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Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard, Warren Queeney, Willy Fulton, Sam Egli ... see more see more... , Marnie Gaede , Marc Gaede , Larry Van Daele , Franc Falico , Jewel Palovak , Val Dexter , Carol Dexter , Kathleen Parker , Werner Herzog , William Fulton , Franc G. Fallico

Filmmaker Werner Herzog adds another real-life character to his growing pantheon of people who walk a fine line between visionary genius and madness in this documentary. Timothy Treadwell was a self-s... read more read more...tyled authority on bears who, starting in 1990, would spend as much time as possible each year in Alaska, camping out near a grizzly bear habitat. While Treadwell claimed to love the bears and felt as one with them, he had no formal training in their behavior, and while familiarizing himself with the creatures he would walk within a few feet of them with a video camera in hand. To many, Treadwell seemed part man of nature, part conjuror, and part self-promotion expert, but the part that guided his kinship with the bears failed him in 2003, when he and his girlfriend were killed in a grizzly attack. Treadwell shot hundreds of hours of footage of himself and the grizzlies, and Herzog has used this footage as the core of Grizzly Man, a documentary look at Treadwell's life and death, while also including interviews with people who knew him, animal experts, and scientists. Acclaimed British guitarist Richard Thompson composed and performed the film's musical score. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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82% liked it

50,259 ratings

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134 critics

R, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: Werner Herzog

Release Date: August 12, 2005

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DVD Release Date: December 26, 2005

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Grizzly Man Timothy Treadwell
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Flixster Reviews (3,614)

  • fb791220692
    March 19, 2012
    fb791220692
    An immediately captivating premise is elevated by Werner Herzog's perfect pacing and elegant editing, and the undeniably beautiful yet eerie, tragically ironic footage taken by Timothy Treadwell, the man who lived for 13 summers with grizzly bears before being eaten by one in 200... read more3. The clearly troubled, possibly insane Treadwell set out to film bears, and Herzog instead turns this wealth of amazing footage on its original, now-deceased filmmaker to create an utterly human story.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    September 20, 2011
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "For once there is weakness they will exploit it, they will take me out, they will decapitate me, they will chop me into bits and pieces. I'm dead. But so far, I persevere. Persevere."

    A devastating and heartrending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Ami... read moree Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzlies in Alaska.

    REVIEW

    The lives and deaths of Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard in the wilds of Alaska are far from simple. Treadwell fancied himself a lone man holding back the evils of civilization from the bears he loved. As to whether he actually did that or any good is open to debate.

    Werner Herzog took the hundred plus hours of footage shot by Treadwell, adding his own footage of interviews with people who knew Treadwell and formed it into a documentary that tries to get into the mind of man and to understand what he was trying to do.(The film is almost totally silent about Huguenard, who barely appears in any of the footage and who's family and friends refused to speak to Herzog) Its a riveting portrait of an obsessive man who ultimately had his own view of the world and of nature. Its an up and down portrait that makes you think and feel and think some more as we travel along with Herzog in his attempt to get to know a man who died doing what he loved.

    As with many of the people that Herzog has profiled in the past you both love and hate the man, who turns out to be far more shaded than most black and white portraits ever are. Frankly I don't know what I think of Treadwell and his mission to "save the bears" since its never clear what he was actually doing other than being a "bear" himself. I'm troubled by the fact that the one time we see other people come close to the bears Treadwell remains in hiding as these "tourists" throw rocks at his friends. Its an interesting turn from a man who professes endlessly that he is keeping the bears safe. Which is the real Timothy Treadwell? I don't have an answer. Its a question thats going to be haunting me for several days to come. Its the sort of reaction I love to get from a movie since it forces you to think about what you've just seen instead of having it spoon fed to you.

    See this movie. Its a movie that shows you more than just cute little animals roaming in the wild. Its a film that makes you wonder about mankind and his place in the world and in the wild. (Just be ready for very graphic descriptions of the deaths of Treadwell and his girlfriend)
  • jennifxu
    April 29, 2011
    jennifxu
    Man Timothy Treadwell was stupid, like, really stupid. I love Herzog documentaries because they're ostensibly about the subject and then shift into something completely different, almost perverse. I'd love to pick his cavernous brain sometime.
  • kenstachnik
    December 10, 2010
    kenstachnik
    Beautiful, funny, terrifying and worth seeing. A few scenes are absolutely haunting.
  • 76Majikat
    October 22, 2010
    76Majikat
    Wow, this film raises so many questions and possible conspiracies, but is a very interesting watch.

    BEWARE CONTAINS SPOILERS

    There seems no doubt that Timothy Treadwell (The Kind Warrior) had a love for the bears he spent several seasons around, he also seemed to show no fe... read morear around them.

    The documentary made up of amateur footage by Treadwell, mixed with interviews from friends and family, plus expert opinions on the death of Treadwell and girlfriend, was a slightly warts n all type of film.

    The documentary certainly has you questioning certains elements of the quest; the bears getting used to humans could be bad for Poaching (as mentioned in the film), Treadwell tried to appear in the footage as if he were alone, but that wasn't always the case, little tantrums and ongoing camera takes, seemed to show a little more self-importance than perhaps you would normally associate with such a person.

    The conspiracist in me almost wonders if this was a "Regiie Perrin" type exit, the main reason behind it was the lens cap being kept on, when the whole attack was taking place. The killing of the Culprit was against everything the film should have stood for.
  • ythelastman89
    April 27, 2010
    ythelastman89
    It really isn't a documentary on Timothy Treadwell's life, but the videos he made leading up to his death. On the one hand it's really interesting and effective, a lot of the found footage is unbelievable. As far as Herzog's contribution, it is almost a mocking attack on Treadwel... read morel's ego and stupidity for living in nature. It seemed that he had no respect for the man and did everything he could to poke fun, even if it was simply keeping the camera rolling after an interview was over. The little shred of humanity he produces feels forced and corny. I really don't know what Herzog wanted to do with this, but it was certainly confusing to pick out a direction with all of his conflicting views.
  • fb619846742
    January 31, 2010
    fb619846742
    An arresting and incredible documentary concerning a delusional grizzly bear observer who put his life in harm's way in order to bring himself closer to the animals he loved so much - a decision that ultimately cost him his life in the fall of 2003. Herzog has crafted a fine moti... read moreon picture, as he studies someone who you at first kind of admire and find to be lovable, but as the film goes on, the madness, and sheer insanity is brought out in ugly fashion, and you can't help but feel sorry for this sad, pretentious figure. It's not a perfect documentary by any stretch of the imagination, but it ends on an appropriately haunting note, making this a film that will definitely stick with you for years to come.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    December 1, 2009
    StarCrossedVoyager
    A really good film with the footage taken by Timmy and the director. Timmy is such a funny guy it was really entertaining to watch him. It's sad that he died. In some parts the film did tend to make Timmy look crazy and a bit insane really.
  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    An astonishing insight into a troubled human being who sought and found comfort living with wild bears before being killed by one. Watching Treadwell's videos and knowing what eventually happens to him can make for uncomfortable viewing but with Werner Herzog's realistic and unbi... read moreased approach and choice of real footage makes this one of the most amazing and incredible documentaries I?ve ever seen!
  • harrycaul
    September 13, 2009
    harrycaul
    Even though the director and star of this film never met, it's impossible to watch Grizzly Man without recasting Timothy Treadwell - mauled to death by one of the grizzly bears he was 'protecting' (in an Alaskan National Park!) - as another of Werner Herzog's crazy dreamer... read mores, the sort that Klaus Kinski used to play. My one gripe would be that there's something strange and unnatural about some of Herzog's supplementary interview material. In particular, the scenes with Treadwell's ex-girlfriend and the coroner who examined his remains after the bear attack feel like they've been rehearsed beforehand. Check out the scene where the coroner gives the ex-girlfriend Treadwell's watch back and you'll see what I mean. Otherwise, I thought this was a superb documentary with a lovely score by Richard Thompson.

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Critic Reviews

Joshua Katzman
April 29, 2008
Joshua Katzman, Chicago Reader

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

Roger Moore
October 7, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

An alternately gripping and funny-charming nature film and psychological study. Full Review

Peter Howell
September 30, 2005
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

[Treadwell] left behind 100 hours of some of the most astonishing nature footage ever captured by camera. Full Review

Liam Lacey
September 30, 2005
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Compelling, disturbing documentary. Full Review

Bill Muller
August 25, 2005
Bill Muller, Arizona Republic

It's an uncompromising character study of a man who found peace, and ultimately death, among some of the most dangerous predators on the planet. Full Review

Tom Long
August 19, 2005
Tom Long, Detroit News

What makes Grizzly Man remarkable are the edited tapes that at first seem to show a man at peace among nature, and then later reveal the startlingly fragile state of that man's mind and persona.

Terry Lawson
August 19, 2005
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

As unsettling as it is fascinating.

Jeff Strickler
August 18, 2005
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

As a filmmaker, in Herzog's opinion, Treadwell was without equal. But as a naturalist, well, let's just say that his canteen had sprung a leak. Full Review

Claudia Puig
August 18, 2005
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Grizzly Man is a haunting and fascinating portrait of so much that is worth exploring: the implacability of nature, the hubris of human endeavor and the line between supreme dedication and madness. Full Review

Richard Roeper
August 15, 2005
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

This is shaping up to be another great year for documentaries and this is one of the best. Full Review

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  • "I will die for these animals, I will die for these animals, I will die for these animals" Is a quote from which film?  Answer »
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