Jean-Jacques Annaud:Dancing with Wolves

by+Yin+Xing

Wolf Totem is a novel about Chen Zhen， a Chinese man who leaves home in Beijing to work in Inner Mongolia while in his late twenties during “cultural revolution” period （1966-1976）. The young man gradually develops an attachment to wolves and ethnic Mongolian nomads. With epic narration and humanitarian spirit， author Jiang Rong deftly salutes nomadic culture and ecology of the grassland.

Jean-Jacques Annaud is a French film director， screenwriter and producer， best known for Quest for Fire （1981）， The Name of the Rose （1986）， The Lover （1991）， and Two Brothers （2004）. Annaud has received numerous awards for his work， including four César Awards （France）， one David di Donatello Award （Italy）， one National Academy of Cinema（France） Award， and his directorial debut， Black and White in Color， won the 1976 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. His newest work is a film adaptation of one of the best-selling contemporary Chinese novels， Wolf Totem.

On the day I met him， Jean- Jacques Annaud had just been interviewed by six reporters in a row， but the director didnt show any signs of fatigue upon beginning number seven. While shooting Wolf Totem， Annaud showed the same perseverance and passion， enduring blizzards in sub-zero winter in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to shoot packs of wolves. In his words， he also “survived” the Mongolian dinner table where he ingested a full liter of Chinese alcohol.

When making the publicity rounds in Beijing for Wolf Totem， Annaud frequently ate street snacks in Sanlitun. He enjoys the bustle and noisy atmosphere there， because in his eyes， the clamor of Chinese restaurants has nothing to do with development but is rather just a different lifestyle. Even though he cant understand Chinese， Annaud began collecting videos of Peking Opera in the early 1980s， just to feel the“rhythm and visual effects.”

“In tune with Chen Zhen”

In 2009， Annaud was approached by China Film Group Corporation （CFGC） to helm Wolf Totem， which not only excited him but also left him feeling “honored and grateful.” “The book transported me to the fascinating land of Inner Mongolia，” remarks Annaud. “Chen Zhen with wolf cubs reminded me of my little dog when I was a kid. More importantly， I responded very strongly to the fact that in the same year， 1967， we were both sent to a strange place and ultimately fell in love with the land. I felt like it was me in the book.”

During Chinas “cultural revolution，”Chen Zhen， the protagonist of Wolf Totem， as a young student from Beijing， is sent to rural Inner Mongolia where he is fascinated by the culture and wisdom of the local ethnic group. At a young age， Annaud was recruited into the army and sent to Cameroon. Before he ventured to Africa， Annaud “knew nothing and had no interest in the place.” In the end， he fell in love with the land and his experience in Africa led to his career breakout： In 1976， his first film， Black and White in Color， won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Annaud was then only 33 years old.

In favor of Wolf Totem， Annuad turned down an offer to direct Life of Pi. “I shot a tiger already，” Annaud grins. “I never want to repeat myself. And I was deeply impressed by the book Wolf Totem， particularly by the fact that such a strong voice advocating a change in behavior in terms of nature conservation came from a Chinese person. Another surprise was the fact that the book was so successful in China.”Annaud admits being influenced by Western media coverage depicting China as a big polluter without consciousness about the problem. “The book proves that people in China want this to change and are very enthusiastic about making it happen.”

Shooting wolves presented a new challenge for Annaud. “Wolves are smart， dangerous and easily frightened，” Annaud explains. “Any pack we encountered would disappear at the sight of the camera.” Annauds crew included Andrew Simpson， one of the best animal trainers in the world， who spent two years training wolves.

Regardless of his aversion to repetition， the French director， who has already shot a tiger， is expectedly versed in animal-related films. In 1989 and 2004， he made The Bear and Two Brothers， respectively. While shooting The Bear， Annaud raised 18 cubs and spent five years with them to get as close as possible.

His animal films require tremendous investment and devotion， but Annaud enjoys them. “Shooting animals is just like shooting babies，” Annaud opines. “They do not take direction at all. But when they get into the character， they are only wonderful and sincere. When I shoot animals， I learn more about myself. I learn more about human nature， to accept my own animal nature， and better see the similarities between our behavior and animals. After shooting The Bear， I decided to shoot The Lover. I think my familiarity with animal instinct helped me better understand carnal love and passion.” The boldly graphic erotic nature of The Lover stirred great controversy but did not prevent the movie from becoming an instant classic.

“Feel trans-cultural charms”

In Annauds eyes， a joint production is like a mixed marriage which cannot break up because of cultural differences. If both sides listen and learn from each other， however， the relationship will be mutually beneficial. As for his cooperation with CFGC to shoot Wolf Totem， Annaud chose the word “wonderful” to describe the marriage.“I enjoyed our cooperation， between both the company and the cast. I didnt even feel the language barrier and we quickly found deep understanding between each other.”

Annaud says he was full of expectations during production. “I always had the last say on the script and cast，” he reveals.“Of course， I had to discuss everything with my producer before making a decision. Its no different in Hollywood. What you see on the screen is what I wanted to present.”

Annaud believes a good story is crucial to a joint production， but cooperation cannot mindlessly pander across cultures. “If you cast a French actress to play a Sichuanese girl， the film wont be successful. The cooperation has no soul，” he declares. “Or if the story is about a German who comes to China， then dont look for Italian partners and Norwegian actors. This kind of cooperation is a disaster before you start.”

Annauds love for trans-cultural com- munication promotes many of his films related to multiculturalism. Annaud admits he has a restless heart and always tries to taste new things. A native of France， he has only shot one film focused on his homeland. Duos of protagonists in his movies often have contrasting cultural backgrounds： Chinese man and French girl in The Lover， Soviet and German snipers in Enemy at the Gates — and even transcend species with a human and bears in The Bear. In Wolf Totem， Annaud captures the conflict and fusion of three cultures： wolf， Mongolian and Han. To Annaud， the best way to understand a nation or ethnic group is to shoot a film about them. “Shooting Wolf Totem allowed me to meet the best musician in Inner Mongolia， see their culture and to experience their customs. This was a privilege for me as a director. ”

“Dont make Hollywoods mistakes”

During his 40-year career as a director， Annaud has helmed only 12 films， each of which consumed considerable time. It took seven years to complete his first film， Black and White in Color. Wolf Totem took five years： one year for research and writing the script， two years for wolf training and location scouting， one and half years to shoot and one year for post-production. “Only if enough time is invested can you produce fresh and different things，” he says. “Of course， you must first persuade investors that you can make profits.”

Despite being active in Hollywood， Annaud remains a staunchly French director and always injects traces of French literature. As an auteur， he is particular about the script and actors. While shooting The Lover， Annaud broke up with Marguerite Duras， the author of the novel， over Annauds insistence on his adaption of the script. They did not contact each other again until the movie became a hit.

After watching many Chinese films and meeting hundreds of Chinese actors， Annaud ultimately selected Feng Shaofeng for the lead in Wolf Totem. Although some advised him to use a more famous movie star， Annaud considered Feng “a wonderful and remarkably gifted actor.” The film also lacks a stunning actress to act as a so-called “box office guarantee.” “I found an actress from Mongolia with high cheek bones who perhaps is not a traditionally beautiful woman，” he says. “But I think she is. But I do not think a famous or beautiful actress is necessarily a guarantee for the box office. Todays audience is selective. They wont buy tickets for a face.”

As the worlds second largest movie market， China has become a foreign directors “gold mine.” When asked whether he ventured to China for attractive box-office potential， he replies， “I was attracted by China before it became a big market. I am very proud of this. When I signed on to direct Wolf Totem six years ago， there were only 2，000 cinemas in the country. And in The Lover， I cast Chinese actor Tony Leung in the lead.”

Box-office success does not bring awards. “Dont make the same mistakes that Hollywood is making，” Annaud advises. “Right now， Hollywood finances only big movies and spectacular serious movies are not getting made any more. This problem has been identified by Hollywood. Everybody knows but nobody dares change the rules. So you get a bunch of blockbusters with no lasting value or repeating each other， sequels after sequels and remakes. This is supposed to be an industry of innovation and creativity！ If you do not make anything different， youll never achieve anything. So I think it is really really important to remember that getting awards is not a goal. Kissing the ass of the public should not be a goal either. You should fight for your own creativity and the respect of the public. We do not make movies for ourselves. We make movies from ourselves to others. So there should be a rule to remember that we are in the service of the audience but should maintain dignity.”

Annaud frequently works with many Chinese crew members and has become friends with directors such as Chen Kaige and John Woo. His favorite Chinese film is Raise the Red Lantern directed by Zhang Yimou. Although Annaud hasnt met Zhang， he maintains great respect for him.“I have been impressed by the great variety of actresses and actors you have in this country. You may not realize how good they are. They can be fantastic.”