Bearskin, or The Man Who Didn't Wash for Seven Years (1984)

• 76%
• 1984
• Family
• Fantasy
• Tom Davenport
• Glenn Taylor
• Helen Stoltzfus
• Kate Weber

A valiant soldier, wandering without cause or family after the Civil War, accepts the Devil's challenge to go for seven years without washing himself; cutting his hair, beard, or nails; or reciting the Lord's Prayer in exchange for limitless wealth. Draped in the Devil's cloak and the skin of a bear, the soldier travels the world, reveling in his riches until his appearance and odor become repugnant to all and especially to himself. At that point, the soldier learns to care about others and becomes the benefactor to a down-on-his-luck man who, in return for the soldier's generosity, offers one of his daughters in marriage.