Bear

Theatrical Release Date: 1989 10 25 (USA)

UPC: 043396039940

Studio: Columbia TriStar

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Mild Violence, Excellent For Children, Watch With Your Kids, Scary Moments]

Summary: Jean-Jacques Annaud directed this unusual and compelling tale of animals in the wild, which tells its tale from the bears' point of view. A pair of carefully-trained bruins deliver remarkably effective "performances" (aided by clever editing and, in some sequences, the use of realistic animated models). A infant bear cub (Douce the Bear) witnesses the death of his mother in a rockslide and is forced to set out to fend for himself. The young bear encounters a giant grizzly (Bart the Bear), who at first cannot abide the young bear's presence. However, the grizzly is soon ambushed by a pair of hunters -- Bill (Jack Wallace) and Tom (Tcheky Karyo) -- after an altercation with their pack animals. As the injured beast cleans his wounds in a stream, the young bear comes to his aid, and the giant takes the youngster under his wing. However, Bill and Tom have sworn revenge on the grizzly, and when they capture the young bear, it lures the giant back into the hunters' camp. L'Ours, released in English-speaking countries as The Bear, was based on the novel King Grizzly by James Oliver Curwood. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Children's/Family

Awards: Best Editing – French Academy of Cinema Best Director – French Academy of Cinema Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Cinematography – American Society of Cinematographers

Features: Production Notes
Interactive Menus
Making-Of Featurette
Short Documentary With Behind-the-Scenes Footage
Bonus Theatrical Trailers
Talent Files
Scene Selections

Bear

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 03/07/2000

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Runtime: 93 Minutes

Language(s) English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Richard Gilliam

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 No?lle Boisson. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Jean-Jacques Annaud  Director 
Claude Berri  Executive Producer 
Claude Berri  Producer 
Gérard Brach  Screenwriter 
Pierre Grunstein  Producer 
Philippe Sarde  Composer (Music Score) 
Douce the Bear  Actor 
Bart the Bear  Actor 
Tchéky Karyo  Actor 
Jack Wallace  Actor 
Doc the Bear  Actor 
Griz the Bear  Actor 
Bear: Bianca  Actor 
André Lacombe  Actor 
Check-Up the Puma  Actor 

Country: France