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"Pooh Bore" |
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Directed by John Kent
Harrison - Written by
John Kent Harrison, John
Goldsmith
Starring Michael
Fassbender, Gil Bellows,
Stephen Fry
Distributed by Power -
2005 - Rated PG |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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C |
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Oh, Bother. |
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Eeyore
must've been predicting the future when he uttered that famous line,
which seems incredibly appropriate in describing my feelings about "A
Bear Named Winnie," a production by the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation that debuted on television in December, 2004 and is
currently playing at the Heartland Film Festival as one of its Crystal
Heart Award Winners.
As a longtime Winnie the Pooh fan, I was incredibly excited about this
film. "A Bear Named Winnie" follows the adventure of a Canadian
soldier who adopts an orphaned bear cub. The bear is named Winnipeg
("Winnie" for short), and the incredibly domesticated bear ends up at
the London Zoo when the soldier is called to the front lines. At the
London Zoo, the bear eventually becomes the inspiration for "Winnie
the Pooh."
The film, an independent production, was made without cooperation by
Disney or the Milne family, and great care was made to make sure that
the words "Winnie the Pooh" were never uttered, though the closing
scenes do include very clear references to Pooh.
The film was initially scheduled to play the Heartland Film Festival
on Friday night, however, technical difficulties interfered. Despite
the fact that the film has previously been played publicly in Canada,
the film seems to be plagued by technical challenges ranging from
poor, awkward editing to significant glitches at the end of the film.
John Kent Harrison, whose primary background is in TV film direction,
seems content to rely on the bear to be charming, funny and adorable.
The bear is, in fact, the highlight of the film...yet, the bear
doesn't resemble Pooh, doesn't have the same cuddly qualities
and,while it's incredibly adorable and well trained, the audience is
never given a chance to really connect the bear to the background
story.
The film stars Michael Fassbender as the aforementioned soldier, and
Fassbender plays the part adequately but, once again, buying into the
relationship he has with this bear is nearly impossible. The
supporting roles suffer the same fate, and the entire cast seems
largely devoid of emotion. Gil Bellows is swallowed up by his role as
a Colonel Barret, along with Stephen Fry and the rest of the cast with
the exception of Ted Atherton, who does a nice, quiet portrayal of
Fassbender's loyal friend, Captain Elliott.
The film, which won an editing award in Canada, is woefully edited in
the version seen at Heartland. Odd slicing and at least 3 slow-motion
camera shots were jarring and distracting. Likewise, any scenes of
action involving Fassbender with the bear were shot so closely that
the shot seemed crowded and too busy to allow for an emotional
connection to the scenery.
The film's script is basic, the direction bland and there's nothing
unique about the production design itself.
On a certain level, "A Bear Named Winnie" works. The bear is quite
wonderful to watch, and Fassbender's scenes with the bear are
beautiful to behold. Yet, even though I didn't know this film's
origins prior to seeing it, I constantly felt like I was watching a TV
movie. While I certainly don't require films I see to be dramatic or
spectacular, I do require a film that creates some sort of connection
with me...physically, spiritually, emotionally...something. Despite
truly beloved source material, "A Bear Named Winnie" never truly
connects. Perhaps most attributable to lazy direction, "A Bear Named
Winnie" takes one of the most beloved children's characters and makes
me wonder "Why Bother?" |
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© Written by Richard Propes -
Email Me! |
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How We Rated This Film
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TC Candler -
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| Richard Propes
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C |
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Jacob Hall
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TC Candler's Comment
n/a
Jacob Hall's
Comment
n/a
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