The Bear (1988)

An orphan bear cub hooks up with an adult male as they try to dodge human hunters.

Director:

Jean-Jacques Annaud

Writers:

James Oliver Curwood (novel), Gérard Brach (screenplay)

Stars:

Tchéky Karyo, Bart the Bear, Youk the Bear

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bart the Bear	...	The Kodiak Bear
Youk the Bear	...	The Bear Cub
Tchéky Karyo	...	Tom
Jack Wallace	...	Bill
André Lacombe	...	Le chasseur aux chiens

Storyline

The director of Quest for Fire (1981) creates yet another film in nature with almost no human dialogue in this picturesque story of an orphaned bear cub who is adopted by an adult male bear and must avoid hunters. Bart the Bear stars in this anthropomorphic fantasy.

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Plot Keywords:

bear | 19th century | survival | hunting | bear attack | 

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Taglines:

He's an orphan... at the start of a journey. A journey to survive.

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

27 October 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Bear

Filming Locations:

Austria

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,676,530, 29 October 1989, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$31,753,898

Company Credits

Production Co:

Price, Renn Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 89 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Because in the wild, male bears usually eat bear cubs if they can, the filmmakers prepared the adult Bart the Bear for the cub by having him play with a teddy bear the size and fur color of the cub. When the trainers felt he was ready, he was introduced to the cub and he greeted the cub affectionately.

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Goofs

The rock that kills the mother bear is noticeably smaller than the boulder that rests atop the dead bear.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bill: [examining bear tracks] That's a huge male; bet he's more'n fifteen hundred pounds.

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Connections

Referenced in Poetic Justice (1993)

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Soundtracks

End Title Theme
Music adapted from "June: Barcarolle"
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (uncredited), from "The Seasons"
Played by Orchestra

User Reviews

the first movie that really impressed me

A difficult bet to make a movie with animals as actors. And however, Jean-Jacques Annaud managed to take up the challenge with guts and determination. His efforts were rewarded because his movie won three oscars in France in 1989 including the Best Director.

The story of the film is plain and simple and the movie succeeds in creating an intense emotion thanks partly to Philippe Sarde's music and the strength of a few sequences. I think notably about the death of the bear cub's mother at the beginning of the movie. It's a very harrowing and touching sequence and it's difficult to refrain his tears.

Landscapes are so gorgeous that they're taking the breath away (the movie was shot in Canada) and they confer to the movie a sensation of big and wild.

It's just a pity that Jean-Jacques Annaud's movie is spoiled by an easy and conventional moral: "you mustn't kill but live and let live".

Nevertheless, "l'ours" is a daring movie which was highly successful when it was released in France in 1988.