Greetings,
Oh, where do I begin with Grizzly Man? I suppose I could start with a spoiler, but would it really be a spoiler since everyone, even people who haven't seen the movie, knows what happens? To sum it up in the simplest terms possible - man lives with bears; man is eaten by bears. If you had to sum it up that quickly, this is how you would do it. Of course, the film is a little more complex than that, and I will do my best to show all sides.
Grizzly Man is a 2005 documentary that was made by Werner Herzog, a man who likes to make movies and likes to narrate them. It takes us through the life of Timothy Treadwell, an animal, particularly bear, enthusiast to say the very least, and through his time spent with those bears over thirteen summers in Alaska. Most of what we see here is footage that Treadwell recorded himself, and it was later found and used for the movie. Consider this a blessing, by the way. I mean, how often do we get a "found footage" movie that is legitimately found footage? Anyway, all of that is interspersed with interviews with family, friends and a few experts, and it ended up being a very well put together film.
Let's talk about the obvious thing first. When the movie came out and since then, it was major joke fodder for practically everyone who saw it. Despite the tragedy of the ending, everything leading up to it seemed to make people either roll their eyes or laugh. I'll admit it. I was one of them. I just did not get what he was doing. I did not get what he was thinking. I'm really not certain that a group of bears could recognize one human from another, much less trust that human. It seemed about as logical as thinking a great white shark is taking revenge out on your family. I also find it hard to believe that he was seeing the same bears every time he went back. All the bears he named, by the way. But it was what he believed.
As I said, most of us knew the deal before we saw this. I know I did, and I went in with the mentality that this was a guy who really loved nature and animals and just had a very tragic thing happen to him. It turns out I was not totally accurate. Yes, Timothy Treadwell did say that he loved the bears and wanted to protect them, and that's fine, if that's what he was doing. I and many people feel like he took it too far. He spent all this time living with the bears in their territory, and he admittedly was breaking laws when it came to where he was staying in the area and how close he got to the animals. He constantly said he respected them. Maybe in his mind he did. But I almost feel like he did not fully respect their power. Sure, he admitted that if one of US messed with them, we would get hurt, but they would never hurt him. Obviously and sadly, he was wrong.
As Treadwell's own footage is shown, it does seem at times that he was really losing it. To this day, I don't know if it was an act or if all of those seemingly insane rants were genuine. I mean, there's passion, but then there is whatever he was doing and feeling. There were times when he was even angry at people who did not want him to be out there, and by that, I am referring to the native people of that land. One even said that he may have been doing more harm than good by making these bears think that all humans are safe. For all the time that their ancestors had inhabited that area, it was always bears on one side, humans on the other, and they do not cross that line without expecting the obvious consequences. Maybe it is some of that Native American blood running through my veins, but I agree. Sometimes the best way to respect and protect is to keep your distance.
Now I don't want to come off as insensitive to what happened. I won't say he got what he deserved like some people have. I just think he paid the price for putting himself into that dangerous situation. Most of all, I have so much sympathy for his family and friends, especially the friend who ended up dying along with him. One of the most powerful moments of the film concerns the tape recording of the actual attack. The camera had been on, but the lens cap had not been removed, so there was only audio, which we, the audience, do not hear. Werner Herzog, however, listens to it on headphones in the presence of the woman, a very good friend of Treadwell's, who was in possession of it. She had never listened to it, but watching someone else do it had a major effect on her. Herzog was clearly shaken, but the look on her face was absolutely devastating and your heart breaks for her. I admired this film maker greatly for advising her to never listen to it, never let anyone else hear it and to just get rid of it.
I know that even now, people still laugh about the situation and mock Timothy Treadwell as they watch the film. But it is something that should be seen, especially if you love seeing nature. The human aspect aside, this film was beautifully shot, including Treadwell's own footage. It is a fascinating story as well, and, in all the times I've seen it, I enjoyed it.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
