2005 Documentary by Werner Herzog. |
The German film director, Werner Herzog has made
an excellent documentary about Timothy Treadwell and his Alaskan odyssey
with grizzly bears. No matter what you think of Treadwell--fool,
idiot, crazy environmentalist, bear expert, wildlife defender--you have
to marvel at the close-up and 'in-vivo' footage he took of grizzlies in
their natural habitat. Treadwell seems to use the bears for his own
spiritual quest and anchor, but Herzog does a good job of examining Treadwell
in a neutral fashion that speaks both to his knowledge of bears, as well
to his obsession with them. He saw himself as friend and protector
of the wildlife he encountered in the wilds of Alaska, and he hoarded his
wildlife treasure against other humans. He spent over a decade of
summers alone with the bears in the wild, watching and documenting their
behavior and way of life with his video camera.
While some people are quick to condemn Treadwell as a nut, i.e. he got what he was asking for when a grizzly killed and ate him and his girlfriend in the late summer of 2003, the mere fact that Treadwell lasted so long in such close proximity to grizzlies atests to some kind of skill and/or competence with bears. Herzog lets Timothy's video soliliques and interviews with his friends and associates paint the picture, thus allowing the viewer to come to his/her own conclusion about Treadwell's motivation, sanity, and saavy. Treadwell originally set out to be an actor in California, and he is nothing, if not a performer, to the end. An audio recording of Treadwell and his girlfriend's fatal mauling exists, but Herzong does not traumatize us by playing it. We are able to understand its horror by watching Herzog's (with his back to the audience) reaction to it and his admonition to Timothy's closest friend, Jewel, to destroy it. The whole film is like this, with Herzog laying out the material at hand, in a protective and respectful manner, and leaving both the assessment of Treadwell's character and the true nature of Amie Huguenard's and his deaths up to the viewer. I enjoy watching this movie over and over just for the up close and personal footage of such amazing creatures--both Treadwell and the grizzlies. |
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