Film “L’Our” (1988): … a lil bear v a cougar… =O
March 82010
The Game of Survival… The Bear, (1988) known as L’Ours in its original release, is a feature film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. The screenplay by Gérard Brach was adapted from the novel The Grizzly King by James Oliver Curwood.
Set in late 19th century British Columbia, Canada, the film tells the story of an orphaned bear cub befriended and protected by an adult male grizzly as hunters pursue them through the wilds.
Though the film did not enjoy overwhelming commercial success with its North American release, it was acclaimed in France, and was nominated for and won numerous international film awards.
Plot and cast
In the mountainous wilds of British Columbia, a grizzly bear cub (Douce) suffers the death of his mother from a rockslide. Soon the young cub meets a large male grizzly (Bart the Bear) attempting to soothe a bullet wound inflicted by a pair of hunters (Jack Wallace and Tcheky Karyo). A friendship forms between the two bears.
The two hunters are joined by another hunter (Andre Lacombe) and a pack of hunting dogs. The bears are chased over a ridge with the dogs in pursuit. The cub hides and the grizzly lures the dogs away, killing some of them. The hunters find the cub and take him to their camp. They leave to pursue the larger bear.
The hunters separate and the younger one is suddenly cornered, without his gun, by the grizzly. Faced with the bear’s menacing roars and snarls, the hunter cowers in fear and whimpers in the face of certain death. The grizzly, seemingly affected by the hunter’s distress, turns and leaves. The hunter is met by his partner and the two leave the wilds.
The bear cub is confronted by a cougar and tries to defend himself. As the cougar nears, the cub turns to find his older friend and protector. They embrace. Winter approaches and the two bears enter a cave. Settling down, the cub experiences his first peaceful sleep since his mother’s death.
The film opens with a quote from The Grizzly King: “The greatest thrill is not to kill but to let live.” The plot focuses on the idea of compassion for life and nature. At the end of the story we see that the younger of the two hunters has become wiser. He has survived because of the mercy afforded him by the grizzly. When found unarmed and helpless by the grizzly male, the younger hunter was at the grizzly’s mercy. The grizzly left the young hunter alive, but could easily have killed him. Recovering from his shock, the young hunter first thought to kill the grizzly, but then gave thought to a deeper inspiration and allowed the grizzly to live, affording the bear the same mercy that was afforded him. We then learn that the older of the two hunters shares the thoughts of the younger hunter. The older hunter says near the end: “Everyone has a secret place, and by God that is how it should be.” Ultimately the film shares its philosophical sentiment with that of the book on which it is based, that of a Biocentric or Deep Ecology.
The Bear has very little dialog, and no narration, which differentiates it from usual films. Communication between the movie and the viewer rely on body language and inferences, which enhance the relationship between the characters and the viewer, in a more deeply emotional manner.
Awards and nominations
Won:
1988: National Academy of Cinema, France, Academy Award (Jean-Jacques Annaud)
1989: César, Best Director (Jean-Jacques Annaud)
1990: Genesis Award, Feature Film (Foreign)
1990: Guild of German Art House Cinemas Film Award, Silver Foreign Film (Ausländischer Film) (Jean-Jacques Annaud)
Nominated:
1990: Academy Award, Best Film Editing (Noëlle Boisson)
1990: American Society of Cinematographers Award, Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases (Philippe Rousselot)
1990: BAFTA Film Award, Best Cinematography (Philippe Rousselot)
1990: Young Artist Award, Best Family Motion Picture – Adventure or Cartoon
César – Best Cinematography (Philippe Rousselot)
César – Best Film (Jean-Jacques Annaud)
César – Best Poster (Claude Millet, Christian Blondel, Denise Millet)
César – Best Sound (Bernard Leroux, Claude Villand, Laurent Quaglio)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bear_(film)
Duration : 0:3:55
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March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
That’s what you get …
That’s what you get when you fool with MOTHER NATURE!
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Great movie!!!!!!!! …
Great movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
This looks really …
This looks really fake! the noises of the bear sound human!
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
This bear was mato. …
This bear was mato. He was born in 1987 in a Belgium Zoo. In 26-01-2010 he was found dead in his cage in Dierenpark Emmen, Holland.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
That was some epic …
That was some epic make-out at the end. O;
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
I love the movie …
I love the movie and this part! Jean Jacques Annaud is a great director!
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
This reminds me of …
This reminds me of how fragile we are as humans against…nature! Love all of Mother earth!
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Cute scene, though …
Cute scene, though in real life the older male would kill the cub. :[
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Are you for real?
…
Are you for real?
Do you really not understand the difference between hunting for thrills and killing something out of self-defense?
Are there real teachers in red states or do they just throw any old Cletus to the front of the classroom?
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Try telling that to …
Try telling that to a grizzly bear (or a cougar) if it stumbles across you in the wild…
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
i just watched this …
i just watched this movie.
ITS AWESOME!!! BUT SAD…..
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
This video makes me …
This video makes me think about how the devil watches for us & preys on us when we are most venerable. He thinks strategic & can position himself for us to come right to him. Sometimes there seems to be no way out. However; when we are trapped, nowhere to go and we have to make our stand, we find that we have a big bear of a God that has our back and then…… it is the devil that flees.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
This was an amazing …
This was an amazing movie. I dare any redneck sport hunter to watch and not be touched by the final message: “The greatest thrill is not to kill, but to let live”.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Very nice …
Very nice videoclip.That´s mother´s love.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Actually, it was …
Actually, it was not her mother, who was shot early in the movie. The cub and the solitary male bear developed some kind of friendship in this movie which is the “touching” part. I always find Grizzly to be majestic.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
I didn’t notice the …
I didn’t notice the cubs “voice” when I used to watch it when I was like 5 or 6, but now that I watch the scene at 19 I was kind of distracted by it too. It seemed a bit awkward but I guess the movie would be too quiet without it…at least that’s what I’ll assume.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Nature is horrible.
Nature is horrible.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
thats from a movie …
thats from a movie i saw a few years ago, forgot the name.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
that was great!
that was great!
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Great video! Poor …
Great video! Poor little Bear, thank God for Momma…very touching!!!
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
I found the film …
I found the film beautiful and riveting, but distracted by the cub’s “voice.” Could it be that that’s really what a young bear sounds like? It sounded more to me like a very bad voiceover by a human.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Why don’t you go …
Why don’t you go back to playing with your cell phone and work on your time tables, while the rest of us adults discuss the magnificence of this film.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
very nice! must be …
very nice! must be hard to film!
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Thanks for posting …
Thanks for posting this jewel. I think that this movie was nominated for an oscar but i can not remember the category. The soundtrack is awesome too!!
March 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Maravilloso, que …
Maravilloso, que tal lucha, aferrarse asi a la
vida. Y la madre con toda su protección.