Post by Vercetti on Feb 4, 2006 6:40:55 GMT
Grizzly Man
Director: Werner Herzog
2005 USA
Timothy Treadwell spent 13 summers living among bears and foxes in Alaska, swearing to protect them only for him and his girlfriend to be killed by a bear in 2003. He shot around 100 hours of footage in his more recent years.
Werner Herzog’s documentary Grizzly Man seems to be an intense tribute and admiration for a beautiful type of humanity that can’t be duplicated. The film is about Timothy Treadwell, who spent 13 summers living among bears. Unfortunately this came to an end in October of 2003, when he and his girlfriend were mauled and partially eaten by a bear. Herzog narrates from time to time while we see a number of Treadwell’s videos, with some comments from others from local people who think of him as irresponsible to his friends who cared deeply for him. We even see his appearance on the David Letterman show, where Letterman jokingly asks him if we’ll hear about a bear killing him. He says “no” and we get the sense he really believes it.
What Herzog seems to be focused on is the beauty of Treadwell’s films. In one scene he tells us how the nature remains captivating even after he left the frame for a few moments. Most of the time we listen to the rants of this man, who seems to be dissatisfied with life with other humans. He’s eccentric and focused on a goal that for all we know may be meaningless. He calls himself an eco-warrior, defending the wildlife but poaching in that Alaskan area is supposedly low.
Instead at times the film feels more like character study, only without actors. It’s clear Treadwell is determined, but very possibly due to some kind of issues with his life. He confesses his past alcoholism and how his love for bears helped him kicked it. He cries over the animals’ suffering and is obsessed with a bear’s feces, for being inside of it, like some special piece of life. His behavior comes from all different directions emotionally. Through the course of the film he proves to be odd, determined, and very caring. In one scene he tapes a fight between two male bears, and he sounds brokenhearted, watching these two creatures he loves tear at each other.
Like Herzog, what I loved the most was the natural beauty of the film. Take one scene where he leaves his tent to play with two foxes. It’s not just some random moment. These are two foxes, like his bears, he’s named. The foxes are like dogs that play with him and follow him around loyally. Their barking also helps him know if a bear is near. There are also plenty of odd moments as well. Take one scene where he blasts several people he’s worked with and supposedly has a very good relationship. We don’t know why, but he gets into a fierce, seemingly egotistical rant, flipping the finger and swearing like a sailor to the camera.
The impression I get from this man is that he’s a very nice person, but as stated he crossed an invisible line. He was perhaps, too kind to survive in this world. He made it well clear that he wouldn’t kill a bear even if it meant his life. He hopes to live his whole life among the bears, and he knows he takes extreme risks by camping away from open areas and such. It seems he does have a love for dangerous beauty, perhaps to escape society. You get the sense he dislikes cities, and “people food.” He isn’t some guy fed up running away from something, he found something. His story is painful enough, and it’s pretty obvious he is honest in his actions. Just watching him cry over the suffering of animals says plenty. The musical score is also very appropriate, soft music. What makes this such a great documentary is the barrage of emotion shooting everywhere. This is sure to disturb you and show you a beauty that as Herzog said, cannot be duplicated.
CREDITS
Director[/b]
Werner Herzog
Producer
Kevin L. Beggs, Alana Berry, Billy Campbell, etc.
Writer
Werner Herzog
Cinematographer
Peter Zeitlinger
Original Music By
Richard Thompson
Editors
Joe Bini
CAST
Timothy Treadwell
Himself (archive footage)
Amie Huguenard
Herself (archive footage)
Werner Herzog
Himself/Interviewer/Narrator
Franc G. Fallico
Medical Examiner[/size]
Director: Werner Herzog
2005 USA
Timothy Treadwell spent 13 summers living among bears and foxes in Alaska, swearing to protect them only for him and his girlfriend to be killed by a bear in 2003. He shot around 100 hours of footage in his more recent years.
Werner Herzog’s documentary Grizzly Man seems to be an intense tribute and admiration for a beautiful type of humanity that can’t be duplicated. The film is about Timothy Treadwell, who spent 13 summers living among bears. Unfortunately this came to an end in October of 2003, when he and his girlfriend were mauled and partially eaten by a bear. Herzog narrates from time to time while we see a number of Treadwell’s videos, with some comments from others from local people who think of him as irresponsible to his friends who cared deeply for him. We even see his appearance on the David Letterman show, where Letterman jokingly asks him if we’ll hear about a bear killing him. He says “no” and we get the sense he really believes it.
What Herzog seems to be focused on is the beauty of Treadwell’s films. In one scene he tells us how the nature remains captivating even after he left the frame for a few moments. Most of the time we listen to the rants of this man, who seems to be dissatisfied with life with other humans. He’s eccentric and focused on a goal that for all we know may be meaningless. He calls himself an eco-warrior, defending the wildlife but poaching in that Alaskan area is supposedly low.
Instead at times the film feels more like character study, only without actors. It’s clear Treadwell is determined, but very possibly due to some kind of issues with his life. He confesses his past alcoholism and how his love for bears helped him kicked it. He cries over the animals’ suffering and is obsessed with a bear’s feces, for being inside of it, like some special piece of life. His behavior comes from all different directions emotionally. Through the course of the film he proves to be odd, determined, and very caring. In one scene he tapes a fight between two male bears, and he sounds brokenhearted, watching these two creatures he loves tear at each other.
Like Herzog, what I loved the most was the natural beauty of the film. Take one scene where he leaves his tent to play with two foxes. It’s not just some random moment. These are two foxes, like his bears, he’s named. The foxes are like dogs that play with him and follow him around loyally. Their barking also helps him know if a bear is near. There are also plenty of odd moments as well. Take one scene where he blasts several people he’s worked with and supposedly has a very good relationship. We don’t know why, but he gets into a fierce, seemingly egotistical rant, flipping the finger and swearing like a sailor to the camera.
The impression I get from this man is that he’s a very nice person, but as stated he crossed an invisible line. He was perhaps, too kind to survive in this world. He made it well clear that he wouldn’t kill a bear even if it meant his life. He hopes to live his whole life among the bears, and he knows he takes extreme risks by camping away from open areas and such. It seems he does have a love for dangerous beauty, perhaps to escape society. You get the sense he dislikes cities, and “people food.” He isn’t some guy fed up running away from something, he found something. His story is painful enough, and it’s pretty obvious he is honest in his actions. Just watching him cry over the suffering of animals says plenty. The musical score is also very appropriate, soft music. What makes this such a great documentary is the barrage of emotion shooting everywhere. This is sure to disturb you and show you a beauty that as Herzog said, cannot be duplicated.
CREDITS
Director[/b]
Werner Herzog
Producer
Kevin L. Beggs, Alana Berry, Billy Campbell, etc.
Writer
Werner Herzog
Cinematographer
Peter Zeitlinger
Original Music By
Richard Thompson
Editors
Joe Bini
CAST
Timothy Treadwell
Himself (archive footage)
Amie Huguenard
Herself (archive footage)
Werner Herzog
Himself/Interviewer/Narrator
Franc G. Fallico
Medical Examiner[/size]
