Things I used to worry about when I was a kid: death by quicksand, vanishing in the Bermuda Triangle, spontaneous combustion, potatoes sprouting from my ears, alien abduction, and Africanized killer bees. Things I didn’t consider worthy of much consternation: drinking from a garden hose at the house of a total stranger, crawling through storm drains and snatching turtles from Joe’s Creek as unseen alligators considered their next meal, witnessing an American oligarchy prioritizing the interests of the wealthy few over the general population, and encountering rampaging bears.
I mean, why worry about bears? Books, film and television in the 1960s and 1970s clearly depicted them as adorable and benign creatures. Winnie-the-Pooh? Yogi Bear? The Hair Bear Bunch? The Hillbilly Bears? The Berenstain Bears? Gentle Ben? That last one had a significant impact on my childhood perception of bears. “Gentle Ben” was a CBS series that ran for two seasons, from 1967 through 1969. The show followed the adventures of young Mark Wedloe (Clint Howard), who befriended a black bear named Ben. The series was set in the Everglades, and the cast included Dennis Weaver and Beth Brickell as Mark’s parents; and Rance Howard as Henry Boomhauer. “Gentle Ben” played in syndication on Saturday mornings through the early 1970s, usually back-to-back with another popular Ivan Tors Productions show, “Flipper.”
I think it’s safe to say that I wasn’t the only Florida kid in the 1970s who wished he had a black bear as his best friend.
In a strange twist of fate, “Gentle Ben” debuted on Sept. 10, 1967, 28 days after two women were killed in separate attacks by grizzly bears in Glacier National Park, Montana. The Aug. 13, 1967, incident was documented in the 1969 book “Night of the Grizzlies” by Jack Olsen. This true story provides the basis for the new film “Grizzly Night.” Directed by Burke Doeren, the film is set to be released on Jan. 30 through Saban Films. The screenplay was written by Katrina Mathewson and Tanner Bean.
As Doeren’s feature directorial debut, “Grizzly Night” stands as an emotionally intense, gripping tale of endurance and grace under pressure. It is surprisingly expressive, focusing on a wide range of authentic responses to a sudden, horrific crisis in a remote geographical setting. This dramatization gives us a handful of heroes who rise to the occasion, as well as a few characters who either mock “city folk” for their nature-is-a-petting-zoo mentality or simply lack sufficient empathy to contribute to the rescue effort. Thankfully, there are more heroes than zeroes.
The film follows rookie park ranger Joan Devereaux (Lauren Call) who — at the last minute — is asked to guide an overnight hiking tour to Granite Park Chalet, a remote lodge in Glacier National Park. They arrive without incident, but during the night two separate groups of campers are attacked by grizzly bears. The first attack happens near the chalet and involves Julie Helgeson (Brec Bassinger) and her friend Roy Ducat (Matt Lintz). The bear drags Julie off into the forest, and a badly mauled Roy manages to hike a short distance to another campsite seeking help. The group at the chalet is alerted to the attack, and Joan leads a group of frightened strangers out into the darkness in a rescue effort.
Among the hiking group is Dr. John Lindberg (Oded Fehr), a surgeon who is able to stabilize Roy until he can be transported to a hospital. Senior Park Ranger Gary Bunney (Charles Esten) soon arrives by helicopter, and together with Joan, they return to the forest in search of Julie.
During the same night, about nine miles from the Granite Park Chalet, a second grizzly attacks another group of campers near Trout Lake, dragging Michele Koons (Ali Skovbye) away from the campsite as her friends watch in horror.
“Grizzly Night” delivered more than I expected. There are a lot of characters to juggle, and the script somehow manages to sprinkle in just enough details to connect the audience to these individuals. The talented cast fills in the blanks for us, from the family dynamic that makes the surgeon’s role so meaningful to the friendships that offer support in the face of calamity. Digging even deeper, Doeren perceives an even greater tragedy in this story. Through Joan, the film expresses an acknowledgement that this was both inevitable and preventable.
“‘Grizzly Night’ demonstrates that we need to live in a delicate balance with wildlife and respect nature, and I feel that this story will remind modern audiences of that truth,” the director wrote in the film’s production notes. “Especially as real grizzly bear and other endangered species populations dwindle, and the remaining untouched land decreases every year on our planet.”
The events of that night effectively changed the nation’s understanding of wildlife forever. Bear management policies were implemented, bear-proof garbage cans became normalized, and permitting processes were enacted to track park campers.
“Grizzly Night” carries messages of courage, of ecological responsibility, and of interdependence and unity.
One important caveat: Viewers should approach this film expecting a realistic survival thriller. It is not — nor should it be — an exploitative gore-fest that lingers on the attacks. There are some intensely graphic scenes, but Doeren seems to intentionally reject any content that might sensationalize this tragedy.
Lee Clark Zumpe is entertainment editor at Tampa Bay Newspapers, a Tomatometer-Approved Critic, and an author of short fiction. He can be reached by email at lzumpe@TBNweekly.com.
