(www.DVDTown.com)
Narrator/Director:
Werner Herzog
As themselves:
Timothy Treadwell
Amie Huguenard
Franc G. Fallico, Medical Examiner
Jewel Palovak
Willy Fulton
Sam Egli
Lions Gate Films and Discovery Docs present the documentary Grizzly Man. Running time: 104 minutes. Rated R (for language).
The movie:
“The wildest animals do not repose, but seek their prey…. They are Nature’s watchmen – links which connect the days of animated life.” (Henry David Thoreau’s Walden)
“If I show weakness, I’m dead. They will take me out, they will decapitate me, they will chop me up into bits and pieces — I’m dead. So far, I persevere. I persevere.” (Timothy Treadwell)
2005 has been a good year for documentaries. Not just monetarily speaking, but in subject matter as well. This year alone there have been films about cute-and-cuddly penguins and the importance of parenthood (March of the Penguins); the lives of quadriplegic athletes (Murderball); and the story of a “big” man making his way from the Far East to the NBA (The Year of the Yao). So it’s not surprising that Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man found a niche, gained an audience, and earned a respectable three-million at the box office.
Produced in part with The Discovery Channel, Herzog’s documentary explores the life and death of amateur “bear whisperer” and wildlife preservationist Timothy Treadwell, who lived unarmed among grizzlies for 13 summers. Crazy as it may sound Treadwell chose this life of living in a remote spot in the Alaskan wilderness.
Timothy Treadwell (1957 – 2003)
Having never seen a Werner Herzog film, and knowing little of the director, I didn’t know what to expect. What I got was an interesting experience; a documentary that works on two levels. Grizzly Man is a visual record of how Treadwell lived with ferocious grizzlies and his uncanny ability to stare them down without the fear of being eaten. The quote preceding this review is a maxim of sorts, of his persistence to attaining the goal of serenity. Sorting through 100-plus hours of footage Treadwell shot in Alaska, Herzog paints a portrait of a man who loses grips with reality. “I would die for these bears, I would die for these bears,” Treadwell repeats into the camera during one of many testimonials.
The video footage provides one side of the story. The other side is contained in interviews conducted by Herzog. After Treadwell’s passing, the filmmaker speaks frankly with the conservationist’s parents, former girlfriends, and the medical examiner who did the autopsy. Since you can’t hear from the bear whisperer himself, these interviews provide exposition about just who was Timothy Treadwell.
Growing up Timothy was a solid B-student in school. A small fact, but no less important, is when Treadwell’s parents reveal that Timothy had a favorite stuffed teddy bear when he was a kid. He loved that bear. Not only did he maintain good grades, but Treadwell excelled on the diving team in high school. He took to the sport like a fish out of water. During Herzog’s interview with Timothy’s parents they admit that once he got a scholarship to a nearby university, that’s when everything changed. Away at school, he began experimenting with drugs and alcohol, and getting into fights. As a result, Timothy lost his diving scholarship.
At a loss, and without a driven purpose, Treadwell had no future goals. It wasn’t until he found his way to the grizzlies that his life began to have meaning. So he got national recognition for his work to save the grizzly bears from hunters and poachers. Small problem: those enemies did not exist. If there was footage of a hunter or hunters killing a bear, Herzog did not put it in the film. The only time we sense poachers is when Treadwell sets up a camera in the distance to his campsite and films some men near a lake. They leave a message that says something to the effect, “We’ll see you next year.”
Watching Grizzly Man there are some instances where you get the feeling that Werner Herzog is not telling us the whole story. At the onset Timothy Treadwell seems like a lover of nature and bears; but as the documentary and years progress we see changes in his demeanor and his testimonials. In one instance, he is walking with his tripod draped over his left shoulder while holding the digital camera in his right hand. Speaking into the jostling camera, he talks about how good he is in bed. Another time he goes on a tirade yelling all sorts of expletives about the Alaskan park and wilderness personnel. Thankfully, Herzog drowns out the sound so the viewers can’t hear such a vehement display of foul language.
Timothy Treadwell with “The Grinch”.
Could it be that the drugs and alcohol Treadwell experimented with caused him to have some sort of bi-polar disorder? If his parents or friends knew for sure, they didn’t make any allusion during their candid comments. Another comment that struck me by surprise is Treadwell’s feelings about homosexuals. For the testimonial he tells the camera that gay people don’t have as many problems as straight people. What this has to do with grizzly bears, I have no idea.
At first glance, Werner Herzog’s documentary seems nothing more than a guy that finds peace and serenity while interacting with ferocious grizzlies. But Grizzly Man turns out to be a fascinating look into how life in the great outdoors can affect a person’s perception of reality.
Score: 8/10
The DVD:
VIDEO: How does it look?
(Presented in 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen)
Documentaries are usually hit or miss in the video quality department. The interviews may have a polished appearance that is perfect to look at, but footage used to tell the story may show signs of aging. Not so in Grizzly Man. The digital video Treadwell shot is pleasing. Not sure how many years he used DV while in Alaska, but I couldn’t notice any artifact problems. However, there are a few instances where there is improper white balancing. Herzog’s interviews also look good, but sometimes you can see popping – small white particles in the image.
Score: 7.5/10
AUDIO: How does it sound?
(English Dolby 2.0 Surround)
The DVD may only have 2.0 audio but it works for the documentary. There isn’t much need for 5.1 or DTS audio tracks. Besides, your two front speakers are adequate enough to handle Herzog’s interviews, Treadwell’s testimonials, and the musical score. It is the music that makes the film that more enjoyable. (More on that later.)
Score: 8/10
SPECIAL FEATURES: Another documentary for your viewing pleasure.
Despite the film’s theatrical trailer and advertisements for other Lions Gate Films releases (Crash, Rize, Happy Endings, Beyond the Sea, Danny Deckchair, Lord of War, Akeelah and the Bee, and the Showtime original series “Weeds”), the DVD’s best special feature is another documentary. Entitled In the Edges: The Grizzly Man Session, this 53-minute feature, which was produced and directed by Grizzly Man producer Erik Nelson, explores how the musical score for the documentary came about. The story goes like this: Werner Herzog got five musicians who had never performed together before and grouped them in a recording studio. What Herzog wanted was for the musicians to experiment with different guitar cords, piano keys, drum beats, whatever. In doing this you get to see how these five individuals made music for the bear fight and fox hunt scenes, as well as see how a cello duet can bring about some semblance of balance to the documentary.
Score: 6/10
