1. Grizzly Analysis
Grizzly Man is an Oscar winning
documentary directed by Werner
Herzog. It is about the life of Timothy
Treadwell, who spent thirteen years
filming grizzly bears in Alaska. Much of
the footage is of Treadwell himself,
often interacting with the bears. Some
of the movie consists of interviews by
Herzog of people who knew Treadwell.
While the film may at first seem like it’s a nature
documentary, it is more of a character study of Treadwell. His
childlike and dangerous passion for the bears borders on
insanity, and Herzog fixates on that aspect. He carefully
constructs the film so that we see the authenticity of Treadwell’s
passion, and we see as he moves further and further away from
sanity.
The film never romanticises Treadwell, or sentimentalizes
about nature, even though those would be easy things to
do. Instead, Herzog uses the story of Treadwell and fashions a
story that points away from the idea of harmony in nature,
towards the chaos of the universe. In one particular scene,
Herzog inserts himself directly through narration to point out that
he disagrees with Treadwell in his belief that nature is
harmonious and says “I believe the common character of the
universe is not harmony, but chaos, hostility, and murder.”
Insanity and chaos are common themes that run through
Herzog’s work, and this element brings me to the final and most
complex aspect of the film: the character of Herzog. While
Treadwell is a complex character and fascinating to watch, the
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2. main character of the film is Werner Herzog. His reaction to,
and exploration of, Timothy Treadwell’s life and work are at the
center of this film.
As the director, Herzog constructs our understanding of
Treadwell. While our understanding does come from real
footage, Herzog carefully chooses scenes that portray
Treadwell in a particular light at a particular moment. The arch
of the film is purposeful, beginning as a person we like, then
moving to a person on the edge of sanity, then becoming
mysterious and even tragic.
While Herzog clearly doesn’t approve of Treadwell, or
reaction to him isn’t important. Herzog wants us to better
understand his own worldview, and he uses Treadwell’s story to
show it. His narration unabashedly exposes his philosophy and
views on Treadwell, his editing clearly points the audience in a
particular direction, and his interviewing provide the tone in
which the film is set.
Though it has unbelievably beautiful shots of nature, this
film is not about nature. Though Treadwell is the film’s hero (of
sorts) the film never idealizes him. That ambiguity, and the fact
that the film is deliberately crafted by a skilled filmmaker, is
what I would want students to understand.
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