The Bear (1989)

Storytelling doesn't get much purer than this--a film with virtually no dialogue and not a minute that isn't fascinating, either for the plot it pursues or the way director Jean-Jacques Annaud gets his ursine stars to do what he wants. The story deals with a young cub who, after his mother is killed in a landslide, bonds to a lumbering male Kodiak. The two of them then must cope with an invasion of hunters into their territory--and Annaud makes it clear whose side he's on. Aside from stunning scenery, the film offers startlingly close-up looks at bear behavior. They say the best actors are the ones that let you see what they're thinking, a trick Annaud manages with his big, furry stars. --Marshall Fine Amazon.com

The Bear

Wonderful movie! Hardly no speaking throughout the movie.
Realistic to life's ups and downs.
Classic to add to your collection. November 20, 2008

Nature meets Art...

"The Bear" is hands down one of the Best "Critter Movies" ever made. It is easy to see why the Director has won Academy Awards for some of his films. Particularly exceptional is the absence of a narrator, and a miniscule (less then 5 minutes) of Human dialogue, yet the storyline is very clear.
I strongly recommend watching the "Special features" before the Movie, in order to appreciate the full extent to which the Director went to make the Movie as authentic as possible. He even created a "sound stage" for the Animals to record their "voices", as it was impossible to record sound in many of the scenes, without affecting the behavior of the Animals.
Rarely seen behavior is captured, up close, like raiding an actual Beehive in a tree trunk, and mating. The cinematography is suburb and the Movie does not have that amatuerish "home-movie" look of many documentaries.
This Movie is Amazing...!
July 5, 2008

Nothing short of fantastic!

Plot, music, stars, cineamatography, soundtrack. . . .perfection perfection perfection. One reviewer took exception to the dream sequence. Never having been a bear, but knowing how weird some of my own dreams are, all I can say is, animals DO dream and this interpretation of their dreams was interesting. I found the sequences compelling.
I recommend this film to the universe and beyond. I just bought it and I just watched it three nights in a row,
Superb to watch with kids over 6 and merits discussing with them. Yes, it has violent episodes--but that is the point of the film.
If I could, I would marry Bart and then we could legally adopt Youk : ) April 25, 2008

The Bear

I loved it it was so beautiful. There is a total focus on the bear. Hardly any humans and little speech it is nice to watch and touching. The Foreign filmmaker wanted it that way for the focus and did a nice job of it. It is relaxing for the most part and telling of a story. February 16, 2008

the bear

I loved this movie so much that I bought several and sent them to youth centers. The scenery is spectacular, great fun and drama January 19, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...