Grizzly Man (2005)

Okay, I'll Admit it...

I wanted to hear the audio tape of Treadwell's death. Morbid fascination? Perhaps. And, I probably would be traumatized afterwards. Still, I wanted to hear it.

I find Herzog's self-righteous reason for not including the audio footage laughable. Why did HE listen to the tape? The coroner gives a very detailed description of what is going on while Treadwell is being attacked by the bear, so other than to satisfy his own morbid curiosity, there was no need for Herzog to listen to the tape. And, though Herzog recommends to Treadwell's ex-girlfriend (the owner of the tape) that the tape should be destroyed, reportedly the tape still exists. With the interest in Treadwell's life growing, I think she is very much aware of the tape's value. October 10, 2008

Grizzly Man is great!

A must see for all film buffs, "real" people who seem like characters
in a wacky film October 10, 2008

Amazing Film

This is a super well done documentary about an intensely thought-provoking story. A story of a troubled man yearning for peace and a world that is good; a very intense story. October 2, 2008

Into the Wild

"Grizzly Man" is a fascinating documentary of Timothy Treadwell,a man who ventured into the "Last Frontier" to commune with the brown bears. Acclaimed director Werner Herzog ("Aguirre,Wrath of God","Fitzcarraldo") ventures not only into the wilderness of Alaska, but the troubling landscape of Treadwell's mind.

Timothy Treadwell grew up in middle-class comfort in Florida. He went to California, attempting to get into Hollywood. He drowned himself in drugs and alcohol, only to find salvation through Nature (it's never fully explained) Treadwell is a deeply eccentric character. He filmed himself in his Alaskan refuge, wrestling with belief in God, wishing he were gay instead of straight (and priding himself on his bedroom abilities) Treadwell has pure,childlike joy in the presence of bears and foxes. He has religious reverence for the land. He's a flamboyant, flaming showman before the camera (a very gay-acting straight man--apparently several of his former girlfriends declined interviews). Treadwell's identification with animals- to the point he saw himself as a bear- brought him to a tragic end along with his girlfriend Amie Huguenard.

Werner Herzog uses not only Treadwell's personal footage, but interviews his parents, his ex-lover Jewel (who founded Grizzly Friends with him),the coroner,the bush pilot who took him to the "Grizzly Maze." He speaks with an Aleut,as well as a friend from his California days. Herzog carefully crafts the documentary, making it a riveting piece of cinema. There's also some beautiful folk music from Richard Thompson (Fairport Convention) "Grizzly Man" shows that the wilderness isn't always in the great outdoors, but the human heart and mind. September 30, 2008

Fading into disillusionment

Tragic yet unapologetic, Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man" is an in-depth character study of a man who grew increasingly uncomfortable living in society (perhaps because he failed at it) so sought refuge in the Alaskan wilderness with ferocious Grizzlies. Many viewers have complained that the film is about Timothy Treadwell, not bears, but one glance at the title tells you who the protagonist of this documentary is.
Timothy Treadwell grew up "a normal kid", excelled at high school swimming, and seemed fearless when surfing or immersing himself in the ocean. One wonders if this was the beginning of what would become increasingly alarming suicidal behavior. He admitted to problems with alcohol and drugs, to the point where he would drink every day and couldn't pry himself from the lure of the bottle. He came close to death during a drug overdose, and this was his "epiphany", a wake-up call that something needed to change in his life.
So he found his calling trying to protect bears. The ironic thing is, one cannot form an intimate relationship with bears, since they do not experience human emotion. Timothy felt he was doing them an incredible service, but it's a mystery to me (based on the movie) exactly what he did for them. Did he feel his mere presence warded off poachers and thrill-seekers? He educated kids about bears and formed an ecological group dedicated to bears, but the film focuses mainly on his wildly irrational judgment in choosing bears as his companions in a world he deems antagonistic.
I believe Timothy was failing in real life and needed something to make himself feel valued. He admitted to having problems maintaining relationships with women, verbalizing this in an almost despairing way on camera. Since the wilderness was often mind-numbingly boring, he created drama to elicit emotion from himself. In one scene, he mourns the plight of a bumblebee that has perished while "doing its pollen thing". A few seconds later he says, "It moved. Was it just sleeping?" The same could be asked about Timothy Treadwell. A friend states that a doctor wanted to put him on medicine, but he took himself off the drug because he couldn't live with the middle ground that most humans rely on to function. Timothy wanted the "highs and lows". Quite possibly manic-depression made him feel larger-than-life, a hero of nature, a Herculean savior who got mauled by the very animal he was trying to save.
Indeed Timothy appears manic at times, ranting about the Wildlife Service that fails to protect the bears, and declaring himself the only person who cares about them. He barks angrily at God when there hasn't been enough rain and the bears grow so hungry from fish-deprivation they start devouring their young. This is only after his attempt to create a channel in the river fails, and he unknowingly tampers with an ecosystem that should best be left alone. During the movie, Treadwell repeats ad nauseum that he "loves the bears", and also the foxes that frolic around his campsite. I wondered if he was repeating this over and over to try to convince himself that it was true. It is normal to feel love for nature and its beauty, but it is dangerous to relate to an animal that stares at you without a hint of reciprocal passion and will act on instinct to mutilate you if you do something that is deemed even remotely threatening.
Sadly, Timothy tempted fate by staying in the wilds too long, which perhaps was becoming his only comfort zone in a reality he couldn't comform to. His female companion was sacrificed for a cause that Timothy considered noble but was actually a delusion to keep himself productive and satisfy an overwhleming need to conquer his own demons by exorcising himself through animal-preservation. How sad that the animal he was trying to protect was possibly his own worst enemy. September 22, 2008

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