2007-02-10 - 2:17 p.m. For the six remaining people who haven't seen Grizzly Man: yowza. It's an amazing documentary, starring an annoying narcissist, some bears, and the surprisingly reasonable voice of Werner Herzog. What strikes me about Timothy Treadwell, aside from his childish and ultimately hypocritical idea that we was "protecting" these animals, is that in scene after scene he speaks as the voice of the One Man Against Civilization, and yet the evidence suggests that he was helped and guided and supported at every step by other people--people who he conveniently forgets to mention or thank. Yeah, civilization really harshed this guy's mellow, but the only way he could escape it was by pretending that he didn't benefit from it. As a person who talks to chairs and gazes lovingly at polar bear cubs all day, I can't blame him for anthropomorphizing the Grizzlies, but I was personally angered by his delusion that he was nobly embodying the correct way to live, and yet allows his reluctant girlfriend to accompany him to the Grizzly Maze, where she gets eaten. Letting your mate get killed defies all known laws of bear or man. The other thing I found unsettling about the film is how comfortable and entertaining everyone is in their interviews. Have we reached a point in civilization where playing to the camera just comes naturally for most people? Or did Herzog merely find the best-spoken folks to help him tell his story? The coroner looks like he's auditioning for his own Discovery Channel show. Anyway: great film. Knut says, "Grizzlies, hrmph. [Bronx Zoo cheer]." thoughts? (9 comments so far) previous - next blog archive contact