The Bear (1988)

[zelmo73]

Although you have certainly seen this movie around the video store or in the movie section at your local department store over the years, this film has always remained just under the radar in terms of popularity, though it is a truly fascinating film with very little dialogue and a focus on visual storytelling; coupled with animal actors captured in their most natural reactions and wilderness settings that stand up to anything that Hollywood is capable of putting out today.

The movie was filmed in the Dolomite mountains over in Europe and was released in France in 1988, while being released here in the States a year later, it ended up grossing a little over $31 million at the box office; not bad for 1989 but a mere pittance by today's standards. This one still remains one of my all-time favorite movies, as it is a best-kept secret for many while still retaining a mainstream quality to it that makes it surprisingly accessible for a foreign film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy-evlsb2jU

[Rev. Powell]

I second the recommendation. Very good movie. It's fiction, but if you like nature documentaries you should love this.

[zelmo73]

As always, the book was much better. Check out "The Grizzly King" if you get the chance. I was lucky enough to catch it in Reader's Digest before the movie came out.

[Neville]

I read the James O. Curwood novel when I was a kid, back then it was one of my favourite readings. zelmo13 is right about the film being a kind of "Reader's Digest" version, but it's still a great film. You have to consider how much of the book they managed to film, because most filmmakers would still consider such a story unfilmable.