Not Coming to a Theater Near You

Grizzly Man / USA/Germany / 2005

Herzog continues to explore man’s delusional perception of his position and authority within a world be believes he has dominion over. As usual, Herzog is intrigued by the line between fixation and psychosis. What makes this instance more interesting is his subject, Timothy Treadwell, who has carefully attempted to craft a persona for himself through the medium of film that Herzog is willing to gently expose. Hence, Herzog’s efforts are equally directed towards both an examination of the nature of filmmaking, as well as towards man’s relationship with nature. Thus, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he begins his film by including discussion with a “friend/actor” and a “pilot/rodeo rider” – two individuals who make it their business to engage in performance. Naturally, the next step is to wonder how many of the people Herzog interviews are engaged in performance and whether or not Herzog is embellishing the situation for effect.

Herzog also takes a moment to discuss the inadvertent beauty that filmmakers can occasionally capture through coincidence. Though his comments are directed towards Treadwell’s footage, I could already see these types of unintentional occurrence happening in Herzog’s film, where nature continually overwhelms his film. As Herzog discusses Timothy’s antics with Treadwell’s friends and displays pieces of Treadwell’s footage, we watch gnats swarm around his subjects, flies crawl upon his camera lens, and birds clamoring in the background. These all serve to exemplify Herzog’s point that nature is ultimately uncontrollable no matter the magnitude of man’s efforts at suppression and exploitation, even if these efforts are cloaked as peaceful co-existence.

by Chiranjit Goswami | Source: Lions Gate 35mm Print
12 Dec 2005 3:57 PM | Submit Comment