The Wildlife Specials: Polar bear: The Arctic Warrior
(1997)
Part of a series of one-off BBC wildlife specials to mark forty years of the BBC Natural History Unit, Polar bear: The Arctic Warrior is a fascinating celebration of these powerful and formidable predators - majestic in their natural habitat.
A land of ice and blizzards, bleak and desolate, there can be few places as remote or as beautiful as the Arctic Circle. Punishing in the extreme, with a winter of perpetual darkness which is then replaced by months of blazing daylight, this BBC production was the first in-depth study of the polar bear in its harsh and unrelenting terrain.
With little polar bear behaviour ever being caught on film before, world-renowned wildlife producer Martha Holmes, together with cameramen Doug Allan and Martin Saunders, recorded a number of groundbreaking sequences. In evocative scenes yearlings are seen imitating their parents as they crash into the dens of seal pups, hunt walruses and scavenge on vegetation and bird carcasses.
With the dramatic backdrop of frozen ice fields and stunning underwater shots, the unique imagery is woven in with an informative commentary from David Attenborough. Winner of a Best Factual Photography BAFTA in 1998, Polar Bear: The Arctic Warrior provides a comprehensive insight into the day-to-day life of the world's largest land carnivore.
The Wildlife Specials: Crocodile: The Smiling Predator (1997)
David Attenborough
