Bear Island (film)

The original novel was published in 1971 and became a best-seller, selling over eight million copies. "It will make a whopping good movie," wrote the Los Angeles Times.[2]

In 1976 Maclean's second wife Mary former a company with producer Peter Snell, Aleelle Productions, who aimed to make movies based on MacLean novels including Golden Gate, Bear Island, The Way to Dusty Death and Captain Cook.[3]

Film rights came solely into the hands of the Canadian-born Peter Snell who had lived in England since 1961. Snell set up the film in Canada, which was experiencing a film boom due to the assistance of tax concessions in 1976 allowing the write-off of losses on films that qualify as sufficiently Canadian.[4] Snell wanted to make a film that targeted the international market; there would be no Canadian characters and the film was not set in Canada. However Snell and several of the actors and most of the crew were Canadian.[5]

"Three in every eight households have a MacLean novel," said Snell. "He's certainly sold better than Ian Fleming. The James Bond pictures are fast running out of gimmicks. Action-adventure will always work better in the long run if you stay away from gimmicks."[1]

In November 1978 it was announced the movie would be the most expensive made in Canada until that time, costing over $9 million.[6][7] "You've got to come up with something television can't," said Snell. "You've got to come up with spectacle."[1]

Of the budget, $3.3 million came from the British arm of Columbia Pictures, $3 million from the Canadian radio and cable television company, Selkirk Holdings, $1.8 million from the Toronto Dominion Bank, $1.2 million from the Bank of Montreal, and $100,000 from the Canadian Film Development Corporation (the latter was seed money for pre production and was paid back when the film was financed).[1]

The Bank of Montreal lent the producers money to make the film. When the producers could not raise finance, the bank was forced to become investors.[8][9]

Don Sharp, well known for his action films, was hired to direct. He also rewrote the script. A number of changes were made from the novel including changing the ship's passengers from a movie crew to a scientific expeditions, altering the characters, and arriving at the island earlier.[10] Snell said MacLean was supportive of the changes.[1]

Snell wanted to make the movie on location, feeling audiences would not react well the shooting "studio snow" which had been the method used on an earlier MacLean adaptation, Ice Station Zebra. "Audiences can tell styrofoam snow," said Snell.[1]

It was the thirteen film made from a MacLean novel. Snell said "He compained of no continuity" with the previous films "but with me he's close to being a partner. Usually his books get bought and he's invited to the premiere. In his case I'm on the phone regularly to him in Geneva where he lives and he's getting a kick out of it."[1]

Filming started 22 November 1978 in Stewart, British Columbia.[11] The unit were based at Stewart for even weeks then moved to Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska.[1]

Location filming in Stewart and Glacier Bay took three months. A Soviet ship was used to transport the unit. It was hired for three weeks but because of bad weather was needed for another week at $6,000 a day. The cast and crew numbered 103 and there were 101 Russian crewmembers, 66 of which were women.[1]

The shoot was difficult. Vic Armstrong was put in charge of the second unit. One day he went on a location scout up the mountain in a helicopter with Sharp, and three others and they were stuck for four days due to bad weather without food or proper clothing; they survived by staying in the helicopter and by eating the pilot's lunch over several days. When they returned, six feet of snow fell overnight and a week's filming was lost as they dug out of snow.[12] Later on during the shoot, helicopter pilot John Soutar was killed in an accident.[13][1]

The Swedish invention called Larven (The Caterpillar) by Lennart Nilsson is used in the chases around the island.

"We're delighted to be working on an international picture", said second unit director Alan Simmonds. "But co-productions can be a one-way street. The whole mentality of the film is English or American - the style, the amount of money. We're good, we know we're good, but the moneymen won't take a risk on Canadians."[5]

The unit then moved to London where interiors were completed at Pinewood Studios.[1]

Sutherland called his character "an intelligent, humorous, lonely man."[14]

The Quarterly Review called it "murder on the Alaska Express... but, in search of something to take the children to which doesn't feature a scene of bestiality, you could do a lot worse".[15] The Observer said it "has the same numbing effect as frost bite."[16] MacLean's called it "a clinker if there ever was one."[17]

The Globe and Mail said "one could perhaps be excused for expecting it to be a major disaster. It isn't: the Arctic landscapes are breathtaking, and some of the action sequences are not only active, but also exciting" but that "when compared to The Guns of Navarone... it's routine adventure- flick stuff: blood, guts and (a little) suspense intercut with acting of appalling quality, and dialogue that makes one yearn for the days of silent movies."[18]

The Los Angeles Times called it "best left to the easily satisfied".[19]

The film was a flop at the box office.[20]

During pre production, Snell announced he had the film rights to six other MacLean novels, three of them not written.[1] Snell and Selkirk were so positive about Bear Island's prospects that at one stage they planned a series of Alistair MacLean adaptations for annual Christmas release, starting with The Way to Dusty Death.[5] Snell went on to make The Hostage Tower and Air Force One is Down based on MacLean stories.[1]