A Must for
Anyone Who Wants to Know the Whole Story Behind Treadwell
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Grizzly Man
by Werner Herzog
Who must have this movie: Anyone interested
in the Timothy Treadwell story.
Who should have this movie: Any fan of Best
in Show, The Mighty Wind or Waiting for Guffman
- but thisone's real!!
ISBN: B000BMY2NS
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I
think I learned more about the psyche of Timothy Treadwell from watching
him in the of clips that Herzog intersperses in this movie. Reading
headlines and books and seeing a couple of interviews did little to
prepare me for what Timothy displayed on film. I think that Herzog
in general is very sympathetic to Treadwell and truly respects him
and his dreams, but being able to see Timothy’s demeanor and
personality on film has finally made up my mind on him.
For those who have been following the Treadwell story, you have to
see this film. Seeing the characters involved in person made a huge
difference. Reading books, papers and on-line stories, I thought Jewel
Palovak was the intelligent, opportunistic, and manipulative force
behind Grizzly People. After the movie, I feel comfortable removing
the intelligent or manipulative parts. I no longer think she was driving
Timothy’s celebrity like it seemed she was.
About halfway through the movie I realized that if you put Christopher
Guest into a Prince Valiant wig and a baseball cap and put the rest
of the cast from Best of Show into the other roles and the fit is
perfect. Perhaps that shows the humanity of Guest’s Mockumentaries
or the absurdity surrounding Treadwell.
Like Best in Show and the other Mockumentaries, the film is full of
laughs. In fact if it weren’t for the fact that everyone in
the theater knew the tragic outcome of the story, I think people would
have laughed the whole way through. One thing that did shine through
the whole movie was the genuineness of the people involved.
But in the end, the greatest value of this movie was to be able to
see Timothy Treadwell in person. Herzog manages to show Timothy’s
attempts at creating an image or Ecowarrior. Scenes of Treadwell go
from troubling and profanity laced tirades to disturbing scenes of
tears. In many scenes he comes off as someone who has just spent too
much time by himself.
If you really want to know Treadwell, this might be the best opportunity
to cut through the mysteries.
Director
Werner Herzog was born in Germany and has gone on to
create over forty movies which include such works as FITZCARRALDO
and STROSZEK. His work often deals with people who have strange
or impossible dreams or talents. Perhaps that is why he latched onto
Timothy.
Other Movies by the Director
