Grizzly Man
Wednesday, September 11
Today, another from Werner Herzog. This time, the film Grizzly Man, created and narrated by Herzog based on found footage from the late bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell:
And what haunts me, is that in all the faces of all the bears that Treadwell ever filmed, I discover no kinship, no understanding, no mercy. I see only the overwhelming indifference of nature. To me, there is no such thing as a secret world of the bears. And this blank stare speaks only of a half-bored interest in food. But for Timothy Treadwell, this bear was a friend, a savior.
In the film, Treadwell and Herzog both have a reverence for nature. Treadwell attributes to it the majesty and harmony of a hidden world. Herzog, however, recognizes its brutal indifference.
I have to admit that I’m partial to Herzog’s view — if only because it does our world the justice of looking it in the eye, and recognizing it for what it is, suffering and all. This doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate it — in another film, deep in the Amazon jungle, Herzog remarks:
There is no harmony in the universe. We have to get acquainted to this idea that there is no real harmony as we have conceived it. But when I say this, I say this all full of admiration for the jungle. It is not that I hate it, I love it. I love it very much. But I love it against my better judgment.
Loving nature doesn’t mean pretending it’s always sunshine and rainbows, much like loving ourselves doesn’t mean turning away from pain.