Film Overview"Bear Island" is a 1979 British-Canadian thriller film based on the 1971 book of the same name by Alistair MacLean. The film was directed by Don Sharp and starred notable actors such as Donald Sutherland, Richard Widmark, and Vanessa Redgrave. The plot focuses on a clinical research study expedition in the Arctic, investigating worldwide warming effects however incidentally unveiling a WWII period secret.
Setting and CharactersThe action happens on Bear Island, located in the Barents Sea, where a weather station and research center was established by American Arnold Hauser (Lloyd Bochner). The team of scientists includes Frank Lansing (Donald Sutherland), Judith Rubin (Vanessa Redgrave), Otto Gerran (Christopher Lee), and Hauptman (Richard Widmark). They are all experts in their field on an objective to study the possible effects of global warming. However, weird events and unexpected deaths trigger a mass of unsettled conflicts and concealed individual agendas.
Plot UnfoldsLansing finds that the mysterious deaths are murders, as one-by-one, the team is eliminated. As he examines further, he uncovers a covert World War II secret-- Bear Island was utilized as a German weather condition station and submarine base. He finds an underground complex utilized by the Germans, total with a perfectly maintained U-boat submarine. Tension develops as the modern-day researchers realize they are not alone on the unsafe island.
The TwistEach member of the objective team had their motives for participating in this endeavor, with none more questionable than Hauptman, a former WWII German U-boat commander. Hauser is exposed as the primary villain with a self-serving intention of recuperating a taken fortune in gold aboard the sunken U-boat.
ResolutionUnexpected alliances are formed and deceptiveness is exposed as the surviving employee successfully stop Hauser and his individual hitman, Osborne (Christopher Lee). In an interesting climax, Hauser and Osborne meet their fate; they pass away while encountering Lansing aboard the submarine, avoiding them from getting away with the gold. The remaining group then wait to be saved from the island, putting an end to their Arctic headache.
Conclusion"Bear Island" is a gripping thriller with suspenseful twists normal of Alistair MacLean's stories. Its layered plot intertwines mystery, subterfuge, and survival with the brooding background of the remote Arctic. The movie uses a distinct combo of environment science and WWII history and concludes with a standard good-over-evil victory. Obtaining its stress more from human conflicts than natural obstacles, the film provides an interesting viewing completely.
Top Cast
