Grizzly Man (2005)

A devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska.

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writer:

Werner Herzog

Stars:

Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard, Werner Herzog

21 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Werner Herzog	...	Self / Narrator / Interviewer (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carol Dexter	...	Self - Treadwell's Mother
Val Dexter	...	Self - Treadwell's Father
Sam Egli	...	Self - Egli Air Haul
Franc G. Fallico	...	Self - Coroner
Willy Fulton	...	Self - Pilot
Marc Gaede	...	Self - Ecologist
Marnie Gaede	...	Self - Ecologist
Sven Haakanson Jr.	...	Self - Alutiiq Museum Director
Amie Huguenard	...	Self (archive footage)
David Letterman	...	Self (archive footage)
Jewel Palovak	...	Self
Kathleen Parker	...	Self - Close Friend
Warren Queeney	...	Self - Actor and Close Friend
Timothy Treadwell	...	Self (archive footage)

Storyline

A docudrama that centers on amateur grizzly bear expert Timothy Treadwell. He periodically journeyed to Alaska to study and live with the bears. He was killed, along with his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, by a rogue bear in October 2003. The films explores Treadwell's compassionate life as he found solace among these endangered animals.

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Plot Keywords:

man eaten by a bear | katmai national park alaska | interview | filmmaker | family relationships | 

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Taglines:

One man spent the last 13 years of his life crossing them.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

During a BBC interview about the film, Werner Herzog was shot with an air rifle. The interview was resumed indoors and at the end Herzog was encouraged to check his wound. Though there was "a bruise the size of a snooker ball, with a hole in it." Herzog declared "It was not a significant bullet. I am not afraid."

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Goofs

Werner Herzog describes Timothy Treadwell's last tape, while telling his friend never to listen to it, as always being "a White Elephant in the room". "White Elephant" is a different figure of speech from "Elephant in the room". "White Elephant" means an extravagant but useless project; "Elephant in the room" means something unspoken that is nevertheless obvious.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Timothy Treadwell: I'm out in the prime cut of big green. Behind me is Ed and Rowdy, members of an up-and-coming sub-adult gang. They're challenging everything, including me. Goes with the territory. If I show weakness, if I retreat, I may be hurt, I may be killed. I must hold my own if I'm gonna stay within this land. 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.

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Alternate Versions

The DVD from Lions Gate Home Entertainment opens with a disclaimer stating that the film has been changed from its theatrical version. The sole change is in the first ten minutes where Herzog explains that Treadwell had become a semi-celebrity. In the theatrical version a clip is shown of Treadwell on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman." Treadwell comes out and explains what he has been doing and Letterman quips, "We're not going to open a newspaper one day and read about you being eaten by a bear are we?" In the DVD version this exchange is omitted and replaced with a NBC news segment of Treadwell being interviewed. When the interviewer asks if he would ever want a gun to protect himself, Treadwell states that he "would never, ever kill a bear even in the defense of my own life."

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Connections

References Love Connection (1983)

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Soundtracks

Coyotes
by McDill (as Bob McDill)
Performed by Don Edwards
Courtesy of Universal-Polygram Int. Publ., Inc.
On behalf of itself and Ranger Bob Music (ASCAP), Warner Bros. Records, Inc. by arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing

User Reviews

How do you feel after seeing this movie?

I like it when I do know know how to feel! Herzog seems to start out by portraying a man, Timothy Treadwell, as a crazy, self-obsessed (NOT Grizzly-obsessed) individual who gets himself and his girlfriend killed for no purpose, in the Alaskan wilderness. Initially I thought that the story was a cross between 'Jackass' and the Discovery Channel - you have a dopey, though he only sounds like it, blonde surfer type who likes to approach (awfully close) and make sweet-talk with 10-foot bears. Viewers might see Timothy as a reckless, selfish misfit, but as the film continues, your appreciation for his cause deepens - but what is his cause? Is it to work out personal demons? Absolutely. Treadwell clearly has mental/emotional problems, just listen to how many times he tells the wild animals "I love you!" or when he talks about his lack of success with "human women." But his passion for the grizzlies and their wilderness is real. Herzog particularly commends him as a filmmaker, seizing unique opportunities and rendering priceless footage. Do not forget that TT lived close to the bears for 13 years (including the year he was killed) without harm; and that his success, his careful, intuitive, loving behavior was only partly self-aggrandizing.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 2005 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Grizzly Man

Filming Locations:

Alaska, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$269,131, 14 August 2005

Gross USA:

$3,178,403

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,064,179

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lions Gate Films, Discovery Docs, Real Big Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1