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.
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.