The kindly King of Winterland (Jack Fjeldstad) has three daughters. Two are spoiled and flighty (Marika Enstad and Kristin Mack) but the third is a sweet and loving Princess (Maria Bonnevie) he loves most of all. Although the Princess adores her home and family, she longs to see the world beyond the kingdom of eternal snowfall, a world of flowers and colour. In her dreams she glimpses just such a place along with a handsome man who unbeknownst to her is King Valemon (Tobias Hoesl), newly ascended ruler of the neighbouring kingdom. Unfortunately Valemon falls victim to an evil spell cast by a Witch (Anna-Lotta Larsson) out to seize his throne. She transforms him into a polar bear able to revert back to a man for only one hour after midnight. Only the love of a good woman can break the spell but first she must live for seven years at his castle without seeing his true face. Sure enough the Princess proves the love he has searched for and despite her father's protests, absconds with him to the kingdom of the South to enter an unorthodox yet loving marriage. But the Witch does not give up so easily and plays a nasty trick when the Princess gives birth to their first child.
While Hollywood has only recently revived live action fairytale movies with a run of uneven revisionist tales in Europe the tradition never really died out even in those decades when sci-fi and action-adventure fare were more dominant. Lamberto Bava's lavish Italian production Fantaghiro: Cave of the Golden Rose (1991) earned an enduring fan following spawning five sequels while this Norwegian production sired a similarly devoted fan-base among those who caught it at a young age. It is adapted from a familiar Norwegian fairytale called White Bear King Valemon. First published as part of a collection of tales in 1871 the story is undeniably reminiscent of both Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella, underlining the interwoven heritage of global folklore. Fans of Jim Henson's landmark television series The Storyteller (1987) may recognize this story in an alternate guise as an episode entitled "Hans My Hedgehog." Indeed the animatronic creature effects were created by Henson's Creature Shop. Though not "realistic" per se, the talking polar bear is convincing and full of personality which is surely more important in a fantasy film. It is tempting to speculate the original story influenced that onetime staple of children's TV The Singing Ringing Tree (1957).
The Polar Bear King has the gentle charm and lyrical flavour of classic Euro fairytale fare from the Fifties and Sixties albeit with a more austere visual style and earnest, occasionally overly somber performances. Tobias Hoesl makes for a particularly cold and uncharismatic romantic lead which is perhaps an inevitable byproduct of a movie otherwise focused on the heroism of women. With the plot functioning as a metaphor for how faith and trust forges the path to true love, the heroine's inevitable impulsive mistake results in catastrophe. After which she embarks on an arduous, emotionally draining journey to prove her fortitude and redeem herself. Scripted by producer Eric Borge, the adherence to a traditional fairytale story structure results in the odd clunky and confusing moment (e.g. given the King of Winterland can talk to animals why does he not believe in magic?) but on the whole this is a beguiling yarn. The English dubbed version relies heavily on cosy narration yet this suits the storybook tone and is not intrusive.
As with fellow Norwegian Nils Gaup, who went from cult favourite Pathfinder (1987) to Journey to the Christmas Star (2012), director Ole Solum has a background in taut action thrillers that adapts surprisingly well to the fairytale genre. His fluid camerawork makes for some arresting set-pieces. Solum's other work includes Cold War action thriller Orion's Belt (1985) and Medieval plague drama Trollsyn (1994) though he his most notable credit is as an assistant director on The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Star Maria Bonnevie enjoyed a sporadic international career gracing John McTiernan's flawed but fascinating Medieval actioner The 13th Warrior (1999) though her real triumphs have thus far been homegrown, e.g. the original version of Insomnia (1997) opposite Stellan Skarsgård and Ole Bornedal's intriguing fantasy drama I Am Dina (2002), the most expensive Norwegian film of all time. She makes for a soft-spoken but spirited heroine with steely resolve. In place of the usual fairy godmother here the Princess is assisted by King Valemon's mother (Monica Nordquist) along with three magically gifted little girls that unbeknownst to her are her long-lost daughters. Meanwhile in the witch's corner we have a cackling, rather camp Devil (Helge Jordal) though he seems incapable of much besides the odd catty remark. Nonetheless the banquet scene with a bunch of exploding witches and trolls is pretty funny.
