Movie #9 Grizzly Man

#9 –2/3/03
GRIZZLY MAN
Documentary – Cast Timothy Treadwell and a cast of Grizzlies
RATING: C+
WHERE SEEN: Home
SEEN WITH: Self
REASON FOR VIEWING: Have always been strangely intrigued by grizzly bears
SETTING: Alaska
SYNOPSIS: In his mesmerizing new film GRIZZLY MAN, acclaimed director Werner Herzog explores the life and death of amateur grizzly bear expert and wildlife
preservationist Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell lived unarmed among the bears for thirteen summers, and filmed his adventures in the wild during his final five seasons. In October 2003, Treadwell's remains, along with those of his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were discovered near their campsite in Alaska's Katmai National Park and Reserve. They had been mauled and devoured by a grizzly, the first known victims of a bear attack in the park. (The bear suspected of the killings was later shot by park officials.) In GRIZZLY MAN,Herzog plumbs not only the mystery of wild nature, but also the mystery of human nature as he chronicles Treadwell's final years in the wilderness. Herzog uses Treadwell's own startling documentary footage to paint a nuanced portrait of a complex and compelling figure while exploring larger questions about the uneasy relationship between man and nature.


COMMENTS: I had this in my Netflix queue but noticed it was on the Discovery Channel so decided to take advantage of it. Ever since seeing my first grizzly bear up close over 30 years ago at the Olympic Game Farm, where animals used in many Disney movies were trained, I have been not as much obsessed but certainly VERY interested in reading about grizzlies – their behavior and even books such as Alaska Bear Tales, Jack Olsen’s very wonderful book Night of the Grizzlies about a series of attacks in Glacier National Park, and most recently Patricia VanTighem’s The Bear’s Embrace. Timothy Treadwell was one strange dude. He obviously did too many drugs at one time. They fried his brain. No one in his right mind could act this way. He claimed to love animals and I supposed that is true, but the love turned to an unhealthy obsession. I can’t even call this a brilliant piece of filmmaking. Herzog has basically taken Treadwell’s footage, provided extra narration, and given us a portrait of a mad man whose omnipotent behavior lead to not only his death but the death of his girlfriend. I found this a portrait of a madman and although no one deserves to die, he certainly put himself in harm’s way and set himself up – playing his own type of Russian roulette one too many times. This was a winner at Sundance but I can’t really understand why. I have to give Herzog credit though—he didn’t use the footage of Treadwell’s actual death although alluding to the fact that is was beyond horrifying. He must have known that he would eventually be killed by the bears he loved. No one could have been that naïve even though on the film just a few days before his death he ironically says he has found a way to live with the bears and “to do it right and survive”. Even after seeing this movie, I still would like to go on one of the treks to Alaska where one sees grizzlies in their natural habitat in a controlled environment. But I never want to meet one on a mountain trail.