Wolf Totem:another Dances with Wolves

By+TANG+YUANKAI

THE wolves are coming！” Chinese film- makers warned several years ago when Hollywood blockbusters began to reclaim a place in the Chinese market.

Unexpectedly， the prophecy has been fulfilled –on February 19 this year， the Chinese New Years Day， real “wolves” are coming. However， this time， China and Hollywood are joining forces and dancing with them： Chinese filmmakers have coproduced a new film together with overseas competitors to avoid being gobbled up in the race for market domination.

The result is the 3D film Wolf Totem. With an investment of US $100 million， it cost more than any other film ever made in China， and took seven years to produce. The films director is also noteworthy： Jean-Jacques Annaud， who declares himself “a Frenchman exclusively focused on foreign films.”

China is now the worlds second largest film market with an audience of 830 million in 2014 and total box office sales of US $4.7 billion （RMB 29.6 billion）， a growth of 36 percent， of which domestically-produced films contributed 54.51 percent in total box office revenues. This signifies that Chinas capability of confronting the challenge laid down by imported films is going from strength to strength. Looking at global box office figures， last years growth was US $1.3 billion， to which China contributed 75 percent， higher than the 67 percent it contributed in 2013. These figures show that China is now a powerful engine driving the global box office upward.

History and Nature

The film Wolf Totem is adapted from the bestselling book of the same title by Chinese writer Jiang Rong. By 2014， the Chinese edition of the book had been reprinted in Chinas mainland over 150 times， occupying a place in the top 10 bestseller list for a decade. Meanwhile it has been translated into 39 languages and sold in 110 countries and regions. In 2007， Wolf Totem won the inaugural Man Asian Literary Prize， which aims to give voice to Asian authors in an English language dominated world. Adrienne Clarkson， chairwoman of the panel of judges for the prize， praised the book as a panoramic novel like no other. The story tells of life on the Mongolian grasslands during the “cultural revolution” （1966-1976） and presents a passionate argument about the complex interrelationship between nomads and settlers， animals and human beings， nature and culture.

“Viewed from a historical perspective， Wolf Totem is part of the canon that emerged in the perplexing period when China started marketization and headed towards the new century，” vice chairman of the China Writers Association Li Jingze said. The tale of a Beijing student sent to Inner Mongolia in the 1960s who develops a fascination with wolves while witnessing the impacts of human activities on nature and wildlife is an analogy for the angst and bewilderment the Chinese nation endured in that period. It gives voice to some subtle and inexplicable feelings in human experiences of subsistence. “The complex situation of the time changed peoples living circumstances and that change is palpable in the novel. This is what makes Wolf Totem a bestseller over a decade.”endprint

Lauding lupine virtues and deploring human vices， Wolf Totem won instant fame， but also caused widespread controversy beyond the cultural field. Some commentators thought the novel provided a distinctive and enlightened perspective on Chinese culture. Others believed that allowing “wolf nature” to run rampant could lead to the regression of commercial society. “Great entrepreneurs must be nurtured through the persistent kindness of human nature， through transcendence rather than indulgence of the evil of humanity， and through pursuit of tolerance and trust.”

Most readers， however， are less interested in the debate over the virtues or vices of “wolf nature”； instead， they discuss respect for and protection of nature. Living in harmony with the natural world is the common view of all people and the will of the nation. Jean-Jacques Annaud is gratified to see a calling for the protection of the environment imparted to readers along with the success of the book. “Environmental protection is not an issue exclusive to China. Europe and the U.S. both faced pollution problems in their history.”

Annaud was mindful of protecting the ecology of his “set” while shooting the film on the Inner Mongolian grasslands. For example， his production team would deliver the equipment by manpower rather than in auto vehicles， and they would walk for almost an hour each day to the movie set. They even overcame unsuitable weather conditions， desisting from using artificial snow and instead transporting dozens of trucks full of the white stuff from the Changbai Mountains in Northeast China. They also brought in advanced techniques for the special effects needed in the film to protect the environment and limit any harm to the animal actors.

“I saw that all crew members were diligent in protecting the ecology of our natural set， and since many of them were Chinese， this gave me a new perspective on the Chinese today，” Annaud said. He was heartened to discover that the Chinese have the same desire for a better environment as campaigners in the West， and felt honored to fight together with them. “This is another powerful value added to the film.”

Working in Harmony

In 2004 when the novel Wolf Totem was published， the then general manager of Beijing Forbidden City Film Co.， Zhang Qiang made a snap decision to purchase the five-year film copyright. However， in his search for a Chinese director， he met with the same response： “The novel is compelling， but we couldnt reproduce it in a film， its too challenging.”endprint

Five years flew by and the copyright expired. Though Wolf Totem climbed the charts， a willing director for the film adaptation had not been found. Zhang Qiang decided to buy another five-year copyright， of course at a higher price. Fortunately， this time he discovered Jean-Jacques Annaud， who was reading the movie script of Life of Pi at the time. After reading Wolf Totem， Annaud immediately gave up the former script and opted for the Chinese story.

“The first time I read the story I was totally drawn in by it. When I was still a small boy I was curious about China. I think prairie culture is fascinating and I feel a strong affinity with the author， Jiang Rong. Man and nature living harmoniously is what I strongly believe in and strive for. I love the novel since the author and I share the same concept on environmental protection.”

Wolf Totem is produced jointly by China and France， one of several films the two countries have collaborated on following a film co-production treaty signed in 2010. By the end of 2014， China had signed agreements to jointly produce films with 10 countries. These contracts allow both parties to claim the joint films as home-grown. Unrestricted by Chinas limits on imported films， coproductions can expect good box office returns in each participating country， while investors have more ways to recover their investment.

Chinas film industry is changing. In the past， filmmakers rarely looked abroad. But now that they are able to cooperate with their overseas peers in investment， human resources， technology， and marketing， they also expect to broaden their horizons. The film The Nightingale （Le promeneur doiseau）， also jointly produced by China and France， has been selected to compete for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards. Its director Philippe Muyl， who sat on the international jury for the Tiantan Award of the 4th Beijing International Film Festival， admitted he was taken by surprise by the nomination. He however took it as a sign that Chinas film industry was opening up and embracing better resources and prominent talents from all over the world.

Chinese film censors are notoriously hard to get past， and concerns among filmmakers over threats to their artistic freedom are rife. But from Annauds perspective， the filming of Wolf Totem went smoothly. “I was more or less left to my own devices in shooting this film，” he said. “After the script was submitted to the censors， I was offered constructive criticism， rather like feedback from helpful teachers and friends. There was nothing mentioned about politics， but instead practical advice on the form of narration and ways to make the film more accessible to Chinese audiences.”endprint

Annaud wrote the first draft of Wolf Totem with his usual writing partner in France and then traveled to China to find a local scriptwriter. This method is advocated by Zhang Xun， general manager of the China Film Co-production Corporation and the first Chinese winner of the Gillo Pontecorvo Award for her contribution to the coproduction of movies with foreign countries. In Zhangs opinion， a co-production should start with joint scriptwriting to avoid contradictions between film plots and Chinese realities that can sometimes arise from a foreign writers limited understanding of China. It also gives the film trans-cultural vision that Chinese screenwriters cannot achieve on their own.

The script for Wolf Totem was jointly written by Chinese scriptwriter Lu Wei， whose highly acclaimed works Farewell My Concubine and To Live have taken prizes at Cannes. More significantly for Wolf Totem， like the author， Jiang Rong， and the storys protagonist， Lu Wei was also sent to work in a remote region during the“cultural revolution.” Therefore， Wei was able to capture the spirit of the young hero and present a proper Chinese perspective on the situation.

“The film thus integrates the well-established Western way of film narration with profound emotions from the Chinese side，”Annaud commented. “I can say that 85 percent of the final script is derived from the original novel， while the rest is the fruit of coproduction.”

Man and Beast

Feng Shaofeng， the leading actor in Wolf Totem， was given some sage advice from his mother before filming commenced： Never look back when a wolf puts its claws on your shoulders. If you do， your throat will be ripped out！

In an interview， Feng showed scratches on his neck left by his little wild colleagues. “This is the price of love，” he smiled. “The next day the wolves licked me on those scratches as if making an apology.”

Although using computer-generated images was an option， Annaud insisted from the outset that the film must cast real wolves. “Only that way could we learn about their real temperament and the way they think，” Annaud explained. Hence， the worlds top animal trainer was invited to raise young wolves especially for the film.

To Feng， breeding and training wolves was part of his job as well. In order to build an emotional bond with wolf cubs， Feng often fed them and played with them. Though sometimes his “sons”ignored him， Feng still took delight in spending hours watching them play. “The trainer once told me that wolves are， by nature， distrustful. Although they might seem not to be noticing you， they are actually observing you while they play， and making sure you are not a threat. When trust is built， they will come to you naturally.” Feng continued proudly， “Now I dont need to call them when I arrive， my ‘sons throw themselves into my arms as soon as they see me.”

Feng learned much about “wolf nature” including the difference between wolves and dogs. “Unlike dogs， wolves do not consider humans to be their master. Instead， we are equals. A wolf has a heroic and unyielding spirit. You can walk a dog but not a wolf. And yet， humans， wolves， and all animals have the potential to communicate and exist in harmony.”endprint