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Movies / On DVD / Grizzly Man
Grizzly Man

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Grizzly Man (2005)

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93 %
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Reviews Counted: 128

Fresh: 119

Rotten:9

Average Rating: 8.1/10

Consensus: Whatever opinion you come to have of the obsessive Treadwell, Herzog has once again found a fascinating subject.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language

Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:Aug 12, 2005 Limited

Box Office: $2,899,138

Synopsis: In his mesmerizing new film GRIZZLY MAN, acclaimed director Werner Herzog explores the life and death of amateur grizzly bear expert and wildlife preservationist Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell lived... In his mesmerizing new film GRIZZLY MAN, acclaimed director Werner Herzog explores the life and death of amateur grizzly bear expert and wildlife preservationist Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell lived unarmed among the bears for thirteen summers, and filmed his adventures in the wild during his final five seasons. In October 2003, Treadwell's remains, along with those of his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were discovered near their campsite in Alaska's Katmai National Park and Reserve. They had been mauled and devoured by a grizzly, the first known victims of a bear attack in the park. (The bear suspected of the killings was later shot by park officials.) In GRIZZLY MAN, Herzog plumbs not only the mystery of wild nature, but also the mystery of human nature as he chronicles Treadwell's final years in the wilderness. Herzog uses Treadwell's own startling documentary footage to paint a nuanced portrait of a complex and compelling figure while exploring larger questions about the uneasy relationship between man and nature. Founder of the organization Grizzly People, Treadwell devoted his life to the preservation of bears, co-authored a book with Jewel Palovak, Among Grizzlies, and educated thousands of schoolchildren about bears. Treadwell also used his charisma and growing celebrity to spread the grizzly gospel, appearing on television shows including The Late Show with David Letterman, downplaying the dangers of his encounters. But was Timothy Treadwell a passionate and fearless environmentalist who devoted his life to living peacefully among Alaskan grizzly bears in order to save them? Or was he a deluded misanthrope whose reckless actions resulted in his own death, as well as those of his girlfriend and one of the bears he swore to protect? Not everyone believed in Treadwell's unorthodox research. Some locals said that by living among the grizzlies he was crossing a line that had been respected by native Alaskans for thousands of years. Wildlife experts expressed concerns that by taking away the bears' natural fear of humans - and portraying the animals as cuddly companions - he was doing them more harm than good. And while one of the ostensible reasons for his Alaska trips was to protect grizzlies from poachers, park officials contended that poaching was never a serious threat to the thousands of grizzlies living in the Kodiak archipelago. Adding more fuel to the controversy is the fact that aspects of Treadwell's life remained shrouded in mystery until his death. He lied about his background even to his close friends, claiming to be Australian when in fact he was from a middle-class family in suburban New York. He had a history of serious drug and alcohol problems and had had several run-ins with the law before devoting his life to bears, which he credited with turning his life around. At the heart of GRIZZLY MAN is the spectacular footage of enormous grizzlies hunting, playing and fighting just feet from Treadwell and his camera. Treadwell shot these scenes over his last five visits to the Alaskan wilderness, apparently with the intention of creating a wildlife documentary. Even more fascinating are the times Treadwell turns the camera on himself, alternately testifying to his almost religious love for the grizzlies and revealing less exalted, all too human emotions, including vanity, rage, paranoia and loneliness. To provide perspective on his subject, Herzog interviews Treadwell's friends, family and colleagues as well as environmentalists and wildlife experts, whose opinions about Treadwell vary as widely as Alaska's extreme landscape. The movie's score is composed and performed by legendary British guitarist and singer-songwriter Richard Thompson. For more than three decades, Richard Thompson has consistently set songwriting and performance standards others aspire to. He has long been acknowledged both as a sensitive writer and an innovative guitarist. In autumn 2003, Rolling Stone placed Richard Thompson in the "top 20" of the World's 100 Greatest Guitarists. Lions Gate Films and Discovery Docs present a Werner Herzog film. GRIZZLY MAN. Directed by Werner Herzog. Produced by Erik Nelson, with Phil Fairclough and Andrea Meditch as executive producers. The film is co-executive produced by Jewel Palovak. The director of photography is Peter Zeitlinger, the editor is Joe Bini; music is by Richard Thompson. -- © Lions Gate Films [More]

Director: Werner Herzog

Director: Werner Herzog
Producer: Bill Campbell, Kevin L. Beggs, Phil Fairclough, Andrea Meditch, Erik Nelson, Tom Ortenberg
Composer: Richard Thompson
Studio: Lions Gate Films

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Release:

Dec 26, 2005

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Reviews for Grizzly Man

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
04/03/09
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Like so much of Herzog's work, both narrative and documentary, this is an engrossing look at obsessive behavior gone terribly awry.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
04/29/08
Joshua Katzman
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Treadwell, a failed TV actor, is presented as someone desperate to give and receive love. That he went to such extremes is tragic, but also, in Herzog's sympathetic eyes, deeply human.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
08/16/07
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out New York

As a character critique it is hardly a mauling, for Herzog is too sophisticated a thinker, too respectful towards his subject, and altogether too humane to tear Treadwell apart for a second time.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
07/06/07
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film

An amazing, provocative and ultimately creepy film.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Lewis Beale
Film Journal International

chilling

Full Review Source: Perihelion Journal | comment Comment
08/24/06
Jay Antani
Perihelion Journal

Uma das maiores obras-primas da carreira de um cineasta que vem conquistando, ao longo dos últimos 44 anos, um lugar mais do que merecido entre os ícones da Sétima Arte.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
06/05/06
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

After having gorged on nonfiction films that tell us what to think, Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man is an improbable palate cleanser, allowing us to not know what to think and encouraging us to admit as much.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
05/12/06
Jonathan Kiefer
Sacramento News & Review

Part punk wildlife doc, part diary of a twisted soul, part cautionary tale, Grizzly Man is a complex, unique and engrossing journey into the murky recesses of an unhinged mind.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Dan Jolin
Empire Magazine

Makes us feel like kids at a Punch and Judy show wanting to shout out "Behind you!"

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
03/01/06
Shane Burridge
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Not really a nature film (unless maybe human nature?). I just couldn't help but feel it was more opportunistic than inspired. I left feeling somewhat manipulated.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment 3 Comments
02/28/06
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

A tremendous achievement, despite its niggling flaws.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
02/19/06
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

At turns fascinating and banal… a film that dances around vital questions about the human condition that it is barely able to articulate, let alone address.

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
02/11/06
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide

Fascinating as both nature documentary and as a portrait of a narcissistic monomaniac, utterly in keeping with Herzogian type.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Ben Walters
Time Out

He was enough of an amateur to be relaxed and unselfconscious, yet enough of a professional to generate all this outstanding footage, and quite rightly Herzog declines to patronise or make fun of him.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
02/04/06
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]

Poignant, powerful and unforgettable.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
02/03/06
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

Fascinating documentary about obsession, insanity and, well, bears, this is by turns moving, disturbing and laugh-out-loud funny.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
02/02/06
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Bear ambition

Full Review Source: JWR | comment 1 Comment
01/10/06
S. James Wegg
JWR

A psychological smorgasbord.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
12/23/05
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies
 
 
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Throughout his career, Werner Herzog has shown a fascination with protagonists in impossible situations. For his latest film, he took his cameras to what might be the most... More...

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This week at the moves, we've got America's favorite family in their long-awaited big-screen debut (The Simpsons Movie); a tale of two chefs (No Reservations, starring Catherine... More...

January 16, 2006: OFCS Announces Its '05 Winners
The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) cast their ballots over the holiday weekend in an effort to pick the group's favorite flicks from 2005, and I think we did a pretty solid... More...

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