I first learned about Timothy Treadwell in Outside Magazine a couple of years ago. I heard from friends that a movie was made of his video tapes. They're reaction was polar and somewhat startling.
From the articles in Outside, I had my own thoughts going into the movie. My first inclination was that Timothy Treadwell was at least a naturalist, with proper training and thorough knowledge of bears and their habitats. The movie showed that he was none of the above. His foray into the wild was based on childhood love of critters and Teddy bears, and "coming in second to Woody Harrelson" for the bartender position on Cheers. In his clips, he continuously praised the bears for their friendship, and expressed love for the bears, foxes, and the entire scene. It all came to a head when watching a female bear excrete and his reaction went off the charts. Very, very odd.
The entire movie went back and forth between showing Treadwell's "love" for the bears, and the love his friends had for him. Many of his friends referred to his addictions to alcohol and drugs and hanging prior to heading into the bush. Kris pointed out that he just found another addiction by spending time with the bears.
I spent part of the movie wondering if Jane Goodall would've received the same distain if she had been mauled by Chimpanzes. She spent forty-five years studying the social and familial rituals of the chimps, and went on to world-wide recognition. What if Treadwell had survived? Would he have learned anything? Would he have been able to share it, change the way the world views bears? I don't know if anything scientific has been made of Treadwell's video or observations, but if it has, was his life worth it?
Overall, take away the opinions expressed by the commentator, Director Werner Herzog, and watch the movie for yourself. I found a deeply disturbed man who got exactly what was coming to him.