Grizzly Man (2005)

Powerful

Perfect cast and a good story

i must have seen a different film!!

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

A great documentary about a troubled man that misinterpreted the concept of biodiversity conservation. Herzog didn't agree nor disagree with Treadwell's actions but was more fascinated by him as a nature filmmaker and by his extreme and weird ambitions. This insightful documentary also deals with the protagonist's psych, masterfully delivered by the director; this almost becomes more of a psychological drama than a nature documentary. The usual dark and pessimistic tone, typical in Herzog's films is also present here. Herzog's directing and constant interferences makes this the most artsy nature documentary I've seen so far. For example, that moment when he appears in front of the camera and listens to that audio tape, it's pure cinematic art! As a scholar in environmental sciences, I disagree with Treadwell's sloppy and unprofessional expeditions, but also somehow admire his courage and honest heart. It's interesting that he didn't choose an essential endangered species (even some invertebrates have a higher risk of extinction), but a very dangerous one, like he was asking for it. Treadwell was not a role model, nor hero or true naturalist; even if he's done more harm than good to wild bears, he was sincere and passionate about his work; a naive grown-up child that wanted peace for all living creatures on Earth.

"Grizzly Man" is not at all your average documentary. This is largely due to the personality of not only the film's subject, but the film's director. Werner Herzog's narration is not only special because of his iconic voice, but also because of how uniquely it is written. Herzog is not afraid to voice his opinion and philosophize in his narration. The narrator is not just a narrator in this film, he is a character, which is something you don't normally see anywhere other than the documentaries of Werner Herzog.The film is also unique due to a fascinating subject, and an unexpected blend of tragedy and comedy. The tragic aspect comes from the sadness and mourning of Timothy Treadwell's friends and family after a grizzly bear attack that killed him and his girlfriend. The comic aspect comes from the footage Timothy Treadwell took of himself and various bears in previous years, in which he not only took some amazing wildlife footage, but proved to have a personality so weird and wacky that I couldn't help but laugh during many points throughout the film. The deaths of Treadwell and his girlfriend are tragic, but it is clear that he was somewhat delusional and seems almost crazy at times. While he spent years out in the wild, the disastrous outcome seems like it was bound to happen.Many people say that they could not sympathize with Timothy Treadwell at all during the film, but I did feel something for him. He wasn't at all a bad man, and his intentions were good, but he was highly flawed as well. He wanted to be a bear, but that just wasn't meant to be.

A decade ago, the news reported that some guy who loved to film Grizzly bears was eaten by the creatures. This didn't surprise me but I thought it was an awfully sad story. Little did I know that the guy who was killed (along with a companion) was a complete idiot--and his death shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone, much like the death of the Crocodile Hunter. You don't take unnecessary and insane risks around extremely dangerous animals--and they really don't have too many creatures on Earth that are as dangerous and mean as these animals! Yet, Timothy Treadwell reveled in getting extremely close and even touching wild bears--and videotaping his exploits. Well, he got his wish...one of the bears ending up eating him and his partner and it was actually recorded by his cameras. Fortunately, filmmaker Werner Herzog did NOT reveal this footage but tries to reconstruct what occurred and investigate this strange man and those who knew him. How did he morph from a seemingly normal kid to an alcoholic to a nature lover? And, did he really end up helping the bears...and did they even need helping?This is a fascinating documentary and that doesn't surprise me, as Herzog's best work (despite fame for his feature films) are his documentaries. He takes a simple story and breathes life into it and investigates far deeper than you might find with other documentarians. I think some of this is because although Herzog is troubled by some aspects of Treadwell and criticizes Treadwell, he also seems to feel a certain respect and admiration for him as well---particularly Treadwell's very exacting and personal style of making films.While some might find the film overly long (it features LOTS of video of Treadwell talking on and on and on), I appreciate that it DOES give so much. It helps the viewer to construct an interesting portrait of the guy--a person who seems to be a combination of a narcissist and with an addictive personality and a death wish as well as having a tenuous grasp on reality. This reality distortion is more and more pronounced as the film progresses. He seems to think he is somehow THE man to protect the species and no one else can--though the bears in the film apparently were NOT at risk and didn't need protecting. He also is so into being around the bears that he seems to lose perspective in other ways--such as practically wetting himself in excitement when he finds fresh bear poo and plays with it! Truly a bizarre man--and the film does a great job of putting this across to the viewer. Overall, a strangely compelling and strange film.

"Grizzly Man", should be a documentary that by many standards shouldn't work this well. Of course there's enough substance to make a decent enough made-for-television kind of documentary, and Discovery channel sought of did with the follow up "The Grizzly Man Diaries" in 2008. But thanks to the exceptional craft of Werner Herzog, who extracted more than 100 hours of footage shot by Timothy Treadwell. Makes "Grizzly Man" one of the best documentaries of the 2000's you should definitely see.Timothy Treadwell, a man known of questionable mental health in the past. Spent 13 summers in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska studying bears. Over time he believed the bears trusted him, and would allow him to approach them, sometimes he would even touch them. Treadwell continued to document his time with them in order to raise public awareness and then return back to the park, despite repeatedly being warned by park officials that his interactions were unsafe to both him and to the bears. Tragically in 2003 at the end of his 13th visit, he and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard were attacked, killed and partially eaten by a bear. After getting various permissions from Timothy's closest friends and fellow enthusiasts, Herzog crafts and narrates his movie. Barely scolding Timothy for any of his actions, Herzog's interests are showing what Timothy was striving for and interviewing those closest to him. My favourite moments is where Herzog comes to admire many of the shots that Timothy created, and his constant retakes show some elements of a natural film-maker. Unfortunately as the film progresses, there really is no small sign of common sense in Treadwell's mind that his encounters with these animals will inevitably kill him. As Herzog expertly deduces that when looking into the eyes of an animal, all you can see is the cold, indifference of nature (Remember that Herzog's exploits in the Jungle are legendary).Final Verdict: The wildlife footage Timothy shot is pretty dam fantastic and Werner Herzog does justice to a man's work, albeit a reckless one. Everything is done in respect and I thoroughly recommend it. 8/10.