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Directed by: Werner Herzog Starring: Timothy Treadwell There's not much for me to say in this review. I am simply here to point my finger, much like in a Zen Koan, towards the moon that is this film. The oject of this documentary is Timothy Treadwell, the man who spend over a decade of his life basically living as a grizzly bear. He finally died in 2003 with his girlfriend from a grizzly bear attack. It had to happen sooner or later. Thankfully he had accumulated over 1,000 hours of footage before his death. The subject of this film is Werner Herzog, one of the best film makers of all time. The subject and object of this film merge to create something remarkably beautiful and at the same time absolutely haunting. You must see this film. I didn't give it a 5 because of personal reasons, but as a film and a film only, it is perfect. RATING: 4.75 PROS: Remarkable footage, beautiful film making, relentless commentary, absolutely mind blowing. CONS: none. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/
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Aug 21, 2005 20:31
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 13:44 |
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In some ways this film can be viewed as a dark comedy. Treadwell, along with every other person interviewed for this film (with the exception of one biologist) is a ridiculously bizarre and strange character. In addition to the main subject of Treadwell's obsession, it can be interesting to think about how such an oddball collection of people can exist and be related to the same series of events. Even during the most macabre or "sad" moments discussing Treadwell's demise, there is often an overwhelming urge to laugh. But for the serious side, this film is an excellent and relatively non-biased discussion of Treadwell's "mission" - why he did it, and why maybe he shouldn't have. Treadwell comes off as a somewhat pathetic yet very self-centered person with delusions of importance. Count how many times he mentions to the camera how much danger he is in and how much trouble the bears would be in without him. The director makes a point of showing how Timothy tries to create the illusion that he is alone in the wilderness, despite often having a companion (girlfriend - he's not gay, if you can believe it after watching him). Still, it's obvious that Treadwell truly believed that what he was doing was good and right and he was willing to risk his life for it. I'm not sure I buy the director and some of the interviewee's assertions that Timothy was purposefully out for self-destruction. He could've just as easily stayed in his downward spiral of booze and drugs if that was his goal. In all, I think Treadwell was a well-meaning person who, for all the time he had alone, never stepped back far enough to look at himself. Rating: 4/5 Pros: Interesting subject, funny, makes you think Cons: Poorly structured (jumps around haphazardly between time periods), ending drags on
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Aug 21, 2005 21:41
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The film effectively conveys Treadwell's expeditions with the bears, and we get to see much of Treadwell's footage. Among the selected clips of his 100 hours of film, we get an image of a dedicated man. This is juxtaposed with accounts of people who knew him, were aware of him, and who investigated him. Through all of this and the narration of Herzog we form an interesting picture of Treadwell. In some ways he would seem like a heroic figure through his quest to protect the Grizzly bear, while from a more practical standpoint he often seemed a fool. There is no questioning the dedication of a man who lived as close to the bears as Treadwell did for 13 years. Still this dedication seemed to lead to a misguided sense of purpose which was only strengthened with Treadwell's time in Alaska. The bears which Treadwell is so adamant in protecting appeared to be safe, and it's questionable whether his work could be deemed more harmful than good. Whether one would call his whole quest self destructive, is difficult to say. Treadwell was more than aware of the dangers but felt he had bonded with the bears, and that they were his friends. Perhaps forgetting about some of the harsher rules of nature. From a more technical standpoint is was done quite well. Herzog's narration lends insight into the filmmaker side of Treadwell, and his comments about Treadwell's filmmaking interested me the most. The large collection of interviews helps to paint a broad and fairly unbiased picture of Treadwell outside of his own autobiographical work. The film runs smoothly and only towards the last 20 minutes did I feel it dragged in the slightest. It sets out to tell the story of Treadwell's life, and it does so very effectively. There are still some questions left unanswered, because in all probability they are unanswerable. Rating: 4.5/5 unlawfulsoup fucked around with this message at 09:59 on Aug 23, 2005 |
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Aug 23, 2005 06:01
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Very interesting movie, especially Treadwell's footage. The documentary itself had some useless parts (such as the ex getting the watch, very lame and obviously acted by her), but everything concerning Treadwell was very very interesting. This movie is not about bears, it's pretty much 90% about a somewhat crazy person doing amazing things and talking about it - very exciting stuff. This is "March of the penguins" for adults. "Grizzly Man" is a much better and a much more important movie. 4.5
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Aug 23, 2005 09:14
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A fascinating portrait of a very strange man. It's a bit long at parts and the flow of it all is kind of scattered at times but otherwise very well done. 4/5
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Sep 25, 2005 08:17
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I don't know enough about filmmaking and cinematography to comment on that part of it, but what I do know is this: This is a "documentary" about a crazy person that gets eaten by a bear. By the end of the movie, you will be happy that he was eaten by a bear. The only victim in the entire movie is his girlfriend, but if you're not smart enough to date straight guys, then I can't really shed too many tears over you. Many of the interviews are obviously staged, and it's about 30 minutes to an hour too long. Watch it if you want, but don't feel like you need to watch the whole thing. 2/5
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Jul 12, 2006 17:04
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Jagershot posted:[REVIEW] this is pretty much EXACTLY what I wanted to post. the staged interviews were really, really, really horrible. I couldn't stand the 'actor' friend. and the ex-girlfriend's fake interviews were the loving worst. I wish that lady were eaten by a bear one summer but sadly she wasnt  -that guy was a nutball -he was clearly gay/furry -his girlfriends were loving idiots -his last girlfriend hosed up everything and payed for it -movie is way too long -the foxes were cool  1.5/5
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Jul 14, 2006 17:39
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I think a lot of people (not so much in this specific thread as in general) project their own opinions about Treadwell and his "mission" as their opinion on the movie, and that's really beside the point. I think anyone with a rational mind can see Treadwell wasn't much of a conservationist, nor did he really know much about bears, nor did the ones in the park really need protecting (and he even failed at that!. The movie is much more about Treadwell himself, and his complete disconnection from the human race; how after various drug/alcohol problems, failed careers, and countless other problems, he just completely seems to give up on most of humanity and tries to become friends with bears. TRIES TO BECOME FRIENDS WITH BEARS. It's at once tragic, horrifying and hilarious. A director tossing himself into a documentary can be annoying sometimes, but I think Herzog worked well here. His bleak view of nature and the world in general was a nice contrast to Treadwell's happy-go-lucky view of nature. I don't know if it's for everyone, but it's a story so unique that it's highly worth seeing. Oh, and the staged interviews were kind of meh. I liked the coroner hamming it up, but some of the stuff with the ex-girlfriend was dull. 4.5/5 edit: found a typo The Landstander fucked around with this message at 19:51 on Jul 24, 2006 |
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Jul 15, 2006 19:11
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It is one thing to study nature from afar. Many great men and women do this on a daily basis. It is altogether another to decide you are, somehow, worthy to intrude into it and put at risk the lives of that which you study. There is a good reason nature should be afraid of man. We like to kill nature. A lot. Even though Tim kept claiming to be some 'protector' of the bears, he would whine and whimper in the bushes whenever others would intrude into the area, never brave enough to even yell ‘Please, cut it out!’. Even when a group of fishermen were throwing rocks at his bears, he would sit and mutter under his breath, apparently too scared to protect anything. Treadwell was a deeply disturbed individual whose entire self worth seemed to come from a collection of grizzly bears he visited each summer for 13 consecutive years. The 'crazy young man' aspect of the documentary is great. Seeing him shift from mild mannered to outraged in a matter of seconds is interesting, but after a while, you start to agree with one of the men who was interviewed and said, in no uncertain words, Timothy deserved what he got. He did. And bringing his 'girl' 'friend' into the horror he himself should have suffered alone is even more infuriating. I don't think he had any real friends. I think the staged interviews were the result of his odd acquaintances being offered a part in a film and jumping at the chance. It has a bizarre 'Jerry Springer' feel to the whole affair. That being said, the actual footage is amazing. You can't get any closer to nature than Treadwell did, and he did a great job documenting most of his adventures. Every time a bear wanders over to him, you are cringing, hoping he isn't going to be torn to shreds (until closer to the end when you realize he's just a nut with a camera). It's an interesting subject, and if they had cut out about 45 minutes of useless footage, this might have been a decent film. Lastly, they actually got audio of him being eaten (one of the cameras was on). This is the most important part of the story, and yet the director refuses to use it. Why you may ask? 'This isn't a snuff film!', he declares. Ok, well, I can hop on the internet and watch people die in many horrible ways. This isn't anything new. It's the sound of a man and woman dying. They showed people plunging to their deaths out of the WTC. It was the director’s choice, but he acted like the tape was so sacred it must never be heard by the public. If you choose to see this, rent it. Just expect to fast forward a lot. Pros: Crazy, bipolar guy wanders around bear infested country with a camera, gets torn to shreds as expected. The foxes rock, and the coroner does, too. Don’t miss the foxes. Cons: Takes too long to get to the eating part, his 'friends' are staged, Timothy comes off like a delusional, tree-hugging nutball, and not an endearing, loving, tree-hugging nutball, like most hippies are. They got audio of him being eaten and decided not to use it and make you feel like a creep for wanting to hear it. 2/5 ZenMaster fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Aug 4, 2006 |
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Jul 24, 2006 17:55
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Grizzly Man is the pinnacle of Herzog's documentary career, and is among his finest films. Although Treadwell created more problems for the bears, although Treadwell himself was delusional, although Treadwell had self esteem issues and was deeply troubled, he was still remarkable to watch. In fact it is because of his troubles that the film was so interesting. And although Treadwell did stupid things, although Treadwell refused to face reality, although he managed to annoy me at times, he still managed to evoke sympathy from me in the end. He had his death coming to him and he brought another person down with him, but it's the condition that he was in that made him disapear into the wilderness that makes this film so tragic. Herzog questions the relationship of humanity and nature, and it's a really facinating, beautiful and enjoyable ride. 5/5 edit: socialnorms posted:stuff Cool, I thought otherwise. jmnmu fucked around with this message at 08:30 on Aug 10, 2006 |
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Jul 24, 2006 21:49
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jimmynmu posted:Grizzly Man is the pinnacle of Herzog's documentary career, and is among his finest films. Although Treadwell created more problems for the bears, although Treadwell himself was delusional, although Treadwell had self esteem issues and was deeply troubled, he was still remarkable to watch. In fact it is because of his troubles that the film was so interesting. And although Treadwell did stupid things, although Treadwell refused to face reality, although he managed to annoy me at times, he still managed to evoke sympathy from me in the end. He had his death coming to him and he brought another person down with him, but it's the condition that he was in that made him disapear into the wilderness that makes this film so tragic. Herzog questions the relationship of humanity and nature, and it's a really facinating, beautiful and enjoyable ride. I think Herzog inserts himself into the story unnecessarily. Treadwell is interesting (to say the least); Herzog's thoughts on him are irrelevant and far from illuminating. The proof is in the pudding: the "fatal footage" scene is so staged and forced that I couldn't keep from laughing, and that was one of many such scenes. As for Herzog questioning the relationship between humans and nature, all he adds are a few cynical comments that distinctly contrast with the kooky environmentalists he interviews. Still, I can't deny that the movie is fascinating. My sister and I spent hours discussing Treadwell's personal issues and possible mental illness (she said yes, I said no). Treadwell's footage would be worthwhile even without narration. 3/5
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Aug 9, 2006 21:21
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Much of the footage of the bears is quite amazing. This guy was just off his rocker, and I can't really feel bad for Treadwell. I agree with previous posts in that his "friends" really felt like people who kind of knew him and wanted to be in a movie. I doubt Treadwell had any real friends at all. I wish they would have played at least some of the audio from his death, because if you're going to go into graphic detail about how many trash bags of human body parts that was in the bear that killed him, you might as well hear it. It pleased me to see that the director seemed to pound home the point that the wild is something that us human shouldn't try and be a part of. For the most part I found the movie to be more funny than anything else. I loved the scene where the fox steals his hat and he gets really pissed off and tries to reason with a loving wild animal. There are parts that are almost uncomfortable to watch because he was so out there. Overall, great bear photography, but even funnier moments of Treadwell totally out of touch with reality. 3.5/5
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Aug 20, 2006 01:48
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This is one of the best films I've ever seen, in the sense that it is a fantastic and penetrating character study. Landstander's review is spot on. It's more about this man's suffering and his hopeless, flawed solution. The man knew consciously or unconsciously, that it would end sometime. He absolutely knew that the only thing that could happen to him was that he would be killed by a bear. Treadwell was like someone who plays russian roulette: He already considers himself dead, so what the hell, why not do something impossibly dangerous for a thrill, and ultimately, for death. My dad knew pilots in the navy who were the same way. They'd fly like maniacs and get away with it for about a decade, and a lot of them crashed and died. He didn't understand nature: He got pissed off when it didn't rain and the bears were forced to kill and eat each other. The world was ultimately not what he wanted it to be, and even the fantasy world of the bears turned out to be nonexistent. And he couldn't stand it. He was ultimately an escapist, and like so many escapists, his escape consumed him and ultimately killed him. Take a look at a drug addict, and they follow the same logic. What Herzog discovered when he found this footage was an incredibly raw portrait of an incredibly sad man. It's funny, it's terrifying, and it's heartbreaking. And it's REAL. 5.5/5 Square fucked around with this message at 04:49 on Aug 25, 2006 |
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Aug 25, 2006 04:46
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If I'm reviewing it as a nature film and documentary, it gets 4/5 stars. If you can manage to completely ignore the insane man sitting at front center stage, the footage captured is incredible and everything is very well put-together. Except for the interviews, which are largely irritating and either staged or involving people just as "off" as Timothy. Also, the foxes were absolutely adorable, and the footage he managed to capture of them is more or less unique; It's almost worth putting up with Timothy just to see that one series of shots. If I'm reviewing it as a movie, it gets 1/5 stars, because Timothy is absolutely painful to watch. There's this one sequence where he cries over a bee sitting unmoving on a flower... A BEE... and then when it moves again, he has a little "praise god" moment and gets all tear eyed all over again. Jesus CHRIST, there's emotionally unstable and then there is having a little drama bomb every time a creature designed for an exceptionally short lifespan dies. There's also this bit where he yells at God for rain which is absolutely hilarious. So, I suppose it gets a 3.5/5 rating in the end. Go to it for excellent footage, and to laugh at almost everything the "hero" says. By the end, I was laughing quite loudly at the footage of the aftermath. Also, this movie is guaranteed to spawn at least a few catch phrases if you watch it with friend. "I love you bee."
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Aug 27, 2006 17:31
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An engrossing film. Treadwell is a very interesting character, someone who was so desperate to get away from human society that he sought the society of dangerous bears. The way I felt about him changed throughout the film. At times he just seemed like a colossal deluded idiot. Ultimately, though, I felt sympathy for him and everyone else involved. As for Herzog, I liked his fairly restrained narration. It wasn't like he had to say much anyway, as Tim seemed happy to speak for himself. 4/5
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Sep 8, 2006 22:15
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