Posted 7:33 pm Friday, December 23, 2011
Werner Herzog's ‘Grizzly Man' Fascinating Look At A Wild Life
Over the course of writing about the films of Werner Herzog, one of the things that I haven't brought up much (if at all) is the fact that Herzog is just as prolific of a documentary filmmaker as he is a feature filmmaker.
A good half of his filmography is of documentaries covering a plethora of subjects, from ancient cave paintings to the death penalty to an American pilot who flew during Vietnam to Central Afri-can rulers. It was a little difficult to choose which of those films to include in this series, but I eventually settled on what is likely Herzog's most well-known documentary: "Grizzly Man."
Released in 2005, this film documents the exploits of Timothy Treadwell, a nature fanatic who spent more than a dozen summers in the wilderness of Alaska studying, integrating himself with and (in Treadwell's own words) protecting grizzly bears.
So what exactly does that mean, "protecting the grizzlies?" How in the world can one man possibly believe he is doing anything to protect some of the fiercest animals on the planet? Well, therein lies the story of Timothy Treadwell and it is through this entry point that Herzog begins his examination of this curious man.
The film is largely comprised of footage edited together by Herzog from Treadwell's personal chronicling of his final five expeditions and it is a fascinating journey getting to know Treadwell this way. His intention was to hopefully one day turn the footage into a television show of some sort. We eventually discover that Treadwell was a former alcoholic as well as a failed actor (he allegedly lost the role of Woody cheers to Woody Harrelson), so his flair for the dramatic is hardly surprising. He would often perform multiple takes of even the most simple tasks to ensure that it all looked good. In doing so, Treadwell attempted to craft a meticulous persona, that of the lone adventurer. Watching the uncut footage Herzog presents, however, presents a direct contrast to that, however, as we see that Treadwell was far from the lone wolf he wanted everyone to see him as.
Herzog intercuts Treadwell's own narration and external monologue with his own narration and observations, as well as some interviews with coroners, biologists and Treadwell's loved ones. He also sometimes outright challenges or contradicts Treadwell's statements or observations with his own thoughts, occasionally turning the film into something of an argument between Herzog and Treadwell, though it is never at the expense of demeaning or degrading Treadwell.
The best example of this comes when Treadwell discovers the skull of a bear cub. A lack of rain has left very few fish in the river, forcing the bears to resort to cannibalism. Treadwell is devastated by the sight, claiming the injustice of the act and noting the beauty of the order that comes from nature and how such an act is in direct defiance of that order. Herzog counters in his narration that he disagrees, countering that the world is instead nothing but chaos and violence. His disagreement is respectful, though, and is hardly reductive of Treadwell's point of view.
So what is the motivation for a man to spend his summers in the wilderness, befriending foxes and doing all he can to integrate himself into a community of bears, ostensibly "protecting" them? It's difficult to say. On the one hand, Treadwell is pretty obviously crazy to some degree. No normal human being would ever do even half the things he does when it comes to interacting with wild bears. He more or less admits to wanting to be a bear himself and somehow deems himself worthy and able to "protect" these bears (from what, though, he never elaborates).
However, Treadwell's passion for nature and the genuine, effusive love he has for these animals is undeniable. When he wasn't traversing the wilderness, he would make appearances at schools to talk about animals and nature and share with everyone his discoveries, often free of charge. He was as much an ecological evangelist as he was a man with a few screws loose and it is in that passion that we can put ourselves in Treadwell's corner. Herzog may have openly disagreed with Treadwell regarding the nature of the universe, but it is the way that Treadwell's mission (and the footage he captured in the process) that gave this hardened, cynical filmmaker a means of taking a look inside himself, giving meaning to an otherwise pointless death.
Because, in the end, "Grizzly Man" is largely a tragedy. Treadwell, for all of his musings about the order of nature and his achievements at even marginally integrating himself into the lives of these bears, was (along with his girlfriend) killed by one of the very animals he sought to learn about and protect. Some say that this was inevitable, and it's difficult to argue that point. But even with that inevitability, there's still something beautiful and admirable about what Treadwell set out to do. He loved what he did and that is something that is evident in every frame of this documentary. We may not fully understand or even agree with his methods, but the beauty of what he wanted is admirable regardless. The only shame is the price he paid in the process.
Next week, I'll wrap up my series on Herzog with a review of "Nosferatu." I'll follow that up with a series on French New Wave director Jean-Luc Goddard, with reviews of "Breathless," "Vivre Se Vie," "A Band of Outsiders," "Alphaville" and "Pierrot le Fou."
Stewart Smith is the Entertainment Editor for the Tyler Morning Telegraph. Contact him at 903-596-6301 or by e-mail at ssmith@tylerpaper.com.
