Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Nat'l Geographic Vid
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 57 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304474857
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,088 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In this 1992 National Geographic video depicting the giant bears of Kodiak Island, photographer Wolfgang Bayer gets up close and demonstrates that the normally feared animal has a gentler side. Taking viewers through the rituals of the bear's daily life, this documentary shows the black Kodiak bear as primarily a creature of habit and survival, and we witness the hulking carnivores in a more humane light. The island and its people are torn between their own survival and the continued existence of the big black bear. Part way through the video, we meet a graduate student visiting his hometown, and through his studies, we learn more about the people of Kodiak Island and an animal that is normally feared. While this film is well worth watching as a source of information and entertainment, it tends to leave the viewer asking more questions about the fate of the bears on the island. --Sandra Levin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intimate portrait of Kodiak island, bears & people together, October 28, 2002

By 

Erin K. Darling "naive cynic" (olympia, wa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: National Geographic's Giant Bears of Kodiak Island [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The primary focus of this video is, of course, the giant Kodiak grizzly bear, the largest subspecies of the brown bear alive today (the plains grizzly was larger, but hunted entirely to extinction;) however, the film also spends a good deal of time discussing and portraying the Alutiiq people of Kodiak Island, who have lived together with the bear for thousands of years.

We watch intimate footage of the bears as they fish, play, fight, mate, den, forage and feed - these are remarkable animals of immense strength and power. It is easy to understand why the native people of the North American continent came to revere the bear. The scenery is striking, with huge, jutting mountains, lush, fertile meadows, and beautiful, clear streams overflowing with salmon. The video speaks of how humans and bears can tolerate each other, but also shows the darker side of human "relations" with the huge grizzly - historic footage, as well as bear carcasses found during the filmmaking are shown unflinchingly, reminding us of the despicable actions of which we are capable.

The viewer learns about the history of the bear and the people, how they have co-existed, and how developments in the last century have put them both in danger of losing their ways of life as "modern civilization" threatens to take over the island for tourism. The Alutiiqs struggled to sustain themselves trying to cover the high cost of importing even common items (when the film was made, a pound of butter cost $4.00, for example,) without resorting to catering to tourists to the detriment of the bears and the island's habitat as a whole.

But, when faced with starving or selling out, the two tribes began to build certain tourist attractions which they could then profit from. Huge corporations were offering to buy their land and give them jobs, but the natives of the island were trying to hold out from taking this last step, which would have virtually guaranteed the destruction of much of the island's natural habitat. Fortunately, there is a happy ending that had not yet happened when NGS produced the video; the US government purchased the bulk of Kodiak Island with the damage funds from the Exxon-Valdez oil spill, and the island is now mostly a wildlife refuge, thankfully.

Overall, this is a very good video for bear lovers, or for people who wish to learn more about this amazing animal.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great documentary, November 4, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: National Geographic's Giant Bears of Kodiak Island [VHS] (VHS Tape)

THis is one of the best documentary videos about giant kodiak bears. I really love this film and I see this video pretty recently. This video really gets indiscussion about these great bears like their habitats and the food that they eat. Some of the good scenes where there are two titan in a mock battle in front of a large female bear. It would have been really awesome to see a polar bear and a kodiak bear wrestle. This video was great I am hoping to buy it someday in the near future.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of National Geographic, February 2, 2000

By 

Robert Bartlett - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic's Giant Bears of Kodiak Island [VHS] (VHS Tape)

What can one say about the largest bears south of the Arctic Circle? This National Geographic film says a lot, and it is all well worth the time to view. Many who still think bears are carnivores will be surprised at the variety of foods bears eat. We also learn much about bear/human relations some of which may be disturbing for younger viewers. All in all this piece portrays the bears well. Showing both sides of bear personalities to perfection. As with most Geographic pieces this one will be watched many times.