''Lover of the Great Bear'' ( it, L'amante dell'Orsa Maggiore, french: La ligne de feu, german: Nur der letzte kam durch, also known as ''The Smugglers'') is a 1971 Italian-French-German drama film directed by

Valentino Orsini Valentino Orsini (19 January 1927 in Pisa – 26 January 2001 in Cerveteri) was an Italian film director. After his first interests to arts (he had been sculptor, stage designer, cinema critic, cineclub animator) in his hometown, in 1954 Val ...

and starring

Giuliano Gemma Giuliano Gemma (2 September 1938 – 1 October 2013) was an Italian actor. He is best known internationally for his work in Spaghetti Westerns, particularly for his performances as the title character in Duccio Tessari's ''A Pistol for Ringo'' (1 ...

and

Senta Berger Senta Verhoeven (née Berger; ''Austrian German:'' , ; born 13 May 1941) is an Austrian-German actress. She received many award nominations for her acting in theatre, film and television; her awards include three Bambi Awards, two Romys, an Ad ...

. It is loosely based on the Polish novel ''Kochanek Wielkiej Niedźwiedzicy'' by

Sergiusz Piasecki Sergiusz Piasecki (; 1901 in Lachowicze near Baranowicze – 1964 in Penley, London) was one of the best known Belarusian-Polish writers of the mid 20th century. He was mainly portraying life of criminals and lowlifes of Minsk, which he knew v ...

Plot

Cast

as Vladek *

as Fela *

Bruno Cremer Bruno Jean Marie Cremer (6 October 1929 – 7 August 2010) was a French actor best known for portraying Jules Maigret on French television, from 1991 to 2005. Origins Bruno Cremer was born in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, in the eastern suburbs ...

as Saska *

Francesca Romana Coluzzi Francesca Romana Coluzzi (20 May 1943 – 15 July 2009) was an Italian actress. A respected dramatic actress on stage, she is probably best known for her roles in the commedia sexy all'italiana. Life and career Born in Tirana, Albania of Italia ...

as Berna *

Spiros Focás Spiros Focás ( el, Σπύρος Φωκάς; born 17 August 1937) is a Greek actor. Selected filmography * (1959) - Giannos * (1959) - Tasos Lygos * (1959) - Alekos * ''Death of a Friend'' (1959) - Bruno * (1960) - Lucio Massimo * ''Rocco a ...

as Alfred *

Nicoletta Machiavelli Nicoletta Machiavelli (1 August 1944 – 15 November 2015) was an Italian film actress, also known as Nicoletta Rangoni Machiavelli and Nicoletta Macchiavelli. Life and career The daughter of a Florentine father and of an American mother, Mach ...

as Leonia *

Flavio Bucci Flavio Bucci (25 May 1947 – 18 February 2020) was an Italian actor, voice actor and film producer. Biography Born in Turin, Bucci began appearing in film and television in 1971, making his debut appearance in the film ''The Working Class G ...

Peter Capell Peter Capell (3 September 1912 – 3 March 1986) was a German actor who was active on screen from 1945 until 1985. Apart from a lengthy film career, he appeared in many television series and mini-series. He appeared in many old time radio pr ...

Alessandro Haber Alessandro Haber (born 19 January 1947) is an italian people, Italian actor, film director and singer. Haber was born in Bologna in a Italian Jews, Jewish family of mixed ancestry (his father was a Romanian Jew and his mother Italian) and spent ...

as Topo * Antonio Piovanelli as Ivan *

Sybil Danning Sybil Danning (born Sybille Johanna Danninger) is an Austrian actress, model, and film producer. She is best known for her frequent appearances in B movies during the 1970s and 1980s. Biography Early years and first films Born in Austria, Dannin ...

Nazzareno Zamperla Nazzareno Zamperla (25 April 1937 – 19 March 2020) was an Italian actor and stuntman. Career Born in Treviso into a circus family, Zamperla came to Rome in 1949 and worked primarily in the 1950s and 1960s as a stunt performer. His focus was on ...

as Smuggler (uncredited)

References

External links

* 1971 crime drama films 1971 films Italian crime drama films French crime drama films West German films Films directed by Valentino Orsini Films based on Polish novels Films set in Poland Films set in the 1920s Films scored by Benedetto Ghiglia 1970s French films 1970s Italian films {{1970s-France-film-stub