''Bears and Man'' (French title: ''L'Ours Mon Frère'') is a 1978 Canadian educational film by Bill Schmalz. It was produced by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

(NFB) and Parks Canada. The film documents human-bear interactions in Canada's

National Parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

. It was narrated by Chief Dan George and Patricia Best, and was co-written and edited by

Adbusters The Adbusters Media Foundation is a Canadian-based not-for-profit, pro-environment organization founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz in Vancouver, British Columbia. Adbusters describes itself as "a global network of artists, activis ...

founder

Kalle Lasn Kalle Lasn () (born March 24, 1942) is an Estonian-Canadian film maker, author, magazine editor, and activist. Near the end of World War II, his family fled Estonia and Lasn spent some time in a German refugee camp. At age seven he was resettled ...

Background

Canada's mountain national parks, particularly Banff and

Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...

, had become popular international destinations by the 1930s. Parks Canada allowed the development of new paved roads, resulting in an influx of automobile tourism. Interacting with the many

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

and grizzly bears in the parks became a popular activity, with many tourists feeding the animals and posing for pictures. By the 1960s, Parks Canada noted the existence of "problem" or "bum" bears; these were animals who had become dependent on human food and habituated to human contact, making them a threat to both visitors and themselves. Tourists were mauled and killed, and hundreds of bears were destroyed. By the late 1960s, the agency decided that it needed more educational materials to help inform tourists of good practices regarding bears. It had published pamphlets since the 1940s, but saw the need for a film exploring the troubled relationship between bears and humans.

Production

Schmalz, who had recently finished a film on Dall sheep, contacted the NFB about making an educational film about bears in the Parks. The filmmaker had become interested in the topic after learning of the shooting of two grizzly cubs in Banff by park wardens. Parks Canada agreed to help produce the film, and Schmalz began work in 1974. He consulted with park wardens in

Kootenay Kootenay, Kootenai, and Kutenai may refer to: Ethnic groups *The Kutenai, also known as the Ktunaxa, Kootenai, or Kootenay, an indigenous people of the United States and Canada **Kutenai language, the traditional language of the Kutenai **Ktunaxa ...

, Waterton, Banff, and Jasper national parks. Storyboards were developed with the consultation of the Parks agency. Schmalz attended bear conferences and worked with biologists, including

Stephen Herrero Stephen Herrero is a Canadian professor emeritus of ecology at the University of Calgary. He is the author of ''Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance'', which has been described as "authoritative" and "required reading" on the topic. Herrero w ...

from the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

. The film was shot in

16 mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, edu ...

over three years and adhered to a strict script. He witnessed some horrific events during the filming; a wildlife biologist technician was mauled to death when a drugged grizzly woke up during transport. Wardens also enticed bears into good filming locations with elk carcasses. Scenes of wardens shooting bears were cut from the final film by Parks Canada. After filming was completed, the NFB brought in Kalle Lasn, an Estonian-Canadian editor. Lasn had just returned from Japan, and brought "avant-garde" editing styles. They worked together on writing the narration, which would be spoken by Chief Dan George and Patricia Best. The musical score was written by Craig Tomlinson who also had suggested the use of Chief Dan George for narration and singers Anne Mortifee and Jane Mortifee to be used in the film's score. Tomlinson had worked during production on second camera and sound recording as well as in post production with Lasn, as an assistant editor. The film was released in 1978.

Synopsis

The film is roughly separated into five sequences. The first sequence features George's narration, where the relationship between the two species is introduced. As Best's narration takes over, the film relates the problem of the "bum" bear and how bears become habituated to human contact and food. A third sequence uses actors to portray a couple camping in Banff. They notice grizzly tracks and subsequently use the Parks' suggested practices when setting up their camp. The film documents tourists interacting with bears, often feeding them from cars. It captures dramatic scenes of "bear traffic jams", where dozens of vehicles stop to feed and cajole groups of bears. Parks officials relate bear problems within the parks; Schmalz filmed one official describing a tourist attempting to push a black bear into the driver's seat of his car for a photo opportunity. Through the Park wardens, the film illustrates the measures humans should take to keep bears wild and unspoiled.

Awards

The film won the 1980

Wildlife Society The Wildlife Society (TWS) is an international non-profit association involved in wildlife stewardship through science and education. The Wildlife Society works to improve wildlife conservation in North America by advancing the science of wildlif ...

Conservation Education Award, as well as an award at the International Wildlife Film Festival. Schmalz's camerawork was recognized by the Alberta Cinematographers Association. It also received the Certificate of Excellence from the 1981

Audubon International Audubon International is a not for profit 501(c)(3) environmental education organization based in Troy, New York. Established in 1987, the organization works with communities, developments, resorts, and golf courses in 36 countries to plan and i ...

Environmental Film Festival.

Sources

{{reflist, 2

External links