Film & TV Unit

Jean-Jacques Annaud

American Humane Sits Down with Animal-Friendly, Academy Award-Winning Director Jean-Jacques Annaud

Well-known producer, director, and co-writer Jean-Jacques Annaud knows working with animals involves not only ensuring they’re treated humanely, but also understanding the complexity of capturing their unique spirit. Annaud, who received an Academy Award for his debut film Black and White in Color and international acclaim for Quest for Fire and The Name of the Rose, sat down with the American Humane Association’s Film and TV Unit to talk about his distinctive perspective and approach to working with this very special segment of the acting fraternity.

A Director in Touch with the Animals

Annaud uses the term globality to describe his view of animals in entertainment, explaining that there is a new generation of trainers in the industry people who identify and are in love with animals. These trainers recognize that animals are happiest when they and their masters appreciate their partnership. “Everyone knows that the dog feels happy when his master is happy, because it’s a partnership. And therefore it is very touching and very positive.”

Annaud is well known for such films as the adaptation of Marguerite Duras’ novel The Lover, the IMAX 3-D feature film Wings of Courage, the adventure film starring Brad Pitt Seven Years in Tibet, the World War II epic Enemy at the Gates, and brought his animal-friendly approach to The Bear, and his recent film Two Brothers, the tale of two tigers separated at birth and reunited in adulthood.

“I think the key is to ask yourself, ‘What does the animal feel?’ says Annaud. “Are we having here an animal that is proud and pleased, or do we have an animal that feels like a slave that has been abused?”

Identifying with the animals

Annaud recognizes the importance of having the audience identify with the animals in the film in order to best tell the animals’ stories and convey their emotions. When doing research for The Bear, Annaud says he traveled to a lot of places where he could see other animals. “Each time I was fascinated with the tigers, to a point that I thought to do a movie called The Tiger instead of The Bear. In those days I felt that the bear, because they’re so often vertical, would give me a better identification, or would provide more instant identification from the viewers.”

It was then that Annaud further recognized that there was more to capturing the spirit of animals than considering their positions.

“When I shot the movie and put it together, I realized that this vertical position had nothing to do with the quick identification. It had to do with the situation it had to do with the emotions.”

Annaud’s award-winning talent lies in his ability to make audiences identify with his subjects no matter what they are. In making The Bear, he recalls, “I lived thoroughly my adventure with the bear. I identified with the bear, for months on the set as I do with all my actors. When I direct a Chinese man, I feel as Chinese as I can; when I direct a woman I feel as feminine as I can; and when I direct a tiger, I have to have in my heart what I believe are his emotions.”

Recognizing our common nature

Annaud knows working with animals involves unusual complexity. The animals must be safely handled and cared for. In addition, it is not always easy to simulate animals’ natural situations or make them act according to the storyline. Filming animal actors often requires more time, logistical planning, and flexibility than filming human stars. But Annaud says he is amazed at how people ignore the intelligence, memory, and emotions exhibited by animals. “People assume we are so superior, that only we have feelings…I feel excited when I can show or tell a story in an emotional way where people will share the point of view of what I call ‘the other.’”

Annaud’s first film on animals touched on the idea of animal memory and dreams. He says this was based on his belief that many animals need memory to learn the path of prey, migrate thousands of miles for food or to spawn, and to return to the same den. Yet, he remarks that people do not readily acknowledge how animals are similar to man in this regard. “It’s fascinating to see how men, how mankind, has almost put a wall around themselves, not understanding that we are all of a common nature.

“If the tiger looks human, it’s not because they’ve been humanized by some trick. It’s because if you look at them carefully, you will see that they display anger, pleasure, sex appeal, desire -- all the emotions we can display ourselves,” he adds.

American Humane looks forward to seeing more of Annaud’s work

Annaud says one of his greatest pleasures is how people seem to understand and embrace his films about animals. American Humane shares this pleasure. We look forward to more films being created by this great director, who so ingeniously captures the animal perspective, both humanely and artistically.