Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

The Bear Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 9, 2015

The Bear certainly qualifies as one of the more unique films to become an international sensation. A unabashed “nature film” featuring an ursine beast as its “hero”, with only a couple of human interlopers and almost no dialogue, The Bear is gorgeously scenic (filmed largely in the Dolomites) and quite unexpectedly moving as it charts the course of an orphaned cub who must learn to fight and forage for himself, before teaming up with an older bear who is itself experiencing “issues” courtesy of some hunters. While someone at Shout! Factory might want to consider that "25th Anniversary" soubriquet, considering the fact that the film was released in 1988, fans of this very unusual film should be thrilled with the presentation here, one which is sourced off a restoration (reportedly 4K) done by Pathe a couple of years ago (the film's actual 25th anniversary, as a matter of fact).

The narrative of The Bear is surprisingly well formulated, given the fact that hardly any words are spoken and the fact that director Jean-Jacques Annaud and a coterie of wranglers had to coax various animals into giving “performances”. There are any number of jaw dropping sequences scattered throughout the film where many audience members will no doubt be asking themselves, “How did they get a bear to do that?” But even aside from such technical accomplishments, the film offers a really heartfelt saga of a young animal growing into maturity despite any number of traumas intervening. Some may find the stop motion "dream" sequences tonally at odds with the rest of the film, but kids will probably delight in them nonetheless. Unusually thought provoking despite an absence of any overt “messaging”, The Bear continues to be a one of a kind film experience, a perhaps fictionalized “true life adventure” that is both stunningly beautiful and at times refreshingly unvarnished.

The Bear Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Bear is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Reportedly sourced off a 4K restoration undertaken by Pathe (and already released on some international Blu-rays), The Bear looks fantastic, with Philippe Rousselot's gorgeous cinematography offering abundant fine detail and a beautifully suffused palette. Depth of field in the wide open mountainous vistas is jaw dropping at times. Several scenes are a tad on the gauzy side, especially midrange and wide shots, but close-ups still offer great fine detail where virtually every bristle of the titular creature's fur can be counted. Elements have no damage or age related wear and tear of any import, and the grain field resolves very naturally. Best of all, there are no ugly compression artifacts hobbling the presentation, even in some of the darker sequences. There are a few transitory moments of crush in some of the nighttime sequences.

The Bear Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Bear's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is surprisingly immersive, with excellent placement of ambient environmental sounds that more than effectively recreates the feeling of being out and about in wide open spaces. Individual effects like the bear growls resonate with force and precision. A fairly minimalist score by Philippe Sarde sounds fine and the film's very sparse dialogue is also presented cleanly and clearly.

The Bear Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Making of The Bear (1080p; 51:28)


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:07)

The Bear Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you've never seen The Bear, you really owe it to yourself to view it at least once, as it's certainly one of the most distinctive "nature films" ever made. Some curmudgeons may take issue with a few of the plot mechanics (including the stop motion sequences), but this is such a winning enterprise overall that most will be enchanted. Technical merits are very strong on this release, and The Bear comes Highly recommended.