Bjørnetæmmeren (1912) User Reviews

Danish Sequel

[FerdinandVonGalitzien · 6/10 · 8 May 2006]

Due to the big success of "Den Flyvende Cirkus"(The Flying Circus), Herr Alfred Lind decided to direct a sequel, "Bjornetaemmeren" (The Bear Tamer). This time Herr Alfred also wrote the script, photographed the film and played the principal character of the film… that it to say, the bear tamer.

The circus troupe is bigger than in the last adventure. But don't worry; Damen Ula, the circus snake charmer is here for good, tough and untamed as always. She quickly forgot her affair with the high-wire artist and thanks to her charms, makes a bear tamer that walked into the circus feel randy.

The two circus lovers decide after a few weeks to marry each other and include the bear and the snake in their happy and savage life. But to be a circus snake charmer is not enough for Damen Ula. So thanks to a ballet master with a peculiar sense of discovering new dancing talent, she decides to become a ballerina and performs the bizarre Indian snake dance at the theater.

In the variety show she flirts with a moor actor or …even better... with a wealthy man. The fact that she is a married woman doesn't bother her. However, her husband does not share this opinion. He decides to put an end to this, the irresolute and liberated life of her wife. Thanks to his skill at taming bears, the bear tamer finally will accomplish the difficult task of taming his wife.

"Bjornetaemmeren" is a very interesting sequel that put together melodrama and comedy in good proportions; the circus background of the film is now united with the variety show (a speciality of the Danish Scandinavian-Russian Trading Company). Achieved is a film in where there is a special atmosphere that surrounds these strolling players. It is one of the most remarkable aspects of this film not discounting Dame Ula ( Lili Bech )… a fabulous discovering for this German Count.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must convince Damen Ula that it is more elegant to wear a diamond around her neck instead of a snake.

Don't Call Me Honey Bear

[boblipton · 6/10 · 10 October 2019]

Alfred Lind joins the circus with his performing bear. Within a week he is married to Lili Beck. When they get a chance to perform at a variety house in the city, Lili accepts an invitation to an intimate dinner at a rich man's home. That's not a wise thing to do when your jealous husband has a bear to command!

It's a rather light-hearted version of the sort circus-entertainer-with-a-beautiful-wife story that seemed to constitute every third feature in this period. Miss Beck gets a sexy dance with a snake, Mr. Lind seems to have a well-trained bear. Perhaps not all that well trained: he got the role when the bear bit the fellow who had originally had the part.

Fiery love

[ackstasis · 4/10 · 1 January 2011]

To date, I've seen two 1912 Danish circus films directed by Alfred Lind, which ought to be more than sufficient to get me married one of these days. Unfortunately, the second installment in this little-known melodramatic saga is far less interesting than its predecessor, 'The Flying Circus (1912).' The earlier film at least had all the components of an entertaining circus drama: high-wire antics, burning buildings, high-wire antics from burning buildings...

'The Bear Tamer (1912)' barely takes place in a circus at all, and the frequent bear-dancing is a depressing reminder of how miserable the lives of circus animals have always been. The three-act story revolves around a Bear Tamer (played by the director himself), who marries the vampiric Ula-Kiri-Maja (Lili Bech, seemingly reprising her role from the previous film). When the woman becomes unfaithful, the Bear Tamer decides that a trained bear should be utilised in his retribution.

Seconds

[Cineanalyst · 2/10 · 3 November 2007]

"The Bear Tamer" is the sequel to "The Flying Circus" (Den Flyvende circus), made the same year. Both are circus films, which was a popular genre in Danish cinema at the time. Denmark was then one of the world leaders in film production. Including this film, I've seen and commented on at least five Danish circus films from this early period. Unfortunately, I haven't liked any of them. They're all quite similar, including in their flaws. This one isn't quite as sensational as the others, but it's as melodramatic, if not more so. The interest in them is supposed to come from the stories of jealousy and temptations and the situations surrounding circus performers. In this one, there aren't circus acts, but there are several trained animals, plus a stage act. That's just not interesting to me, or to most modern audiences, I suspect, especially because of its dated execution.

In one scene on the stage, low-key lighting is prominent, with a spotlight, but the static camera detracts from it. Similar lighting effects were one of the more endearing traits of many of these early Danish films, along with their use of mirrors (absent in this film). As well, there are many slight pans here, and there's some intercutting, but, overall, the camera positioning is stagy. This becomes most obvious during the stage play sequence. Moreover, the filmmakers return to using the same camera position for every shot they film at that same location. It makes for a boring film experience. Don't think it's entirely because it was made all the way back in 1912, either. D.W. Griffith and others were making much better films before and around the same time as this. Fellow Dane August Blom made some more interesting films than this, and Benjamin Christensen and Carl Dreyer weren't that far around the corner. Just like today, they made good movies and bad movies back then. "The Bear Tamer" is one of the bad ones.

(Note: Deterioration has faded the DFI print, and there's a lot of mottling.)

The Bear Tamer review

[JoeytheBrit · 3/10 · 26 June 2020]

A sequel to The Flying Circus which lacks any of its predecessor's qualities. It has a running time of 50 minutes (although the version online is only 40 minutes long), but the story could easily be told in half that time. None of the characters are particularly likeable and the ending is a real anti-climax.