Post two questions/comments in response to the film
Posted by Capper Nichols on February 20, 2006 11:25 AM|Permalink
Comments
I agree with the guy in the museum when he said that he thought it was wrong for Treadwell to be living with the bears because it gives the bears the idea that humans are okay to approach. I had never thought of it like that, and it is a good point.
I thought it ironic how Treadwell got killed right before his plane was supposed to pick him up.
I don't really see how Treadwell views himself as a "protector" of the bears. When he's out observing them and such, he's not protecting them, if anything he's putting the bears in more danger by aquainting them with human contact. How is this protecting them?
It's kind of funny how he tried to be such a perfectionist about the different shots that he took, taking some scenes 12 times. Did he want in the end a movie about himself?
Treadwell is absolutely crazy, there is no other word to describe him.
I don't think this movie is really about "protecting" the bears. I think it's about Treadwell and how he wants attention! I don't see any other point to the video.
I tend to agree with the bush pilot in the film that said Treadwell got exactly what he had coming to him. He spent his summers out in the middle of nowhere treating these animals as if they were dogs and he was there sissy owner. He didn't seem to have much of a sense of reality. He saw himself as the savior or gardian of the bears. He didnt really aknowledge the fact that if some one really wanted to kill the bears they could easily get around him or just do it for the 8 mounths of the year when he wasn't there.
I'd like to know where he got the money to go and live with the bears every summer. He sort of seems like a big screw up in life. I think this was just his way to get some attention. This was his chance to get the camera on him and seem like an expert on something for the first time in his life.
I understand that what Treadwell was doing with the bears in Alaska may not have been right, but I certainly don't think he "got what was coming to him." That is pretty disrespectful to say about anyone who was tragically killed.
It was suprising to me that he was able to go to this place every summer when two of his friends claimed that he was the "poorest person they knew."
Throughout the first part of the film, I had a difficult time trying to figure Treadwell out. Part of me feels sympathetic to his dreams, and appreciates the great way of life he had achieved. The other part of me can't help but think that he crossed a line that should never have been crossed. Acclimating the bears to human presence and putting himself and others in a position that could eventually only end one way seems at best pretty stupid, and at worst completely insane.
I was pleasantly shocked and suprised with Treadwells rapport with the wild foxes. I had never before seen a case where completely wild creatures exhibited such "dog-like" mannerisms and behaviors. It really made me want to go out and befriend a cute little fox family!
I don't know if anyone else caught this or not, but when Treadwills parents were being interviewed, his mom mentioned that a squirrel used to be his best friend...maybe this "best friend" relationship with wild animals is something that he learned as a child and thought it was ok to pursue. Having a pet squirrel is a little different than claiming to be the "protector" of the WILD bears.
One of the most irritating parts that I had to watch was him talking about how he thought that the laws didn't apply to him! Who is that ignorant!? Did he ever think that staying 100 yards away from the bears at all times could have been for his protection? Not only did he get mauled by a bear, but his girlfriend did too. When the coroner was talking about Amy just staying there with her partner/lover, while she was being attacked, what was she suppose to do? Obviously hitting the bear on the head with a frying pan wasn't cutting it. Treadwell was just simply delusional.
** I don't mean to be a jerk but this whole story is just so out of the ball park insane.
To me Treadwell seemed like a very disturbed man who was trying to make his life make sense. He needed meaning and working with the bears gave him a sense of belonging. However, I do not agree with his approach. He seemed to view the bears with a "Disney" point of view, and although he stated on camera that the bears were dangerous, I don't think that he believed that the bears would ever actually hurt him. He seemed to have lulled himself into the notion that he himself was "one with the bears".
Treadwell seemed to be very insecure about his self-image. He was always attempting to get a better shot (of himself) and the clips of film that we viewed. Nothing was ever perfect to him. Maybe his desire to be perfect led him to this life with the bears. Perhaps he thought that if he could become close to these animals that he viewed as "perfect" maybe he too would become perfect.
There was a previous comment about what exactly was Treadwell protecting when he was taking video shots of the guys that were throwing the rock at the bear. I agree with the comment, and also would like to comment on how Treadwell reacted to them. They weren't poachers, they were fishermen. And if I was fishing on the banks of a creek in Alaska and a bear came ambling up towards me, I'd throw a rock at it to so I didn't experience the same fate Treadwell did. Also, he claims he's doing research. He is not doing research. He's out there re-arranging natural settings (the "salmon-trail") and at the most you could call him a wildlife filmaker/photographer. He isn't taking down detailed notes on "Bear 36" and it's behavior to other bears or anything. He's videotaping them. A National Geographic photographer isn't called a wildlife research, but a wildlife photographer. That's what Treadwell was (not to discredit NG photographers).
I think that Treadwell would be apalled with the movie that was made about him. I think that although it is supposed to be about him and his death, I think that it is more of a propaganda film. I think that while (probably for our safety so that nobody who's slightly off their rocker decides to do what T.T. did - only better) it over emphasizes bears being dangerous. It demonizes them. I don't recall any footage of them actually caring for their young, or frolicking in the grass. It didn't give us the whole picture.
Part of the movie talks about Treadwells struggle with drugs and alcohol. Drugs and alcohol kill brain cells. I wonder if his spiral downward with those substances had anything to do with his (later) lack of grip on reality and his child like mannerisms. Children swing back and forth between moods, so did T.T.
I'm disappointed with many of the director's decisions in presenting this film. His narration is insincere at best and over-opinionated in an inappropriate way at worst. What was with that bit about chaos and violence ruling the universe? Thats your opinion, dude! Save the editorializing for the newspapers. The audience doesn't need to be spoon-fed your shallow interpretations of Timmy's character. We can figure that out for our own by watching his footage.
Treadwell's demise is both tragic and inevitable. His fault is not that he believes he is more powerful than nature, but that he is convinced that he IS nature.
In response to Nick's question, yes, I do think he looked for acceptance in wild animals such as bears and foxes. He was clearly an unusual person that likely didn't do well in organized society. He was probably trying to find somewhere that he did fit in.
Oh, and Rachel, he definitely is at least somewhat insane.
Okay, yeah. I personally found the interview with his parents to be lacking in emotion. They seemed either hardened to the memory of their son or even somewhat uninterested in talking about it. I can't imagine what their relationship must have been like when he was alive. That seems incredibly strange. I have a feeling they didn't have a lot to do with each other.
Also, what did he do the other eight months of the year? Just curious.
I think that the interview with his parents seemed lacking of interest because i thought that his dad said he changed his name and everything, and it just kinda seemed like Timmy must have more or less stopped really communicating with them.
I would have to agree that it seemed like he was more worried about how he looked in every seen than how much footage he got of bears. If he was trying to make these movies for kids in schools, couldn't he have just filmed the bears and narrated in the background?
Tim Treadwell had this weird concept of the grizzly bears of Alaska that needed some kind of protection from human kind. Yet whenever he went out by the bears he stayed in state parks or state refuges where the bears were protected. Being with the bears sort of acted as a reason for Tim to find himself from the person that he was before the bears became a part of his life.
When Tim is out there with the bears had crosses a line in my mind about how he treats the bears and his contact with the human world through the park ranges and his talks with school kids. During the movie he seems to try to justify why he's out there quite often. It makes me wonder why he keeps questioning himself about his need to do this.
It is amazing to see how Treadwell interacts with all the animals. The bears, the foxes, and the insects. He cares about every aspect of nature. However, even though he admires and appreciates nature it doesn't seem like he understands nature. He doesn't understand that the reality of nature is that it is cruel. Examples of Treadwell's lack of understanding is when the little dies, the male bears eat the young bears, and the salmon not spawning. Nature is not always as beautiful as Treadwell hopes.
Through watching Treadwell throughout the video and listening to people talk about him after his death, I have become sorry for him. It seems like the reason Treadwell lives with the bears is because it's the only place he feels comfortable. He has grown up with animals and it seems like he interacts with animals better than people. People do not understand Treadwell, and I'm not sure if the animals do either, but Treadwell thinks the animals understand him and he understands the animals.
I thought it was very wierd that Treadwell thought he was protecting the bears by going out and living with them. He did not seem to have much information on the bears rather just talked about how much he loved them.
I do not understand how he lasted 13 summers out there when he was always in very dangerous situations, being so close to the bears.
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Comments
I agree with the guy in the museum when he said that he thought it was wrong for Treadwell to be living with the bears because it gives the bears the idea that humans are okay to approach. I had never thought of it like that, and it is a good point.
I thought it ironic how Treadwell got killed right before his plane was supposed to pick him up.
Posted by: Becca Haack | February 21, 2006 08:20 PM
I don't really see how Treadwell views himself as a "protector" of the bears. When he's out observing them and such, he's not protecting them, if anything he's putting the bears in more danger by aquainting them with human contact. How is this protecting them?
It's kind of funny how he tried to be such a perfectionist about the different shots that he took, taking some scenes 12 times. Did he want in the end a movie about himself?
Posted by: Angie Walbridge | February 21, 2006 08:48 PM
Treadwell is absolutely crazy, there is no other word to describe him.
I don't think this movie is really about "protecting" the bears. I think it's about Treadwell and how he wants attention! I don't see any other point to the video.
Posted by: Rachel Maust | February 21, 2006 11:01 PM
I tend to agree with the bush pilot in the film that said Treadwell got exactly what he had coming to him. He spent his summers out in the middle of nowhere treating these animals as if they were dogs and he was there sissy owner. He didn't seem to have much of a sense of reality. He saw himself as the savior or gardian of the bears. He didnt really aknowledge the fact that if some one really wanted to kill the bears they could easily get around him or just do it for the 8 mounths of the year when he wasn't there.
Posted by: Charlie Peterson | February 21, 2006 11:34 PM
I'd like to know where he got the money to go and live with the bears every summer. He sort of seems like a big screw up in life. I think this was just his way to get some attention. This was his chance to get the camera on him and seem like an expert on something for the first time in his life.
Posted by: Charlie Peterson | February 21, 2006 11:39 PM
I understand that what Treadwell was doing with the bears in Alaska may not have been right, but I certainly don't think he "got what was coming to him." That is pretty disrespectful to say about anyone who was tragically killed.
It was suprising to me that he was able to go to this place every summer when two of his friends claimed that he was the "poorest person they knew."
Posted by: Vanessa Magnus | February 22, 2006 09:08 AM
Throughout the first part of the film, I had a difficult time trying to figure Treadwell out. Part of me feels sympathetic to his dreams, and appreciates the great way of life he had achieved. The other part of me can't help but think that he crossed a line that should never have been crossed. Acclimating the bears to human presence and putting himself and others in a position that could eventually only end one way seems at best pretty stupid, and at worst completely insane.
I was pleasantly shocked and suprised with Treadwells rapport with the wild foxes. I had never before seen a case where completely wild creatures exhibited such "dog-like" mannerisms and behaviors. It really made me want to go out and befriend a cute little fox family!
Posted by: Katrina Hopkins | February 22, 2006 11:10 AM
I don't know if anyone else caught this or not, but when Treadwills parents were being interviewed, his mom mentioned that a squirrel used to be his best friend...maybe this "best friend" relationship with wild animals is something that he learned as a child and thought it was ok to pursue. Having a pet squirrel is a little different than claiming to be the "protector" of the WILD bears.
One of the most irritating parts that I had to watch was him talking about how he thought that the laws didn't apply to him! Who is that ignorant!? Did he ever think that staying 100 yards away from the bears at all times could have been for his protection? Not only did he get mauled by a bear, but his girlfriend did too. When the coroner was talking about Amy just staying there with her partner/lover, while she was being attacked, what was she suppose to do? Obviously hitting the bear on the head with a frying pan wasn't cutting it. Treadwell was just simply delusional.
** I don't mean to be a jerk but this whole story is just so out of the ball park insane.
Posted by: Amanda Melhorn | February 22, 2006 08:17 PM
I kinda wonder how Treadwell's parents faired after his death, his ex-g/f cried on camera, and his dad and mom didn't seem that sad.
Treadwell seems to favor having animal friends over human ones, does he do this because the figures the animals wont reject him?
Posted by: Nick Miller | February 23, 2006 02:26 PM
To me Treadwell seemed like a very disturbed man who was trying to make his life make sense. He needed meaning and working with the bears gave him a sense of belonging. However, I do not agree with his approach. He seemed to view the bears with a "Disney" point of view, and although he stated on camera that the bears were dangerous, I don't think that he believed that the bears would ever actually hurt him. He seemed to have lulled himself into the notion that he himself was "one with the bears".
Treadwell seemed to be very insecure about his self-image. He was always attempting to get a better shot (of himself) and the clips of film that we viewed. Nothing was ever perfect to him. Maybe his desire to be perfect led him to this life with the bears. Perhaps he thought that if he could become close to these animals that he viewed as "perfect" maybe he too would become perfect.
Posted by: Katie Hausladen | February 23, 2006 05:20 PM
There was a previous comment about what exactly was Treadwell protecting when he was taking video shots of the guys that were throwing the rock at the bear. I agree with the comment, and also would like to comment on how Treadwell reacted to them. They weren't poachers, they were fishermen. And if I was fishing on the banks of a creek in Alaska and a bear came ambling up towards me, I'd throw a rock at it to so I didn't experience the same fate Treadwell did. Also, he claims he's doing research. He is not doing research. He's out there re-arranging natural settings (the "salmon-trail") and at the most you could call him a wildlife filmaker/photographer. He isn't taking down detailed notes on "Bear 36" and it's behavior to other bears or anything. He's videotaping them. A National Geographic photographer isn't called a wildlife research, but a wildlife photographer. That's what Treadwell was (not to discredit NG photographers).
Posted by: Mike Bush | February 23, 2006 06:29 PM
I think that Treadwell would be apalled with the movie that was made about him. I think that although it is supposed to be about him and his death, I think that it is more of a propaganda film. I think that while (probably for our safety so that nobody who's slightly off their rocker decides to do what T.T. did - only better) it over emphasizes bears being dangerous. It demonizes them. I don't recall any footage of them actually caring for their young, or frolicking in the grass. It didn't give us the whole picture.
Part of the movie talks about Treadwells struggle with drugs and alcohol. Drugs and alcohol kill brain cells. I wonder if his spiral downward with those substances had anything to do with his (later) lack of grip on reality and his child like mannerisms. Children swing back and forth between moods, so did T.T.
Posted by: Emily Schroeder | February 23, 2006 07:10 PM
I'm disappointed with many of the director's decisions in presenting this film. His narration is insincere at best and over-opinionated in an inappropriate way at worst. What was with that bit about chaos and violence ruling the universe? Thats your opinion, dude! Save the editorializing for the newspapers. The audience doesn't need to be spoon-fed your shallow interpretations of Timmy's character. We can figure that out for our own by watching his footage.
Treadwell's demise is both tragic and inevitable. His fault is not that he believes he is more powerful than nature, but that he is convinced that he IS nature.
Posted by: Tristan Beaster | February 23, 2006 09:31 PM
In response to Nick's question, yes, I do think he looked for acceptance in wild animals such as bears and foxes. He was clearly an unusual person that likely didn't do well in organized society. He was probably trying to find somewhere that he did fit in.
Oh, and Rachel, he definitely is at least somewhat insane.
Okay, yeah. I personally found the interview with his parents to be lacking in emotion. They seemed either hardened to the memory of their son or even somewhat uninterested in talking about it. I can't imagine what their relationship must have been like when he was alive. That seems incredibly strange. I have a feeling they didn't have a lot to do with each other.
Also, what did he do the other eight months of the year? Just curious.
Posted by: Carla Inderrieden | February 23, 2006 11:18 PM
I think that the interview with his parents seemed lacking of interest because i thought that his dad said he changed his name and everything, and it just kinda seemed like Timmy must have more or less stopped really communicating with them.
I would have to agree that it seemed like he was more worried about how he looked in every seen than how much footage he got of bears. If he was trying to make these movies for kids in schools, couldn't he have just filmed the bears and narrated in the background?
Posted by: Marc Huneke | February 24, 2006 11:19 AM
Tim Treadwell had this weird concept of the grizzly bears of Alaska that needed some kind of protection from human kind. Yet whenever he went out by the bears he stayed in state parks or state refuges where the bears were protected. Being with the bears sort of acted as a reason for Tim to find himself from the person that he was before the bears became a part of his life.
When Tim is out there with the bears had crosses a line in my mind about how he treats the bears and his contact with the human world through the park ranges and his talks with school kids. During the movie he seems to try to justify why he's out there quite often. It makes me wonder why he keeps questioning himself about his need to do this.
Posted by: Jessica Bryan | February 25, 2006 02:54 PM
It is amazing to see how Treadwell interacts with all the animals. The bears, the foxes, and the insects. He cares about every aspect of nature. However, even though he admires and appreciates nature it doesn't seem like he understands nature. He doesn't understand that the reality of nature is that it is cruel. Examples of Treadwell's lack of understanding is when the little dies, the male bears eat the young bears, and the salmon not spawning. Nature is not always as beautiful as Treadwell hopes.
Through watching Treadwell throughout the video and listening to people talk about him after his death, I have become sorry for him. It seems like the reason Treadwell lives with the bears is because it's the only place he feels comfortable. He has grown up with animals and it seems like he interacts with animals better than people. People do not understand Treadwell, and I'm not sure if the animals do either, but Treadwell thinks the animals understand him and he understands the animals.
Posted by: Jamie Seitzer | February 26, 2006 01:40 PM
I thought it was very wierd that Treadwell thought he was protecting the bears by going out and living with them. He did not seem to have much information on the bears rather just talked about how much he loved them.
I do not understand how he lasted 13 summers out there when he was always in very dangerous situations, being so close to the bears.
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