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A brief analysis of how Werner Herzog manipulates Timothy Treadwell’s footage in the documentary film, Grizzly Man, to assert his chaotic vision of the natural world.
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Transcript Provided by YouTube:
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[Music]
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werner herzog has long been drawn to the
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fringes of the world since the 1960s
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he’s used the camera to explore the
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utterly unique and at times otherworldly
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and although the topics of his films
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vary widely from the impact of the
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internet on human life to a documentary
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on some of the oldest cave drawings in
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the world most of her dogs nonfiction
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and fiction films seem to contain an
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ongoing interrogation of wild nature an
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interrogation that actually reveals much
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more about her selves worldview and
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cinematic approach than it does about
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the flora and fauna on screen so today I
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want to analyze how Hertzog manipulates
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our perception of wild nature in this
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2005 film Grizzly Man to the extent that
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we begin to believe in his own chaotic
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and at times pessimistic perspective of
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the natural world throughout the
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documentary there’s a tension between
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Hertzog’s and the subject of the film
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Timothy Treadwell’s interpretation of
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wild nature for Herzog nature is violent
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and harsh sentiment which he mentions in
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previous movies in nature his violin
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faith
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I wouldn’t fear anything erotically I
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would be fornication and affiliation and
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choking and fighting for survival and
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growing and
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just rotting away for Treadwell however
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the natural world meant harmony and
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beauty I love you these two perceptions
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of wild nature close each other
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throughout the documentary with Hertzog
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musing about wide Treadwell might have
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been driven to protect a species are so
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uninterested in his presence but
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ultimately her tubs use of Treadwell as
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a filmic subject helps to solidify his
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belief that while nature is
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overwhelmingly and different as a
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documentary moves from its opening scene
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to the final credits Persaud works too
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slowly erode the harmony that trouble
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saw in the Alaskan wild instead replace
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it with an outlook that emphasizes a
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system based in chaos the way in which
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Hertzog crossed this image of nature is
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essential to both understanding grizzly
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man as a movie and Herzog as a filmmaker
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initially the film presents itself as a
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cinematic memorial to Treadwell even
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going so far as the places name and date
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of birth and death on the lower third of
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the screen which acts like a gravestone
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in the opening shot of the movie this
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commemoration continues throughout the
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film but as with other aspects of
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Treadwell’s personality Herzog works to
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complicate and at times undermine
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Treadwell’s approach to the natural
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world he achieves this a number of
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different ways but primarily uses a
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juxtaposition between interviews with
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professionals and Fred Wells personal
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footage for instance in this scene
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Herzog deftly places a piece of audio
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from the curator of the boutique museum
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over Soumitra Wells footage if I look at
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it from my culture Timothy Treadwell
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across the boundary that we have lived
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with for seven thousand years in this
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way a Hertzog undoes Todd wells vision
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of a harmony between humans and nature
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instead coops Fred Wells footage and
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life mission in order to reveal that the
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common denominator of the University
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not harmony of chaos hostility and
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murder per talk also asserts the cold
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brutality of the natural by revealing
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the brutal circumstances of Timothy
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Treadwell’s death early on in the film
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thus craftily editing the chronology of
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Charles life to aid Herzog’s own vision
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of a chaotic nature in a typical
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narrative arc the death of the
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protagonist generally comes at the
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climax but because Herzog reveals that
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Treadwell was eaten by the very same
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bears he sought to protect in the
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exposition of the movie we struggled to
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empathize with the loved Treadwell felt
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for the animals of the Alaskan
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wilderness even further we find it hard
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to believe Incredibles work or vision
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because we know of his eventual demise
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and the brutality the grizzly bears are
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capable of so when we see an expertly
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framed shot of Treadwell in the
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foreground and a group of bears in the
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background you can’t help the lose trust
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in his mission instead look towards
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Hertzog’s constant narration for
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guidance in short grizzly and proposes
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to be about trebles life and passion but
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if we dig a little deeper into the
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narrative structure and consistent
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authorial narration we can see that
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Herzog is guiding us to believe in his
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own cynical vision of wild nature so
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essentially a hertog uses many of his
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movies to explore the physical fringes
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of the world fringes that when combined
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with a masterful knowledge of film work
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to reconfirm Hertzog’s chaotic
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perception of the universe
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[Music]
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this video is made possible in part
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because of the awesome people who
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support me on patreon if you liked the
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video consider subscribing or sharing
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the video with people you know that
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really helps a lot otherwise thank you
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so much for watching the video and I
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will see you next Friday
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This post was previously published on YouTube.
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Photo credit: Screenshot from video.