The Bear

Jean-Jacques Annaud directed this unusual and compelling tale of animals in the wild, which tells its tale from the bears' point of view. A pair of carefully-trained bruins deliver remarkably effective "performances" (aided by clever editing and, in some sequences, the use of realistic animated ...more

L'Ours is unusual in avoiding many of the conventions of Disney live-action animal films and creating a convincing presentation of its subject. Director Jean-Jacques Annaud continues the naturalistic motifs introduced in his earlier Quest For Fire, in which all animals, human and otherwise, seek their place within their environment. The cinematography is first-rate, and one marvels at the patience that it must have taken to produce such a film, even when we know that some of the events have been ...more