[.ca] Grizzly Man

From Amazon.com:
Grizzly Man could easily have been sensational and exploitative, but in the hands of Werner Herzog, it becomes something extraordinary. Herzog was granted exclusive access to over 100 hours of video shot by amateur naturalist, wildlife advocate and troubled loner Timothy Treadwell, who spent 13 summers in Alaska's Katmai National Park, where he grew to know and love the grizzly bears that lived there. He was also killed by one of them, in October 2003, along with his girlfriend Amie Huguenard, and that seemingly inevitable fate informs every minute of Herzog's riveting combination of Treadwell's video with his own expert filmmaking and unique vision of nature and man. Whereas Treadwell was a naïve nature-lover and social outcast whose sanity was slowly slipping away, Herzog is a pragmatic mythologist who views nature primarily in terms of "chaos, hostility, and murder," and the disparity of their vision results in a magnetic attraction that makes the sum of Grizzly Man greater than its parts. We come to admire the dreamer, the idealist, the failed actor and recovered alcoholic man-child that was Treadwell, and we equally admire the seeker of truth and wisdom that is Herzog. They belong together, in some world beyond our world, where visionaries join forces to create life after death. --Jeff Shannon

Fascinating and well crafted:
This is a complex and disturbing story of obsessive behaviour, following Timothy Treadwell, who lived among grizzly bears for thirteen summers before one ultimately killed him, and his girlfriend. Unfortunately, some of the reviews for Amazon seem to rate the behaviour, not the documentary. Yes, he was a recovered alcoholic who found grizzly bears as a replacement, a lost soul who eventually found more comfort among bears than humans. And no, the film does not endorse his actions. In fact, Werner Herzog has taken over a hundred hours of footage by Treadwell and shaped it into an astonishing portrait, with thoughtful narration by Herzog creating a very different counterpoint to the obsessive behaviour. Treadwell had an idealized perception of nature and sets up the camera to film himself grieving over the body of a dead fox. But Herzog narrates over footage of a bear, commenting, "I see only the overwhelming indifference of nature, and this blank stare speaks only of a half bored interest in food." The score is as haunting as it is appropriate and the disc includes a 50-minute documentary on the making of the film's music. Certainly, it's a disturbing film, and strangely voyeuristic. I almost worried I was providing retroactive encouragement just by watching. But the simple fact of the matter is that it's done, it's over. Herzog shaped this film to be a portrait but also a tribute to Treadwell and I'd encourage you to look for something positive in his life as well. If you look closely at reviews, reactions range from compassionate to a smug dismissal. You might even find this documentary teaches you something about yourself.

More then meets the eye..:
I would definately recommend this movie to anyone. In contrast to reviews I've read in various places, this movie is not disturbing. It emcompasses breathtaking scenes of nature, haunting music, and an individual that obviously defies what everyday individuals call logic. I believe Herzog's direction with this film was to show the human condition, the human way, in an upfront manner. People that are simply to quick to judge, see Treadwell as an individual that is crazy, that needed mental help, and fall into the notion that being different and eccentric is a disease. Herzog saw that this footage embodied many things about human nature; including emotion, passion, adventure and those inner demons that haunt us all. Some people will watch this and pass Treadwell off as a lunatic, some will pass him off as a hero for conservation. The best reason for watching this film is to take your own message from the man Timothy Treadwell was, regardless if you agree with his passions about the bears, his acceptance of an eccentric life; because from the most pronounced scholars, to the drunk on the street, we all live with ourselves. Treadwell lived his life, showed his emotions, and was passionate about what he did, and died for it. That's what made this film so great for me. The human aspect of it. I'm not a vegatarian, I believe in conservation of animals and nature, and I fish and hunt for food. So I urge you to watch it with your own mindset, see the truth and reality of life in the actions of man and beast; not the widespread mindset that your going to be watching a crazy man that should have been medicated to prevent himself from getting eaten by a bear.

very good:
i could see some of the flaws, but the movie was so good you overlooked them without barely noticing. herzog always seems to have loner, outsider characters in his movies, and timothy treadwell is no different. movie consists of footage treadwell filmed himself, most of it breathtaking and absolutely beautiful(the foxes on the tent). some of the people herzog interiews seem kind of fake, or over the top. i'm not sure if this was done on person, but i have a feeling herzog wanted it this way. don't pass this movie up. the soundtrack/score is wonderful as well

Astonishing Documentary:
I am frankly a little puzzled by those who are giving this film 1 or 2 stars. They seem to be rating Timothy Treadwell rather than the movie itself. Werner Herzog's documentary is spellbinding, both in its use of the film that Treadwell shot over the years and in its investigation of the inner workings of the man who would eventually be killed by one of the creatures with which he so desperately tried to identify and, perhaps, even "become."

A Wingnut in Search of Fame:
Don't pick up this movie expecting to see another harmless Grizzly Adam type romp through the northern forests in pursuit of befriending the bears. While it contains romantic illusions of man wanting to become reconciled with beast, this documentary is, to say the least, a very disturbing retelling of a crazy man's venture into psychic isolation in the Alaskan Wilderness. I first encountered the Tim Treadwell story after coming back from a holiday in the Kenai Peninsula in the Summer of 2003. A big-game hunter friend of ours gave us an article to read on the circumstances behind the death of Treadwell and his girlfriend from a bear attack near Kodiak Island. While such tragedies are not unusual for this part of the woods, the story's description of why Treadwill was there in the first place. A French filmmaker, using a lot of Treadwell's earlier footage and personal interviews with friends, does an incredible job in stitching together the story of this man's benighted vision for crossing over the divide between civilization and nature and living with the bears. After thirteen years, Tim's obsessive desire became so blatant and naïve that we see him venturing further and further away from humanity while edging closer and closer to claiming a place in his mythical animal kingdom. The film has merit on three fronts: great scenery shots of the Alaska wilderness compliments of Treadwell; a very thoughtful dialogue as to ascertaining Treadwell's motives; and an exclusion of the last four to five minutes of audio tape recording Treadwill's and girlfriend's death encounter with the bear. This is both a masterful and disturbing film that is best watched in the company of those who know a little about hunting in the wilds.