Movie Review: Grizzly Man

[Cubswin]

Saw this documentary last night and it was an enjoyable view. Its the true story of environmentalist Timothy Treadwell who spent 13 summers living in the Alaskan Wilderness among the grizzlies. The documentary is composed of Treadwell's originial footage as well as interviews of those who knew him best.

Through Threadwell's footage, we see a man who loves his bears with great conviction and will do anythings to 'protect' them from his perceived outside threats. At the same time, we see a man who is slightly troubled and battling inner demons. Through his footage we learn of his past strugles with alcohol, his distrust for society, and his paranoia over the safety of the bears... when in reality they are as safe as can be in the national park where he spends his summers.

During the documentary we see Treadwell appear on the Letterman show and Dave jokes, "Is it going to happen that we read a news item one day that you have been eaten by one of these bears?"

Treadwell himself says, "If I show weakness, I'm dead. They will take me out, they will decapitate me, they will chop me up into bits and pieces -- I'm dead. So far, I persevere. I persevere."

In the end, Treadwell and his girlfirend become bear bait. There is an erie feeling to his video, especially the footage taken a few days before his death. At times the documentary has a Blair Witch feel to it, with the shakey, surreal video footage.

What makes the film good? Ill yield to Mr Ebert on this one...

"The documentary is an uncommon meeting between Treadwell's loony idealism, and (Director) Herzog's bleak worldview. Treadwell's footage is sometimes miraculous, as when we see his close bond with a fox who has been like his pet dog for 10 years. Or when he grows angry with God because a drought has dried up the salmon run and his bears are starving. He demands that God make it rain and, what do you know, it does.

Against this is Herzog, on the soundtrack: "I believe the common character of the universe is not harmony, but hostility, chaos and murder." And over footage of one of Treadwell's beloved bears: "This blank stare" shows not the wisdom Treadwell read into it, but "only the half-bored interest in food."