Film: Grizzly Man

[WacoWas AnAccident]

Just watched this very interesting documentary on the Discovery channel. It's about a guy named Timothy Treadwell who spent 13 summers living with Alaskan brown grizzly bears until he was killed and partially eaten by them.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/

It becomes clear watching this film, which uses a lot of footage shot by Treadwell himself, that the guy was very mentally unbalanced and fled into the wilderness trying to escape his own inner demons. He was looking for some kind of inner peace, which he found in the quiet beauty of nature, yet that passive tranquility turned to feral brutality in an instant. To me, the film represented this very complex balance between the natural and man-made worlds, and the attempt to reconcile this chasm and I found the structured oppositions fascinating.

 

[dapurpman]

i saw this a few weeks ago on the discovery channel, its like watchin a car crash you cant help it, this guy totally lost his mind, n' being bi-polar certainly didn't help he would be all happy touchin a huge bear turd, then raging about the park rangers, n' screamin in his tent to a higher power askin for rain, shit was wild! and he fuckin started his whole grizzly man persona after he lost that role in cheers to woody harrelson, poor guy, ironic how he was braggin about he was the only one to live in the wild with those bears then a few hours later they kill him n' his girl (RIP) sad way to go.

 

[posner]

To me, the film represented this very complex balance between the natural and man-made worlds, and the attempt to reconcile this chasm and I found structured oppositions fascinating.

And how the "chasm" may not be reconcilable or that it was never meant to be reconciled

 

[AmorRoark]

Just watched this very interesting documentary on the Discovery channel. It's about a guy named Timothy Treadwell who spent 13 summers living with Alaskan brown grizzly bears until he was killed and partially eaten by them.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/

It becomes clear watching this film, which uses a lot of footage shot by Treadwell himself, that the guy was very mentally unbalanced and fled into the wilderness trying to escape his own inner demons. He was looking for some kind of inner peace, which he found in the quiet beauty of nature, yet that passive tranquility turned to feral brutality in an instant. To me, the film represented this very complex balance between the natural and man-made worlds, and the attempt to reconcile this chasm and I found the structured oppositions fascinating.

Interesting that you bring this up. I too saw Treadwell as a person that could not accept the civilized world around him; and looked to nature as his escape. Though it may reflect his inner 'demons', I still can't help but respect this man for taking action against the cliche cruel cruel world. His decision to live in the wilderness probably wasn't founded upon the most benevolent intentions, but then again, it's difficult to spot an action that doesn't have some underlying personal problems underneath it all.

I found it very easy to relate to Treadwell. Sure, maybe he became delusional. But I can't help but respect him for doing what he felt was the only righteous thing to do with the circumstances. Personally, I don't think it's right to move into nature the way he did... hundreds of years have shown that there's a distinct line in living amongst other beasts. One cannot bring their humanistic nature to the wild and expect it to work out to be Nirvana. Treadwell did not respect the boundaries nature demands, and ultimately caused his demise.

In regards to the film, I personally really enjoyed the emotion undoubtedly involved with the love Treadwell had for his 'friends'. I think the documentary tapped into that desire built in some of us to run away and live like Christopher McCandless, becoming something greater than this society can offer. But, displayed the realistic problems with that desire in modern, industrialized, Americanized society.

Oh yeah, and can we get a poll for this? It was one of my favorite films of 2005.. I'd give it 5 stars, yes I would.

 

[shutterbug]

i watched this the other nite and really enjoyed it....i was expecting it to be a lot more about the actual bears (a lot more of his footage), but it really focused more on him as a person, which was still neat. i would like to see more of the footage he shot though....does anyone know if he ever did make some of it into tv shows like he was planning or where i can find some raw footage of his?

 

[The Mexican]

saw this last nite and enjoyed it
Treadwell was a fascinating character
was it just me or did some of the interviews seem rehearsed or maybe even scripted?
like the ones with the coroner and his friend the actor
they just didn't sound genuine to me

loved the narrator who sounded like a Schwarzenegger impersonator
i want a fox

 

[Belisarius]

I saw Treadwell as a deeply disturbed character, for whom interacting with the bears was both an escape and a therapy. Sure, I think he was a flake, but who knows what brought him to where he was besides him? We do stupid things all the time with the conviction that we're right, or at least that there's nothing wrong. I know this will sound cliched, but I think that in the end it was all between him and God, or karma, or whatever. Life can be strange and terrible...

 

[cravNbeets]

i was unable to complete this film because treadwell was such an insufferable fucking toss! i couldnt stand to listen to another self-righteous diatribe from treadwell, portraying himself as some noble protector of animals when he was really a disrespectful ego-maniac who looked way too much like jeff daniels.

the footage of the glaciers and of the animals (particularly the foxes) was amazing, but i was unable to stomach more than 60 minutes of ranting from a bipolar drama queen.

 

[Tanuki_23]

Werner Herzog is probably the best non-fiction director ever. Id highly recommend anything made by him.

 

[mariacallas]

^^^^^^Word. I love Werner Herzog , especially his work with one of my favorite actors Kinski in Aguirre, Wrath of God.

 

[Tanuki_23]

^Aguirre, Wrath of God is his best work. An amazing film, probably in my top 5, in the very least in my top 10. Something about descent into madness that is riveting.

 

[mariacallas]

You have to read Kinski: Uncut....the autobiography of Klaus Kinski...he devotes an entire chapter to that "miserable toad" Herzog. LMAO! IT's absolutely hilarious !

 

[Pander Bear]

I saw treadwell as an utter jackass who thought he had discovered some kind of neo-primative high ground by "loving bears".

My heart was deeply gladdened by the death scene.

 

[XiolaBleu]

I found the part where the narrator listened to the recording of Timothy and his girlfriend being attacked by the bear to be very effectively disturbing. I can't even begin to fathom having access to hear my loved ones last minutes like that.

 

[WacoWas AnAccident]

I would have liked it if he included that recording in the film, just to satisfy my own morbid curiosity. When Herzog tells the girlfriend she should destroy the tape, it smacked of melodrama but didn't detract from the film.

 

[AmorRoark]

^ Yeah, was taken aback from that scene. Who is Herzog to tell that bitch what to do with the tape?

 

[Eyeronie]

I wondered if the tape scene was an effort by the director to make the film seem less exploitative. By making the film (which I loved) he may have looked like he was taking advantage of such a gruesome situation - especially if he had played the audio tape.

This movie hit me so hard I started renting Herzog's other stuff. It surprised me how perfectly Treadwell fits in with so many of Herzog's other alienated subjects, like they were meant for each other.

Man seeks fame with people, fails and then seeks peace with bears, bears violently kill man, man finally achieves fame with people. How totally weird.

 

[Sir Foxx]

The guy was a moron. You don't mess with the bears during October(they are getting ready for hibernation) and you sure don't make your camp on the edge of heavily trafficked(by bears) salmon stream. He might as well as killed that girl with his bare hands, for putting her in that insane, dangerous situation.

 

[Belisarius]

<<I wondered if the tape scene was an effort by the director to make the film seem less exploitative. By making the film (which I loved) he may have looked like he was taking advantage of such a gruesome situation - especially if he had played the audio tape.>>

When I saw Herzog's commentary in the after-show for the initial showing, he gave his reasons as (this is roughly from memory):

1.) He will *never* make what he considers a snuff movie.

2.) He believes that a person's final moments should be private. (Why he listened to it, I don't know.)

 

[BA]

Supposedly this is the audio of the attack:

http://s63.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1OCXOBOO95PS41L6AJOXPTW9Z6

If not, it's pretty creepy.