Timothy
Treadwell spent thirteen summers in the remote Alaskan country, living
alone with the wild bears, hoping to befriend and protect them. For five of those years he took a video
camera with him and started to film both the bears, and himself, making
footage that could be used in a documentary, and recording his own
personal feelings to the camera. In 2003 he was killed by one of these
bears.
German born director Werner Herzog is best known for his
work with actor Klaus Kinski, but has also done a lot of work with
documentaries, from the completely freeform
Fata Morgana (1971) to the more conventional
Little Deiter Must Fly (1997).
Grizzly Man
is in the latter camp - at first glance a relatively straight forward
documentary, that Herzog manages to fill with a unique atmosphere. The
first shot of the film really sets the tone, some of
Treadwell's footage of himself, describing how easily he could
fall victim to one of the bears if he showed weakness - but instead of
stopping the shot when Treadwell clearly plans to cut it, Herzog lets
the footage run on longer to show Treadwell comment to himself, and
walk up to the camera to stop it. Throughout the film Herzog takes real
advantage of this unedited camera footage, to show us both the public
image of Timothy Treadwell, and the rather haunted man himself.
During
the course of the film we get a full biographical account of the life
of Treadwell, from his parents and his friends. The film does not shy
away from detailing some of the dark times in his life, an addiction to
drinking, and associations with criminal gangs, but equally it never
dwells on these aspects, and we also hear about his voluntary work,
touring schools to teach children about the bears and show his footage.
Much to its credit the film maintains this very balanced tone
throughout, from interviewees who openly criticise the man and his
beliefs (notably his paranoia about poachers), to others who all but
praise him for his dedication and hard work. As usual for his
documentaries, Herzog himself provides the narration and although
remaining quite neutral for most of the time, becomes quite open in his
own feelings towards the end of the story, challenging Treadwell's
belief that nature is inherently good and kind, with his own view that
nature is naturally destructive and in chaos. Herzog is also
uniquely placed to comment on Treadwell's footage, from the perspective
of a fellow film maker, and appears to greatly admire some of the shots
that he was able to get.
On a documentary
of this sort, there is a real danger that the end result could become
gratuitously shocking, or sappy and emotional. Again Herzog manages to
capture a very fine balance. He does not shy away from the brutal way
in which Treadwell was killed, and we hear some particularly vivid
descriptions, but although Herzog refers to photographs of the site of
the killing, seen at the coroners office, and at one point is seen
listening to the audio recording that Treadwell made of his own death,
we never see or hear these in the film. Several of the interviewees
break down into tears during their talks, and it is testament to
Herzog's skill as an interviewer, that he neither exploits or hides
this from the viewers.
Herzog's
own footage is used sparingly, but his location shots still reveals his
talents for
finding a beautiful landscape, while his interviews are reflective of
the documentary as a whole, letting the camera run on a little longer
than expected, to show the real emotions that come out. The musical
soundtrack is very interesting - an entirely improvised score, recorded
by musicians watching the film after it was completed (extensively
covered on the
Grizzly Man Session
documentary included on this DVD). Largely guitar based, this score is
very effective and fits the mood of the film perfectly. The pacing is
strong throughout, although the subject could have been covered in a
simple 30 minute television slot, he explores much deeper and manages to
easily fill the 100 minute run-time without any padding or dragging.
From
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974) to
Death for Five Voices
(1999) Werner Herzog's work is filled with tributes and fascination to
unique men, and Timothy Treadwell is a perfect example. Again Herzog
has proven himself the master of the documentary format, managing the
rare art of making a film that is completely balanced, and leaves the
viewer to make their own judgment. Certainly among the best of
Herzog's impressive oeuvre, this film is highly recommended to all.
