Wolf Totem (3D Blu-ray + Blu-ray)

You know, the Chinese have extraordinary stories to tell, especially where the Maoist period is concerned. This story is about the destruction of the wolf population by the Maoists who want to increase agriculture by destroying the steps. Lot's of Oneness with the Universe here and the understanding that balance requires even the wolves who man fears and loathes, but whose destruction throws the balance of nature off to the detriment of all. Nice story, fairly good acting and worth watching on a rainy afternoon.

This is a beautifully made 3D movie by a great French film director Jean-Jacques Annaud. It was filmed on the plains of inner Mongolia and the setting is the time during the Chinese cultural revolution. It is based on the semi-autobiographical book of the same name. The author was fascinated by the wolves when he was assigned to work with the native Mongols. To film the story they spent 4 years raising captive tame wolves rather than using look alike dogs. The film did not go in for many spectacular in your face 3D effects, but rather used the depth in a more natural fashion.Mongolian scholars claim that the wolf was not a totem in traditional Mongolian society, according to the Wikipedia. The story romanticizes the wolf which threatens Mongolian agriculture. The original book and film have inaccuracies like most "historical novels", but that does not negate the compelling beautifully filmed narrative. The wolves used in the movie now reside happily on a farm in Canada.

I hate to be "that guy," but this movie is not quite as good as the book.The movie has many good points - the scenery, cinematography, and score are all top-notch, as is the actor who played Bilgee (Bilig in the film). Of particular note are the wolves themselves, who tend to steal the show in every scene they are in - the animal training and simple effects used are mesmerizing.That being said, I read the book first. The book goes into far more depth about the grassland ecosystem, with Bilgee often talking about each species' purpose and how they are all interrelated. The movie glosses over these, to its detriment (I'm not sure how such discussions would be portrayed in film form, but they were a key point of the book).[SPOILER WARNING]Several scenes from the books were poorly translated to the screen. Near the end, migrants are shown shooting swans; usually carefree Yang is upset with them, and the movie never explains why. (In Mongol culture, birds can fly and bring souls to Tengger.) Additionally, a subplot/romance between Chen and Gasmai was shoehorned into the movie (in the book, she was more like an aunt figure to the students). This romance comes out of nowhere, and also ends nowhere - in the epilogue, Chen states that he "went back to be a city boy, like he always was" and no mention of Gasmai is made.The book also talks about migrant laborers shooting herding dogs to eat their meat, which is not portrayed in the film. In the book's epilogue, Chen and Yang travel to visit their Mongolian herder family several decades later, and see how everything has changed - with no wolves, rabbits and mice have destroyed the grassland, and desertification has caused numerous problems - much as the Mongolians predicted over the course of "developing" the grassland. These powerful scenes are missing from the movie. Perhaps they portray parts of China's culture and development in a negative light, and this is why they were left on the cutting-room floor. However, I thought the latter part of the book had a powerful resonance to present times.Summary:While well-made, the movie misses out on a few key parts of the book. The nomadic herding lifestyle is not fully explained in the movie, and the movie leaves out some of the most emotive parts of the book near the end. The movie overly simplifies parts of the book, glosses over others, and adds secondary plots that go nowhere, such as the "romance" between Chen and Gasmai.However, the cinematography, score, and wolf scenes are excellent, and should be of interest to those who enjoy nature and ecologically sustainable cultures.

A masterpiece of a movie! Visually amazing, with an excellent and heart-felt storyline. Yes, lots of wolves get killed, but you have to understand it in the context of the Mongolian sheepherders trying to save their flocks; it's real life, not Disney. I thought of it as an *elemental* film, the way the weather is elemental, and there is a long terrific huge Siberian storm that is simply awesome. Yes, you have to read subtitles, but so what? I would recommend this fabulous two-hour film to anyone! I was entranced from beginning to end. It never dragged; every scene was exciting or powerful or indeed touching.

This movie was amazing. As an avid wolf lover and supporter, I bought this movie in October, and have been waiting for two months for its release. The acting was brilliant, the cinematography beautiful, and the soundtrack easily one of James Horner's best. The music lent the perfect atmosphere for this amazing movie, and the world will forever be a darker place without his talent and music in it. May he rest in peace.Wolf lovers, culture lovers, and all types will love this film. I highly recommend it.

Very good film based on the very good book. Who knew wolves were so much like us? And vice versa. The film gives insight to another culture on earth, where the lives of indigenous people have evolved over time to become inextricably and harmoniously interwoven with the animal life sharing their environment; and a sobering lesson on how human beings from outside this microcosm impact that culture, sadly, in destructive and negative ways.

Enjoyed, however the book was one of the best I've read in a longtime, the real story is about the WOLF and what the government did to that beautiful land! This was mostly glossed over in the film.

Parece pirata solo portada y disco. Pero bueno...peli doblada, buen 3d, a veces se olvida esta ahí. Pero cuando se nota se nota.

Arrived on time , brand new and most importantly worked in the player.

Wolf Totem 本ソフトの地域番号と再生機（日本製パイオニア）の地域番号が異なるため、再生不可となりました。日本の地域番号は「２」になります。北米からの輸入品は「１」のようです。結果的に再生不可です。 Wolf Totem

Gran historia de un bello animal y grandes secuencias, asì como una excelente fotografìa. Muy recomendable ver esta pelicula. :D

Je l'ai écouté en 3 D. C'était parfait. Dommage, qu'on ne créé pas de nouveau 3D. C'est tellement magnifique.