Le ranch maudit

NIGHT OF THE GRIZZLY is a fun traditional western with a few horror trappings. Amusingly enough, upon the release of THE REVENANT in cinemas early this year, a couple of TV channels took the opportunity to show other 'bear attack' movies, including GRIZZLY and CLAWS. I took the opportunity to watch this one, a film I'd never heard of previously.

What's refreshing is that from the very outset NIGHT OF THE GRIZZLY is a well-mounted production with much to recommend it. It has plenty of fine cinematography and great colourful establishing shots of the western terrain. The characters are traditionally drawn (read: stereotyped) but the casting director draws in established talents (Jack Elam, Keenan Wynn) who give assured performances. And the hulking Clint Walker is an excellent choice for the lead, a man you have to believe can go up against a grizzly bear himself.

The bear action is quite limited, but that makes it more effective, and the bear himself is a believable performer. The other western staples, like romance and rivalry and of course more than a few fist fights, are present and correct here. NIGHT OF THE GRIZZLY will never be the kind of movie to set the world on fire, but it certainly proves to be a fun little watch.

This movie will no doubt seem dated and somewhat simple compared to today's overblown productions, however, it has charm and remains a childhood favorite of mine through the years. The story is engaging. It has humour, action, and suspense.

When I was a child living on a farm in the woods of Alberta, my father used to be called on by his uncle to go hunt bears that were killing too many calves. This movie sparked my imagination and I often wondered just what my dad would do if a GIANT bear came down out of the hills and started creating terror in our small community.

If you like wilderness tales or adventure stories you will enjoy this film. Perhaps Hollywood should think about a remake, today's special effects would thoroughly enhance this great story.

When I first saw this movie I was at the drive-in with my parents. I remember hiding behind the back of the seat scared out of my wits! My father is a gunsmith and I've always had a healthy respect both for guns and wildlife. And I know for a fact that there are things in the woods that are much bigger than I am. And the fact that what occurs in this movie could actually happen without aide of CG or any other technical assistance makes it even scarier. OK, the acting itself could have been better but you have to remember the age of the movie.

I hate to think how it would be "gorified" if remade. It was gory enough as it was.

I'm in complete agreement with another reviewer in that this Paramount production might well have been done by the Disney Studio. It certainly has that look and feel about it. But that doesn't mean that The Night of the Grizzly can't be enjoyed by adults as well.

Clint Walker and Martha Hyer are a pair of marrieds with children, one of them being a teenage niece. He's a sheriff who's now retired and they've inherited a ranch from his late brother.

Unfortunately the ranch is also loaded down with a financial obligations they've inherited as well. They have a rapacious neighbor in Keenan Wynn who'd like the property with a pair of lunkhead sons, Ron Ely and Sammy Jackson.

But that's not all facing Clint and Martha. There's a local grizzly named Old Satan who's terrorizing the ranches and farms in the area. He's doing far more damage to them than anything Keenan Wynn and his sons are doing. Actually Wynn for a screen villain is a rather mild one, he much prefers working with finances to get what he wants than any violence.

There's one more in the mix here. Leo Gordon has one of his best screen roles in this film, in fact he steals the film whenever he's on screen. He plays a bounty hunter and former deputy to Walker who served two years in prison due to his killing an innocent man and Walker's testimony of same. He's been hired to kill Old Satan by Wynn, setting the stage for the climax.

The Night of the Grizzly does have some very nice outdoor camera work, no studio shots at all in this one of a dwindling group of B westerns.

It's unfortunate that there is no market for films like The Night of the Grizzly any more.

We often look at movies from past decades through the prism of modern eyes. You can't do that, considering the amount of sophistication the movie going public has now compared to those times. What I remember about this movie was being a young boy and being in awe of Clint Walker, Leo Gordon and that massive bear. Remember, this was before Jaws and most modern special effects. Also, we could only get a few channels on our TV and the big three networks were IT!!. The networks each had a movie of the week back then, and that was what we looked forward to watching when we were kids. Ahhh, it was such a simple life then.