L'Ours

I hate Grizzly Bears. I hate them because I'm terrified of them. Nothing in the woods is gonna set you free like confronting a bear (well, maybe the Zodiac killer). Whenever you're out there, away from it all, there is the looming threat of The Bear. He is nature raw; he's a wake-up call, saying, "it's time to prove who you are and where you belong, now!"

Imagine loving a film from the point of view of your worst enemy. Think about feeling empathy and compassion for your most horrible nightmare. That's this film for me.

Sure it helps that the narrator is an innocent child, abandoned in the woods. Sure, he has dreams just like you do. He even chews mushrooms and trips around like you did as a teenager. He learns, he grows up, he faces trials, he is loved and protected.

The Indians say that when you kill an animal, you must respect his living soul. His rights are the same as yours. Maybe you had the edge this time, maybe you live a little longer. But, in the end, you are one in the same. Only the arrogance of man makes you think you're more important. The hunter supplicates because he's out-brawned. It's only later that he realizes that he is The Bear. Maybe not now, or before, but sometime. What would happen if everyone thought of themselves as an integral part of it all? That the trees, the rocks, the animals, the clouds, hell, everything of the earth was impossible to separate from humanity's own lifeforce?

It is rare when a work or art can change a perspective that's been locked in for a lifetime or re-enforced by centuries of civilization. But, for one magical moment, I was The Bear.

From the first moment when you see the little bear and his mom digging for honey I was entranced with this film. The whole aura of life in the wild- the mountain lions that prey on other animals and the bear is certainly an omnivore! I don't know how the filmmakers got all that great footage but I enjoyed seeing life through the eyes of the orphaned cub. The scenery is breathtaking. The hunters were almost an intrusion in the film, but in the end they helped to bring the story full circle. This film was recommened to me by a man who never reads, he waxed so about this film I had to see it and I agree it is both a nature film and an allegory on life.

I have this on video but have not watched it for quite some time, the other night I watched it again and was of course entranced. The director has captured perfectly the life of the cub. If I have one gripe it is the use of a "human" voice for the emotions of the cub, in many scenes it is fairly obvious that it is a human being trying to express the emotions of the cub at the time. Secondly, while I understand the storyline of the hunters being integral to the film to be honest I felt that every scene with humans involved was boring beyond belief and I couldn't wait for it to be over. Overall this movie is a sheer joy to behold and the final scene where the cub finally goes to sleep without nightmares is pure bliss. You have to live with animals and know animals to realize how impressive this movie is and I firmly believe that the director has captured pure magic on film. Don't miss it.

A bear cub loses its mother while being fed. The orphan bear cub follows a huge male bear, being "adopted", protected and fed by the adult bear. Meanwhile, two hunters are following the big animal, which tries to evade in the mountainous forest. "The Bear" is a magnificent ecological fable, having the story developed through the eyes of the bears, which are indeed the "lead actors". I have read somewhere that it has been taken four years to Jean-Jacques Annaud prepare such a homage to the nature. Sometimes, the shooting recalls a National Geographic movie. Unfortunately the DVD released in Brazil does not have any information about the preparation of this movie. In the present days, it is hard to point out what computer makes, and what is real in a film, but it seems that the movie was shot using real trained animals. "The Bear" is another excellent work of the outstanding director Jean-Jacques Annaud and highly recommended as a perfect family entertainment and even to be presented for children in classrooms. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "O Urso" ("The Bear")

Almost 20 years later, this remains the best of "animal" movies I've ever seen - where there is little dialog and animals dominate the screen. The amazing photography with the bears, the stunning cinematography overall and the great landscape (British Columbia) all make this a visual treat. Even better, it's an interesting story and has remained that with each of the viewings I've had of this film since discovering it in the mid '90s.

It's a solid adventure story, and the little bear in here is lovable. The "bad guys" (the hunters) aren't really all that bad, either. The bears' performances are fascinating, simply amazing. It must have taken incredible patience to film this movie.

Outside of a couple of "damns," there is no profanity and, I would think, is a great film for any age person to see. Highly recommended.