What a beautiful movie! After seeing this movie, I guess I'll fall in love with Winnie the pooh much more than before.
This story happens around World War I. But it isn't about war... it's about love between Lt. Harry Colebourn and his little bear Winnie which later became the inspiration for the famous "Winnie the Pooh" stories.
I show my respect to Lt. Harry Colebourn, his fellow soldiers (especially Ian Macray) and Col.John Barret. Even though they were in the edge of war time, they did their best to take care of this little furry creature and kept love for her all the way.
I strongly recommend this movie to those who have furry family members. Animals can teach you what true love is...
A Bear Named Winnie
2004
Action / Drama / War
A Bear Named Winnie
2004
Action / Drama / War
Plot summary
It's 1914, the beginning of WWI. In White River, Ontario, en route to a training camp in Valcartier, Québec, with the Winnipeg section of the Canadian Army Veterinary Corps, Army Lieutenant Harry Colebourn, who has a natural rapport with animals, saves a black bear cub from being killed by a hunter, who killed the cub's mother. Not knowing what else to do with the cub, Harry brings her along to camp to act as the unit's mascot, who he names Winnie - short for Winnipeg. Most of the men in the unit bond with Winnie, but having such a mascot is against the wishes of the head of the Canadian Expeditionary Force's veterinary division, Colonel Barret. Barret is a tough but fair man, who may have more problems than Winnie in the form of the Expeditionary Force's commanding officer, General Hallholland, a dipsomaniac who uses his position in the army for his own vainglorious purposes. Winnie's stay with Harry and the unit is not always a smooth one, especially in trying to stay under Barret's radar. Over time, Winnie becomes completely tame, craving human companionship, which Harry realizes is a problem as the unit is scheduled to get shipped overseas to England and eventually to France to do their duty on the front lines. Sending Winnie back into the wild may no longer be a viable option, as Winnie has a mind of her own, but finding a home for her where she will get the human companionship she craves or else possibly die from not having what she needs - which means an owner that understands that she's no ordinary bear - may be a problem.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Michael Fassbender as Harry Colebourn
Aaron Ashmore as Corporal Randy Taylor
Stephen Fry as Protheroe
Gil Bellows as Colonel Barret
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB 830.18 MB
1280*714
English 2.0
PG
Movie Reviews
Reviewed by
The Most Beautiful Story Ever
Reviewed by
"The True Story of the Friendship Between a Canadian Soldier and a Bear Cub"
Here's a quote from the CBC website along with my personal comments at the very end:
"It is August 1914 and World War I has just begun.Lieutenant Harry Colebourn (Michael Fassbender),a veterinarian with the 34th Fort Garry Horse Division, is traveling by train with other soldiers when he buys a bear cub at a rest stop. He names her Winnie, after his home town of Winnipeg and, in spite of all common sense warnings from his fellow soldiers, takes her with him to the camp in Valcartier, Quebec where the Canadian expeditionary force is gathering.
Winnie is a breath of fresh air for the young soldiers faced with the prospect of war, and she travels with them all the way to Salisbury Plain in England.
When Harry's regiment is sent to fight in France, the young vet knows Winnie cannot go. He finds a home for her at the London Zoo, promising to return as soon as the war is over and take her back to Canada.
While Harry and his friends fight in France, Winnie becomes the star attraction at the zoo. For the children of London, living in the shadow of a frightening war, she becomes a symbol of friendship and hope."
What a good way to spend 2 hours. The acting was great, well directed, the sets were appropriate and I did get choked up! (This doesn't happen often, except in Zombie movies).
However, there were some VERY annoying slow-motion shots that looked terrible. Lots of flickering during the slow-motion scenes and bad timing. It should have been omitted.
Final verdict...A very entertaining and educational story about a beloved bear for the whole family.
Reviewed by
a Truly Moving Picture
I am a judge for the Indianapolis-based Heartland Film Festival. This feature film is a Crystal Heart Award Winner and is eligible to be the Grand Prize Winner in October of 2005. The Heartland Film Festival is a non-profit that honors Truly Moving Pictures. A Truly Moving Picture "
explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."
The film centers around a Canadian army veterinarian, who buys a bear cub from a hunter while on a train ride east across Canada with his army comrades. They are going to a training camp, and from there they are going to Europe to fight in World War I. For a while, the bear cub becomes an army mascot. However, the bear becomes too troublesome and the order comes down to get rid of the bear. And that is where the story gets interesting.
The young army men have a boring, uneventful life as they train for war. The bear becomes one of their centers of interest. Their other center of interest is developing relationships among each other as they prepare for the then unknown-to-them horrors of war. It becomes obvious that the real purpose of training is to develop loyalty and friendship among each other so that they can rely on each other in stressful war times.
The film has wonderful art direction and costuming and you are truly placed into the early part of the 20th century.
A.A. Milne learned of this true story and this became the basis for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories.
FYI There is a Truly Moving Pictures web site where there is a listing of past Crystal Heart winners that are now either at the theater or available on video.