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Bipolar bear boy
Can you still take Werner Herzog seriously after last year's hilarious mockumentary Incident at Loch Ness, in which the German director took part in poking fun at his own image? As seriously as ever, judging from Grizzly Man, which continues the tradition of the crazy man making movies about other crazy men. (Note: For our lawyers' peace of mind we'll stipulate the word "crazy" is being used in a colloquial, rather than clinical sense - although a good case could be made for the latter too.) Herzog's job was easier than usual this time. He only had to film a few talking heads. The difficult footage had been shot by his subject, Timothy Treadwell (1957-2003), a man who tried to be to bears what Steve Irwin is to crocodiles and... the snake guy to those critters. Treadwell spent his last 13 summers in Alaska, photographing and — at least in his mind — bonding with the ursine population. He saw his mission as protecting the animals (including foxes) and educating the public about them. In the course of the film we hear some experts saying the bears didn't need Treadwell's help, and he admits to violating regulations of the National Park Service, against whom he delivers a long, profane rant, to continue his work as he saw it. It's no spoiler to reveal that Treadwell's death was of more verifiable benefit to the bear that killed and devoured him than his life had been to all the bears. Of course that bear didn't live long, and it's reported, "We hauled away four garbage bags full of people out of that bear." (Sorry, I hope you're not reading this over dinner.) Killed with Treadwell was his current girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, who worked with him part of the time. Herzog calls her a "mystery" because her family declined to participate in the film and she appears only twice in the over 100 hours of Treadwell's footage. According to his journals she was afraid of bears. Good call. Treadwell's parents, Val and Carol Dexter are interviewed in Florida and share stories and photographs of their son's early years. Apparently he left home as soon as he could to pursue a show business career in California. His father thinks he started "spiraling downhill" after reportedly coming in second to Woody Harrelson for the role of the bartender in "Cheers." He himself says coming to work with the animals helped him get sober. The leading lady in Grizzly Man isn't Huguenard but Jewel Palovak, another of Treadwell's girlfriends and employees. She claims to have known him for 20 years and inherited enough of his things, including a wristwatch that, unlike Treadwell, took a licking and kept on ticking, to get a co-executive producer credit on the film. Among her revelations: Treadwell should have been on medication (duh) but wouldn't take it because he said he needed his highs and lows. Telling the animals in a high voice how much he loved them he sounds like Michael Jackson. Petting a fox in his blond, Prince Valiant haircut, he looks like The Little Prince grown up. In a TV appearance David Letterman asks Treadwell if we may hear one day that he's been eaten by a bear. In a typical bit of footage Treadwell, in the foreground, discusses a bear that's placidly posing for him in the background: "They can kill. They can bite. They can decapitate." Sounds like a human supermodel. An Alaskan native says his people have, for 7000 years, respected the boundaries between bears and humans, but Treadwell didn't. Others confirm he seemed to be trying to become a bear. Herzog concludes, "He crossed an invisible borderline." "I'm like a fuckin' nut!" Treadwell screams while asking a higher power for rain during the drought of 2000. Grizzly Man is complete in itself but, like many documentaries, cries out to be remade in dramatic form. Owen Wilson is the only choice to play Treadwell, with Sam Elliott as Willy, the pilot who found his remains. And Herzog, who might once have been more respectful of his subject, seems to be giving him a big bear hug with this film, but behind Treadwell's back the filmmaker's middle fingers are raised. Steve Warren is a local actor and film reviewer. His reviews can also be seen weekly in the Sunday Paper. |
Grizzly Man
Directed by: Werner Herzog 
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