The Bear

Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud

Overview

The life and times of a grizzly bear provide the basis of this extraordinary wilderness picture from French filmmaker Annaud. Set in the wild mountains of northern British Columbia, Canada, the story is done with little dialog and unlike its Disney-esque predecessors is not totally anthropomorphized, though the animals do display an astonishing range of human emotions. The bear is first seen as an orphaned cub who finds salvation under the sturdy paws of a full grown Kodiak grizzly. Unfortunately, the cub's protector is being stalked by determined trappers. The story comes from a novel by James Oliver Curwood. The Bear was filmed on location in the Tyrolean Alps. It took seven years to make the film.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/29/2015
UPC:	0826663160673
Original Release:	1988
Rating:	PG
Source:	Shout Factory
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:36:00
Sales rank:	19,609

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jack Wallace	Bill
André Lacombe	Le chasseur aux chiens,Actor
Tchéky Karyo	le chasseur Tom
Douce the Bear	Youk
Bart the Bear	Kaar
Doc the Bear	Kaar
Griz the Bear	Actor
Bianca the Bear	Actor
Check-Up the Puma	Actor
Philippe Sarde	Composer

Technical Credits

Gérard Brach

James Oliver Curwood

Jean-Jacques Annaud	Director
Gérard Brach	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Claude Berri	Producer,Executive Producer
Laurent Quaglio	Sound/Sound Designer
James Oliver Curwood	Screenwriter
Frederic Moreau	Special Effects
Fabienne Alvarez-Giro	Sound Effects
Roberto Garzelli	Sound Effects
Bernard Le Roux	Sound Effects
François Musy	Sound Effects
Jim Henson's Creature Shop	Special Effects
Pierre Grunstein	Producer
Willy Neuner	Special Effects
Johann Fickel	Special Effects
Uli Nefzer	Special Effects
Elisabeth Leustig	Casting

Editorial Reviews

L'Ours is unusual in avoiding many of the conventions of Disney live-action animal films and creating a convincing presentation of its subject. Director Jean-Jacques Annaud continues the naturalistic motifs introduced in his earlier Quest For Fire, in which all animals, human and otherwise, seek their place within their environment. The cinematography is first-rate, and one marvels at the patience that it must have taken to produce such a film, even when we know that some of the events have been staged. The film was a surprise hit internationally but was largely unloved by critics, one of whom called Annaud a "mud and guts director." Indeed, major credit for the film's success should be shared with cinematographer Philippe Rousselot and film editor Noëlle Boisson.