Movies

Timothy Treadwell spent 13 seasons with the grizzly bears in Alaska. He followed them, studied them, lived among them. For the first few years he would take pictures and in the later years he carried a video camera with him to document his experiences on film. He would present them at various speaking engagements for which he never charged a fee. He wanted to dispel the feeling that grizzly bears were inherently dangerous. He believed, rather, that they should be respected and loved by humans. His message, from the beginning, was that he was so passionate about this cause that he would die for these animals. Each year when he set off to Alaska he would tell friends that if he should not return, they should not worry because it was what he wanted. It was how he wanted to go, if he must.

In the end, that is exactly what Timothy got. In 2003 he and his companion killed by a bear.

Grizzly Man is a documentary about Timothy Treadwell. It tells about the man before he became obsessed with bears and it talks about the man as he lived among the bears. We see actual footage taken by Timothy and we see first person accounts from family and friends. One of the more interesting perspectives included in the film is that from people who think Timothy got exactly what he deserved. The contrast between a man and woman tragically killed by a bear and sentiment that he was doing more harm than good to the bears he was committed to protect was sharp.

The movie was very interesting. Despite the interference with nature, and the breaking of a few federal laws, Timothy Treadwell had a unique perspective on life. The film would not have been worth seeing if it did not contain so much footage from his time in Alaska. So much of his philosophy was explained as narrative to his video. His transition away from human society was remarkably well captured over the years. He grew more and more comfortable among the bears and less and less cautious. It would be his downfall.

I do not usually make a point to watch documentaries, but this one looked different. It was entertaining in documentary terms, but if you are deciding between this and something a bit more fictional, I am not sure you should pick Grizzly Man.

I liked it well enough, though I do not anticipate the need to ever watch it a second time. Put Grizzly Man on your "to rent" list.

| Buy it from Amazon | Discuss it |