The Bear

Genre: nature drama

With: Youk (the Bear Cub), Bart (the Kodiak Bear), Tchéky Karyo (Tom), Jack Wallace (Bill), André Lacombe (the hunter with dogs)

Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud

Screenplay: Gérard Brach (based on James Oliver Curwood's novel)

Release: 1988 

Studio: Price, Renn Productions

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.1/10

 

 

They May Be Likeable on Screen But 

They'll Never Be Teddy Bears

 

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Story-line: the venue is British Columbia, the time, 1885. When its mother dies in an unfortunate accident, a bear cub has to fend for itself in an unforgiving habitat and guard against strange creatures that roam the forest on their hind legs and carry metal rods that go boom!

Pluses: an astute screenplay combining tragedy, suspense and genuinely touching moments, awesome direction, extraordinary camera work by Philippe Rousselot (A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT), good acting from a smallish cast, outstanding special effects and production values, beautiful music by Philippe Sarde and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Minuses: be on notice that one hunter's trick involves bear turd. The dream sequences, albeit useful, seem a bit awkward and unrealistic.  

Comments: THE BEAR stands apart from usual wildlife features in that it avoids corniness and doesn't hide the more brutal aspects of our natural world. Having seen François Truffaut's LA NUIT AMÉRICAINE – in which he comments on the use of animals in cinema – I was truly amazed by Jean-Jacques Annaud's technical feat; I don't even want to know how he achieved it all (although Animatronics were certainly used at some point). As for rating this remarkable nature project, I gave it an 8.6 for technical merit, photography and editing but a 7.6 for the story itself, considering the limits to what drama, comedy and nuance one can pull from Kodiaks and grizzlies... thus my score of 8.1, admittedly lower than most. Kudos to J.-J. Annaud and team for a strong and lovely movie that pays due respect to the animal kingdom.  

 

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