| The Sons of Great Bear | |
|---|---|
 1966 poster of The Sons of Great Bear | |
| Directed by | Josef Mach |
| Screenplay by | Margot Beichler Hans-Joachim Wallstein |
| Based on | Die Söhne der großen Bärin series by Liselotte Welskopf-Henrich |
| Produced by | Hans Mahlich |
| Starring | Gojko Mitić |
| Cinematography | Jaroslav Tuzar |
| Edited by | Ilse Peters |
| Music by | Wilhelm Neef |
Production companies | DEFA Bosna Film Sarajevo |
| Distributed by | Progress Film |
Release dates |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | German Democratic Republic |
| Languages | German and Mongolian |
| Box office | 4,800,000 East German Mark (GDR; 1966) |
The Sons of Great Bear (German: Die Söhne der großen Bärin; literally, The Sons of the Great She-Bear) is a 1966 East German Western film, directed by the Czechoslovak filmmaker Josef Mach and starring the Yugoslav actor Gojko Mitić in the leading role of Tokei-ihto. The script was adapted from the eponymous series of novels by author Liselotte Welskopf-Henrich, and the music composed by Wilhelm Neef. The picture is a revisionist Western, pioneering the genre of the Ostern, and emphasises the positive portrayal of Native Americans, while presenting the Whites as antagonists. It is one of the most successful pictures produced by the DEFA film studio, known for its series of "Indian films".