Bear Island [1979]

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I think that is probably because so much of the preamble in this overlong arctic drama is dull and listless. If nothing else you get bang for your buck; avalanches, explosions, and all kinds of vehicular action; Swedish Larven “Caterpillar” snow scooters and amphibious aircraft-propelled catamarans, also known as hydrocopters.

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. Widmark too, as the German leader of the excursion, spoke in an obviously fake cadence that jarred every time he opened his mouth, and Christopher Lee was there demonstrating his Russian accent as heard when he played Rasputin a decade and a half ago, though you had to assume that was at least authentic-sounding.

Filmed in British Columbia and Alaska, the location shoot is beautiful and I’d love to see more winter shoots in locations like this.

Donald is taking center stage as a man of action styled Hercule Poirot as opposed to the Peter Ustinov laid back style of sleuthing. Left stranded, the cast must have drawn straws for lines like 'This is no place for scientists who can't control themselves'. Snell said "He complained of no continuity" with the previous films "but with me he's close to being a partner. A UN expedition of scientists from different countries come to barren arctic Bear Island, between Svalbard and northern Norway, to study climate change. Bear Island turned out to be Goodnight Vienna in terms of big screen evocations of MacLean’s work, but his books, bigger than Bond back in the day, would still work as highly recognisable IP for reboots, remakes and re-workings, and the bar isn’t set particularly high here.The film went a million dollars over budget, which Sharp says was the first time it had happened in his career. It was a bestseller in the UK, sold for hefty film rights (never made), and it sold millions worldwide. Radio masts collapse, explosives are used to create deadly avalanches, a generator blows up, but who is the saboteur who seeks the elusive gold? Snell, however, did get The Hostage Tower (1980) and Detonator II: Night Watch (1995) made for television.