[ad_1]
Grizzly Man (M, 124mins) Directed by Werner Herzog ****½
Timothy Treadwell was just wild about bears.
An amateur grizzly bear expert and wildlife preservationist, he lived unarmed among Alaskan bears for 13 summers, filming his adventures during the final five seasons. Styling himself as the bears’ “Prince Valiant” protector, he came to view them as his family.
But despite his popularity with schoolchildren (he visited their schools for free) and ability to generate publicity, not everyone agreed with his methods. Locals believed he was crossing a line, while wildlife experts expressed concerns that he was taking away the bears’ natural fear of humans (“the bears probably thought he was mentally retarded,” one official said of Treadwell’s continued survival).
No-one seemed surprised then with the discovery of a grisly scene in October 2003. Treadwell and girlfriend Amie Huguenard had been devoured, but their camera and footage remained intact.
READ MORE:
* Planet Sex with Cara Delevingne: Star’s deep-dive docu-series coming to ThreeNow
* Reel Brittania: Excellent docu series reminds us of when British film brought Fire to the world
* Bill’s Legacy: Eight great NZ Film Festival movies (and where you can watch them)
* Meeting Gorbachev: When Werner met Mikhail
* Top 10 documentaries from the past 10 years
Enter German director Werner Herzog (Aguirre: The Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds). Well known for capturing human obsession at its most extreme in both dramas and documentaries, Herzog found a perfect example in the reformed alcoholic, paranoid, child-like Treadwell.
Using a mix of Treadwell’s footage and interviews with his friends, family and other interested parties, Herzog here paints a portrait of a man disconnected from the “human” world. Always sporting the same black clothing, sunglasses and bandana ensemble, Treadwell was more Queer Eye’s Carson Kressley than Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. Coming across as more camp than a row of tents, he Beatrix Potterises his furry friends by giving them names like The Grinch, Mr Chocolate and Aunt Melissa.
Supplied
Always sporting the same black clothing, sunglasses and bandana ensemble, self-styled Grizzly Man Timothy Treadwell was more Queer Eye’s Carson Kressley than Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin.
Herzog’s use of Treadwell’s footage also shows his protagonist to have his own sense of justice and an overinflated sense of ego and drama, as well as a deceitful nature (he claims on camera to be the lone guardian of the grizzlies – and yet he had a female companion with him at least part of every season).
But the footage also shows that Treadwell was a talented filmmaker, prepared to keep the camera rolling and capturing some amazing scenes (complete with insect life on the lens) of bears playing, fighting and fishing.
As a man who once moved a 340-tonne steam ship over a mountain with a bulldozer rather than use special effects, Herzog clearly saw a kindred spirit in Treadwell.
Supplied
Compelling viewing, Grizzly Man weaves heartbreak, horror and plenty of humour into a fascinating story of a man who seemed to act as if “he was working with people in bear costumes, rather than wild animals”.
However, he also can’t stay out of the film. Herzog’s Teutonic tones provide a voice-over which both criticises the Grizzly Man and portrays him as misunderstood (as well as giving us such classic mixed metaphors as “the white elephant in the room”).
Compelling viewing, Grizzly Man weaves heartbreak, horror and plenty of humour (some of it possibly unintentional – the local coroners’ two-cents worth has to be seen to be believed) into a fascinating story of a man who seemed to act as if “he was working with people in bear costumes, rather than wild animals”.
Grizzly Man is now available to rent from iTunes, as well as on DVD from Alice’s and Aro Video.
[ad_2]