used. Some of the shots must have been dangerous to obtain as any viewer will see. The effect of the film is undoubtedly diminished for any viewer who grew up watching Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins or National Geographic specials in terms of the novelty of viewing wild animals in their natural habitat. **1/2 of 4 stars.
thompson62208
I had just seen Cooper's movie "The Most Dangerous Game" and really liked it. A friend of mine suggested this film also by Cooper (&Schoendack) "Chang". I'm not one who normally rents silent movies but glad I did this one. Explores family life in the jungles of Siam (Thailand)in 1925. The way the family interacts with an unbelieveable assortment of animals is astounding. The scenes with tigers, leopards, bears, snakes etc are not to be missed. I venture to say that the elephant (Chang) stampede scene in this movie has never been done the way its done in this film--simply fantastic.
AD
