Product Details

• Actors: Tchéky Karyo, Bart the Bear, Youk the Bear, Jack Wallace, André Lacombe
• Directors: Jean-Jacques Annaud
• Writers: Gérard Brach, James Oliver Curwood
• Producers: Claude Berri, Pierre Grunstein
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: March 12, 1996
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303972845
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,419 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Must be seen widescreen, December 15, 2001

By 

Timothy Hulsey (Charlottesville, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bear [VHS] (VHS Tape)

_The Bear_ is based on the novel _The Grizzly King_ by James Curwood (Curwood was to Canada what Zane Grey was to Utah). But never mind the middling source material; the important thing is that director Jean-Jacques Annaud has used it as the basis of a truly astonishing film. The cinematography alone justifies the project -- but it must be seen in its proper widescreen ratio. Once the film is panned and scanned, most of the stunning British Columbia landscapes are lost, leaving viewers with a slow-paced, sentimental story about a bear cub they never quite see.
But in the proper widescreen ratio, the film's apparent flaws turn to strengths. The slow pace gives us time to contemplate characters' relationships to the land (even as it allows the film to establish its own rhythm). And the wild vastness of this land undercuts any sentimentality; it is always clear that the land is harsh, and that its dangers are real and terrifying.
By the way, this is probably the only film to depict (albeit fictionally) an animal getting high on psychedelic mushrooms. I suppose this is because bears don't have the sense to just say no. Or maybe it's just because the director is French.
Three stars, but add two more if you're seeing this film in widescreen. The bigger the screen, the better.

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bear Fact? One of the best animal movies ever..., January 17, 2005

By 

Staci L. Wilson "Author: Animal Movies Guide ... (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bear (DVD)

Set in the late 1800s in British Columbia, The Bear lets us in on the misadventures of a bouncing baby bruin (played mainly by a cub called Youk) and his big buddy (Bart the Bear). Due to a freak accident, the bear is orphaned as a tiny little thing; not knowing what else to do, he stays with the body of his mother until hunger gets the better of him and he must go in search of food. Before long he meets the old and wise Kodiak male who will become his friend, teacher and protector.

Beautifully and poignantly told tale, without the need for words.

Staci Layne Wilson

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you, Jean-Jacques Annaud, for a magical movie!, August 28, 2005

By 

Heather L. Parisi "Robert and Heather Parisi" (St. Augustine, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bear (DVD)

The first time I saw this movie, I was a little jaded. I was a big, tough 27-year-old without children. Although I was intrigued by the beautiful scenery, I thought the sounds made by the baby bear were voiced by a human child. This was a turn-off for me because I was not yet a fan of human/animal voiceovers. I mentioned this to my husband and he told me that the sounds of the bear were actually made by the animal himself. When I heard that, I started looking at the picture with new interest.

As I mentioned before, the scenery is exquisite. It is set in British Columbia during the late 1800's. Tcheky Karyo and Jack Wallace do fine jobs as rough and ragged hunters. Tcheky Karyo, in particular, delivers a magnificent performance. Given his suitably-twangy accent, it is hard to believe that he hails from France. The men serve as the perfect foils to the noble bears who are the real stars of the movie.

The movie opens with a mother bear and her cub foraging for honey. When the mother dies, the heartbroken orphan must travel the countryside alone. He fills his days with frolicking escapades, but his nights are fraught with horrid dreams. He continues alone until he meets a large male bear who has been wounded by the hunter's gun. He follows the understandably-cranky bear in spite of his best attempts to scare the youngster. His tenacity is rewarded when the large bear stops to soothe his wounds in a muddy pond. From then on, the two travel together.

The little bear learns many things about life from the older bruin. He teaches him how to fish, how to hunt, and how to impress a prospective mate. All the while, however, the human hunters are plotting their revenge against the older bear for destroying their camp. After a harrowing scene with the hunting dogs, the little bear is captured and taken back to camp. The older bear does not forsake his little one, however. He keeps continual watch over the camp, until the two hunters divide in an attempt to trap the big bear. When the bear isolates the younger hunter, we learn a beautiful lesson about the nobility of nature. Soon the two bears are reunited and take to the caves to hibernate during the winter snows. This poignant scene is beautifully set to the lovely theme of "June" by Tchaikovsky. I could not think of a more perfect way to end a perfect film. I would recommend this gem to anyone. Don't miss it!