Comments on 'Grizzly Man'

A word that comes into mind when watching this documentary is delusion. On-screen, we see elements of the poetic, personal, reflexive and expository documentary - from Timothy Treadwell's political and cultural rant against the nature preservation organisation (personal) his comments on the beauty of the bears in their natural habitat (poetic, in the sense that it is his art) and his appearence in front of the camera itself makes it reflexive. In fact, for a large portion of the film, I forget that this Werner Herzog's film - it seems so much more like Treadwell's. It is only when Herzog's voice-over steps in to narrate that I remember that this is largely a expository documentary - Herzog wants to educate us about Treadwell's life and the nature that he loved so much, with the use of recorded interviews that support his discoveries. Only then am I reminded that all of the footage of Treadwell is archive footage, and that is what makes me first instinct towards this film as delusional.

Herzog, however, is not afraid to introduce elements of the reflexive documentary, and does so when telling Treadwell's ex-girlfriend, Jewel Palovak, not to listen to the audio footage of Treadwell's death. He tells her to burn the tape as he listens to it (appearing in the film), and therefore is influencing his opinion onto her, but is it his right to do so? This women apparently knew Treadwell better than Herzog ever would have, so surely, the fate of the tape is in her decision. Towards the film's end, I was beginning to feel an unnerving anticipation, and was wondering if we as spectators would get to hear the actual audio of his murder. However, the film does not end on a downer, but more of a reflection of Treadwell's life and the positives - maybe Herzog simply wanted to stick to his word and be respectful to Jewel. It would have been hypocritical, after all, to release this footage to the world after telling one individual never to listen to it.

Interviews with Treadwell's 'friends', however, appear scripted and unsympathetic. Warren, in particular, noted as an actor and Treadwell's best friend, along with Sam Elgi, appear to express that Treadwell deserved the fate that was eventually delivered to him. Whilst I agree with the fact that he was upsetting the flow of the Bear's natural habitat by invading and recording their land, I understand that he was simply expressing his interest into sharing his love of the bears, and his case, his art. One interviewer, a doctor, expressed that Treadwell would have wanted to mutate into a bear, and another said that his work would have been more memorable if he were dead. In this sense, Treadwell has accomplished his dreams. After all, why did he need a camera in the bear habitat?