I loved this film. I must say I'm a little biased because I'm fascinated by bears and the State of Alaska and Herzog is one of my favorite film makers but I think the movie still stands on its own. I hadn't seen a movie in a theatre for over 4 years before I saw this in a theatre this past spring/summer to give you an idea how bad I wanted to see it.
What made this movie great for me is the way Herzog has weaved the same themes through his body of work: man versus nature, the chaos of nature, megalomania . These can all be found in Aguirre, Fitzcarradlo, Burden of Dreams (not really his), My Best Fiend as well as Grizzly Man. I like the idea of an artist working these things out over a lifetime of work. Having this experience with Herzog's other movies made Grizzly Man all the more impressive to me.
Film: Grizzly Man
22Yay, Timothy Treadwell!
Thanks for the heads-up about this film. I enjoyed it immensely--perhaps, more than anything I've seen in a long time. It was a very immersive experience.
Although, I found myself laughing a lot during the film, I left the cinema genuinely distressed. It is an incredible story, but moreover it taps into some darker truths about the reality of man and nature. Really dark.
Not Crap.
See it as soon as you can.
(If you liked this film you should try and see Herzog's Little Dieter Needs to Fly.)
Thanks for the heads-up about this film. I enjoyed it immensely--perhaps, more than anything I've seen in a long time. It was a very immersive experience.
Although, I found myself laughing a lot during the film, I left the cinema genuinely distressed. It is an incredible story, but moreover it taps into some darker truths about the reality of man and nature. Really dark.
Not Crap.
See it as soon as you can.
(If you liked this film you should try and see Herzog's Little Dieter Needs to Fly.)
Film: Grizzly Man
23Cranius wrote: It is an incredible story, but moreover it taps into some darker truths about the reality of man and nature. Really dark.
this, i think, is the overriding theme in the herzog canon. at first i was somewhat surprised that he would make a film containing mostly someone else's footage. but it didn't take me long to understand why he chose this project. and i really loved his commentary on treadwell's camera work and filmmaking.
i was almost completely unfamiliar with timothy treadwell going into this movie, having only heard that he lived with gizzly bears. i thought he would be some surly, hardass outdoorsman and was really surprised to find out he was an effeminate, ex-drug addict from long island who had failed at being a tv actor.
also, i was really touched by his relationship with the foxes. there is a camping spot on isle royal notional park in lake superior where wild foxes will come into your campsite and hang out. i have vivid and pleasant memories of this from my late childhood and i really enjoyed those parts of the film.
not crap.
Film: Grizzly Man
24i soooorta liked this documentary when i saw it at the local indie film theater. it's been on discovery channel a few times this week so i watched it again and i liked it a bit more.
i think the more i see it the more i believe everyone involved (except the two women who played large roles) pretty much thought the dude was nuts and it was only a matter of time until something awful happened.
herzog does a very good job of remaining objective himself.
i think the more i see it the more i believe everyone involved (except the two women who played large roles) pretty much thought the dude was nuts and it was only a matter of time until something awful happened.
herzog does a very good job of remaining objective himself.
Film: Grizzly Man
25
The foxes were very cute.
Only saw the first half hour on the Discovery Channel... the commercials were bothering me, so I'm going to rent it. But, so far, definitely not crap. I think he knew what he was getting into, despite the Letterman quote.
Film: Grizzly Man
26there was one quote that kind of summed up the "he's nuts" point-of-view, and i don't know if my memory is accurate but it was something to the extent of: he saw himself as the lone protector of this land, scaring away potential intruders and those who wished to destroy it... but the land was a government protected area so he didn't really even need to be there.
Film: Grizzly Man
27slowriot wrote:i think the more i see it the more i believe everyone involved (except the two women who played large roles) pretty much thought the dude was nuts and it was only a matter of time until something awful happened.
herzog does a very good job of remaining objective himself.
Herzog does a superb job of showing us where delusion and obsession can take us, if dreams are unchecked by reality--and reality, in this case, comes in the form of half-a-ton of bear.
Film: Grizzly Man
28Interview from today's Guardian, in which David Attenborough discusses Grizzly man and anthropomorphic views of nature .
Article here
Attenborough refers to the "irrational romanticism" which dominates so much natural history coverage, including, he suggests, the films March of the Penguins and Born Free. "I mean, Elsa the lioness is a story which is entirely based on violence. George Adamson shot Elsa's mother in the first place; they sustained the cub by killing antelope themselves and giving her half-dead antelope so that she could toy with them and learn how to pounce. Eventually she died of disease; Joy was murdered; George was murdered. And the lions which were trained for the film then proceeded to eat a lot of Africans and one or two Europeans. I mean, it's death all the way through. And yet you get ..." he starts to play the air violin and sing, "Born freeee, as free as the wind blows ..."
Has he seen the film Grizzly Man, in which amateur naturalist Timothy Treadwell comes to a sticky end after getting too pally with the grizzly bears he is studying? Attenborough is familiar with the case. He sees Treadwell's soppy reasoning as symptomatic of the spoilt, modern world in which people "aren't used to being uncomfortable; they think the world owes them a living and the idea that they might be cold or hungry is alien ... There are a number of people in that mad, green [circle] who say nature is wonderful, lovely, and mankind has distorted it, and if you go out there with an innocent heart ... well," he huffs. "If you go out there with an innocent heart, you're eaten."
This is not to say that it is "disreputable" to get all maternal about baby mammals. "It's just wrong. You see a little fawn with large eyes, like Bambi ... oh, oh, little darling. But, in fact, half of them get killed in the first month and we all die and are subject to disease. Life is full of tragedy."
Article here
Film: Grizzly Man
29I watched this last night. Definitely not crap. I too enjoyed the foxes. However, I do believe Mr. Treadwell to be insane, though is heart was at least in the right place. I mean, petting bear shit? "This came frome inside of her, and she gave it to me, it's beautiful." Uh, ok.
There are crispy fries waiting to come out of your oven: you just have to make them and put them there.
Film: Grizzly Man
30I just watched this over the weekend. It was great. And Treadwell was indeed a loon who did little or nothing for the environment or bears.
Did no one else think that some of Herzog's narration was trite and predictable at times? The bit about the striated glacial/ice formations mapping Treadwell's soul? Lame.
I definitely experienced a few chills thinking back to my own bear encounters.
For anyone interested in bear attacks, I highly recommend Stephen Herrero's definitive book on the subject.
Did no one else think that some of Herzog's narration was trite and predictable at times? The bit about the striated glacial/ice formations mapping Treadwell's soul? Lame.
I definitely experienced a few chills thinking back to my own bear encounters.
For anyone interested in bear attacks, I highly recommend Stephen Herrero's definitive book on the subject.