A Bear Named Winnie
A Bear Named Winnie | |
---|---|
Written by | John Kent Harrison John Goldsmith |
Story by | Simon Vaughan |
Directed by | John Kent Harrison |
Starring | |
Music by | Charlie Mole |
Country of origin | Canada |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producers | Simon Vaughan Kim Todd |
Cinematography | Jean Lépine |
Editor | Ron Wisman |
Running time | 90 minutes |
Production companies | Original Pictures PowerCorp |
Original release | |
Release | 12 December 2004 |
A Bear Named Winnie is a 2004 made-for-television drama film directed by John Kent Harrison. It stars Michael Fassbender and David Suchet.[1][2] It concerns one of the real-life inspirations behind A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh.[3]
Plot
[edit]At the outbreak of World War I, troops march through the Manitoban city of Winnipeg. Among them is Lieutenant Harry Colebourn (Fassbender), a veteran with a gift for animals. He soon meets a bear, Winnie, who provides comfort for the soldiers and by order of General Hallholland (David Suchet), becomes the regimental mascot.
Cast
[edit]- Michael Fassbender as Harry Colebourn
- David Suchet as General Hallholland
- Gil Bellows as Colonel Barret
- Stephen Fry as Protheroe
- Jonathon Young as Macray
- Aaron Ashmore as Corporal Randy Taylor
- Ted Atherton as Captain Elliot
- Robert Gauvin as Sgt. Major Picard
Copyright
[edit]To avoid legal problems concerning the copyrights of both Disney and the Milne estate, Winnie the Pooh and anything related to the property is never referenced nor discussed throughout the film.[4][better source needed] [5]
Critical response
[edit]John Ferguson of The Radio Times awarded it two stars and said, "This touching fact-based drama almost manages to carry off its combination of First World War setting and sentimental tale, but is unsure of its target audience."[6]
See also
[edit]- Goodbye Christopher Robin - a 2017 biographical drama film about Milne and his son, with Vaughan also acting as a writer and producer.
References
[edit]- ^ Maloney 2012, p. 30.
- ^ A bear named Winnie. WorldCat. OCLC 865232108.
- ^ Mattick, Lindsay (24 November 2015). "The story of how Winnie the Pooh was inspired by a real bear – in pictures". The Guardian.
- ^ "A Bear Named Winnie (TV Movie 2004)". IMDb.
- ^ "Bear who's Bonkers plays our Winnie". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "A Bear Named Winnie – review - cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online". Radio Times.
Bibliography
[edit]- Maloney, Jim (3 September 2012). Michael Fassbender – The Biography. John Blake Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78219-075-2.
External links
[edit]- 2004 films
- 2004 television films
- 2004 biographical drama films
- Canadian war drama films
- English-language Canadian films
- World War I films based on actual events
- Films set in 1914
- Films about bears
- Films directed by John Kent Harrison
- 2004 drama films
- Winnie-the-Pooh films
- 2000s English-language films
- Canadian World War I films
- 2000s Canadian films
- English-language biographical drama films