Grizzly Man Analysis

This mise-en-scene will define the role of animals in the anthropomorphic relationship between a human being and a grizzly bear in the film Grizzly Man (2005) by Werner Herzog. Berger’s analysis of the ancient relationship between human beings and animals is defined through the anthropomorphic proximity of animals that has become increasingly disconnected in the modern era. Herzog’s film, Grizzly Man, is about a man named Timothy Treadwell that sought to reconnect human beings with bears outside of controlled settings. One scene in the film expresses this mise-en-scene of the reconnection with ancient anthropomorphism in Treadwell’s interaction with a bear named The Grinch. This important part of the film shows the interrelationship between Treadwell and a dangerous bear, which reconnects man with animals as part of this filmmaking process. Herzog’s presentation of Treadwell’s filming of the anthropomorphic relationship in mise-en scene of proximity with a wild bear captures this relationship in cinematography. In essence, a scene mise-en-scene analysis of the anthropomorphic

relationship between Timothy Treadwell and a grizzly bear will be analyzed in Werner Herzog’s documentary film Grizzle Man.
In John Berger’s (1980) analysis of “Why Look at Animals?” the historical relationship between human beings and animals is discussed as part of an observational perspective. Historically, the relationship between human beings and animals was far more intimate in a natural environment. This aspect of pre-modern animal/human relationship is defined through the “anthropomorphic” proximity to animals that was much closer than in the 19th century. This aspect of anthropomorphism defines the close relationship between human beings and animals in the wild:
Until the 19th century, however, anthropomorphism was integral to the relation between man and animal and was an expression of their proximity.

Anthropomorphism was the residue of the continuous use of animal in metaphor. In the last two centuries, animals have gradually disappeared (Berger 11).

In this context, the increasing distance of human beings from animals in the wild is a major aspect of anthropomorphic behavior, which has decreased in the modern era. In Herzog’s documentary film, Grizzly Man, the documentary form of filming defines how one man, Timothy Treadwell, sought to reconnect with wild animals, especially with the grizzly bear. These aspects of documentary filmmaking are an important part of Berger’s understanding of how animals are observed in a historical context, since Treadwell actively seeks to gain closer proximity to wild bears outside of controlled

environments.
Herzog’s documentary approach to filmmaking is primarily based on using footage of Treadwell’s own filming of direct contact with grizzly bears in the wild. This method also includes an interview format with family members and friends of Treadwell, which act as a post-mortem script of the anthropomorphic motivations of his life amongst the grizzlies. In this manner, Berger’s (1980) observational perspective of animals and human beings is a major part of how Herzog presents Treadwell’s life after he has been killed by a grizzly bear at Yellowstone national park. In this filming process, Herzog shows film footage from Treadwell’s own experiences with grizzly bear in the wild. These types of scenes show Treadwell re-engaging large grizzly bears with direct contact and close proximity, which reveals the danger of his actions within an anthropomorphic observational perspective: “Today, we live without them [the animals]. And in this new solitude, anthropomorphism makes us doubly uneasy” (Berger 11). This observational view reveals the reconnection of Treadwell with wild animals, which does reveal the very great potential for danger and death in the documentary process. In this case, particular scene used by Herzog showing Treadwell engaging a wild bear will define these various mise-en-scene factors in the setting and visual perspective of a direct re-engagement of man and animal in Grizzly Man.
Herzog’s selection Treadwell’s documentary footage of grizzly encounters defines an important anthropomorphic relationship that re-defines Berger’s evaluation of the lack of proximity between human beings and wild animals. In one important scene, Treadwell is scene filming himself by a large stream. In the background of this scene, a massive bear (named The Grinch for her bad behavior) is seen eating a fish, which has bloodied a river rock. In a formal presentation, Treadwell describes the bear behind him back to the animal. Treadwell is standing 25-30 feet away from the animal, which shows the “uneasy” tension that Berger describes as part of the re-connection with human beings and wild animals:
I want to introduce you to the key role players in this year’s expedition. This bear’s name is the Grinch. The Grinch has come on to be one of the more frequent bears here in the grizzly maze. Um, the Grinch is a female of about five years of age. “Oh, hi Grinch. And she has kind of an aggressive attitude….Hi (saying too the bear). (Herzog 17:06).
During this introduction, Treadwell does not immediately notice that the bear is has seen him, and that it is now moving toward him. Of course, the mise-en-scene of this scenery is the terrifying notion that Treadwell is not a “animal sanctuary” or that he is a trained professional, but that he is literally out “in the wild” with a bear known for eating human beings. Treadwell has placed the camera view to show the background image of the bear as it moves towards him, which allows him to show the direct relationship between himself and his subject. More importantly, Treadwell uses this camera view to show his own direct confrontation with the animal, which becomes increasingly tense. These are important aspects of scenery that define the anthropomorphic relationship between Treadwell and the grizzly.
Treadwell’s interaction with the grizzly bear is a shocking aspect of anthropomorphic filming, which shows him confronting a potentially hostile bear. The direct reconnection between a bear and human being provides a dramatic context for the scene, since Treadwell is now seen facing the bear and telling it to back off because he fears being bitten. Again, the camera view shows a direct line between Treadwell and the bear, which provides a close proximity between the two figures in an anthropomorphic setting. Treadwell’s own aggression with The Grinch reveals the potential danger between man and animal that is shown in the scene:
If I turn around too much, she will bite me. “It’s ok. Hi, how are you? How are you? Don’t you do that! Don’t you do that! Back off!...It’s ok. I love you! I love you! I love you! I’m sorry” ( Herzog 17:28).
This type of behavior not only shows Treadwell attempting to tame or console a wild bear, but it shows the willingness of a human being to interact with a potentially dangerous animal. The wildlife settings around this scene provide a ancient and terrifying interaction between a man and a bear. In this case, Treadwell has nowhere to go if the bear decides to attack him, yet he astoundingly drives off the animal by directly confronting it by telling it to “back off.” This is an important part of Herzog’s presentation of Treadwell’s own mise-en-scene style of documentary footage, which provides an astonishing reconnection between man and animal in the anthropomorphic mode. This scene provides a great deal of information on how anthropomorphic filming techniques were used in Grizzly Man to show Treadwell’s direct interaction with grizzly bears in the wild.
In conclusion, a mise-en-scene analysis of the anthropomorphic relationship between a man and a bear has been defined in Werner Herzog’s documentary film Grizzly Man. Berger’s (1980) analysis of visual observations of animals defines the historical disconnection between man and animals, which defines the anthropomorphic perspective. Herzog chose to show Treadwell’s documentary footage as a an example of the reconnection between man and bear, which is shown the scene in which he is interacting with The Grinch, a hostile bear. The Mise-en-scene of this scene presents Treadwell as a somewhat emboldened natural observer seeking to forge a relationship with the bear. In fact, Treadwell defies all of the “uneasy” aspects of anthropomorphic danger and hostility that would typically deter a human being from being vulnerable to a bear attack. The river setting of the scene provides a unique and rare setting outside of a controlled environment, which makes Treadwell’s interactions extremely dramatic and dangerous. In this manner, the anthropomorphic reconnection between man and animal is shown in Herzog’s documentary depiction of Timothy Treadwell’s life as a “grizzly man”, especially after it is know that a bear had killed Treadwell before the film was made.