By LESLIE FELPERIN

Producer-turned-helmer Gilles Legrand (“Malabar Princess”) returns to the French Alps for his sophomore feature, “The Maiden and the Wolves,” a ripping Gallic yarn that should match or exceed the robust figures of its predecessor in Francophone countries after Feb. 13 opening. Bewitching, lushly produced pic casts French pinup Laetitia Casta as a feisty Edwardian-era femme whose fate becomes entangled with that of the last wild wolf pack on Mont Blanc. “Wolves” could roam further afield, especially to France’s neighboring countries, but any farther and it will probably need to be tamed with dubbing to reach kiddie markets.

Not long before World War I, in a French Alpine town near the Italian border, a pack of slaughtered wolves is delivered to local taxidermist Leon (Patrick Chesnais). A surviving black cub comes down from the mountains looking for his family, and is saved from discovery and certain death by Leon’s young daughter Angele, who releases him back into the wild.

The Great War comes and goes, making local foundry owners the Garcins rich. Family patriarch Albert Garcin (Michel Galabru), who happens to be Angele’s godfather, has given a free lifetime’s lease of a shack in the hills to a gypsy woman (played in flashbacks by Elisa Tovati in which she’s seen, literally, having dances with wolves on stage). Her son Guiseppe (Stefano Accorsi), who appears to be slightly mentally handicapped, guards the wolves he’s befriended up there, especially the black pack leader he calls Carbone.

Now grown, Angele wants to become a veterinarian specializing in wild animals, despite the fact that everyone scoffs at the idea of a woman vet. In search of experience, she hooks up with circus owner Zhormov (Miglen Mirtchev), who’s keen to capture a wolf from the mountains above her hometown.

Unfortunately, Zhormov’s plane crashes in the snow and he must leave an injured Angele behind while seeking help. Recognizing her smell from his days as a pup, Carbone rescues her with his pack, and she falls into the care of Guiseppe.

Script (credited to helmer Legrand, Philippe Vuaillat and Jean Cosmos) satisfyingly knits all the story strands together by the end. Although largely family-friendly, pic does contain a scene where Angele bares a breast for art’s sake, and adult themes are lightly touched on via mentions of illegitimate children and the suggestion that Guiseppe might ravage Angela at any moment.

Kids of all ages, however, will adore the animal scenes here, which feature some of the finest lupine thesping ever committed to celluloid. (Moments in versions of “White Fang” or “The Call of the Wild” might compare if the creatures there weren’t merely half-dog, half-wolf crosses.) A sequence in which young Carbone has to defend himself against a bird of prey is a particular knockout. The human perfs aren’t bad either, although a little hammy in places.

Legrand’s helming rattles along at a breathless clip, and the whole thing looks like a treat, thanks to a rock-solid tech package.

Camera (color), Yves Angelo; editor, Andrea Sedlackova; music, Armand Amar; production designer, Arnaud de Moleron; costume designer, Pascaline Chavanne; sound (Dolby Digital), Miguel Rejas; supervising sound editor, Thomas Desjonqueres. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (market), Feb. 8, 2008. Running time: 110 MIN.

• 17 septembre 2008
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