On Grizzly Man

The Grizzly Man was an interesting perspective on nature and wild life. When I first heard about the documentary I was shocked that a man would and could live with animals, grizzly bears to be exact. When I started watching the film I liked the splitting of information given; from the director Werner Herzog’s point of view and Timothy Treadwell’s recorded footage perspective. I believe that Herzog viewed nature in a way that Treadwell viewed nature but there were also aspects that Herzog didn’t agree with.

Treadwell went out into the wild and tried to become a bear. The footage shot by Treadwell showed him doing numerous things in the wild with bears and foxes. While watching I felt that Treadwell thought that in some way he could domesticate these animals. He grew an awkward attachment to these animals and in some cases he was accepted and in others he wasn’t. Treadwell gave majority of the animal’s names. When Treadwell talked about the foxes he would simply walk up to them and pet them and in one particular scene a fox takes a hat and Treadwell talks to it almost as if I would understand what it is that he is calling it to do. It made me uneasy to watch a man do this. Another scene Treadwell goes to take a bath with a bear and as the bear goes to leave the water Treadwell tries to touch the bear and it turns to snap at him. Treadwell obviously backs off. This shows the lack of appreciation these bears and foxes have for Treadwell. But I do not believe that these animals should be treated in this manner. I admire him for sticking with it for so long and trying to live with the bears but it had a negative effect on him.

Treadwell had spent a lot of time around grizzly bears to understand their movements and ultimately guess at their next move. This was displayed when Treadwell was approached by a female bear and he lunged at the bear and told it not to do it, and the bear walked away. I was amazed by this and knowing that these aren’t domesticated animals it was even more astounding. The negative effect of living with bears was observed in one person’s interview. He mentioned that when Treadwell was approached by people he growled at them like a bear would. This was Treadwell’s choice of communication but it is not a communication that all humans can understand.

My mixed feelings on Treadwell’s actions are as follows; he was brave in trying to set an example that grizzly bears can be sensitive and harmless animals and one interviewer said that his people lived and still live among the bears and they do not bother anyone if no one bothers them. This is why Treadwell lost his life. He was playing with nature in a way that he shouldn’t have been. He was not giving the respect nature deserved. He lowered bears to his own level and invaded on their territory. When Treadwell talked down to the animals, with a tone and voice quality that matched the voice people use when they talk to babies. Animals and babies a like should be spoken to in an young adult manor.

Herzog’s documentary is one that captures a man’s attempt to communicate on level of communication through body movement. This is a complimentary act and one that can be respected in order to rebuild the bridge in human animal relationships.