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103 MINUTES | KENDALL SQUARE Alternating between fiction and non-fiction throughout a 50-film career, Werner Herzog has spent four decades documenting an obsession with man in nature, the typical result being madness. Zak Penn’s Incident at Loch Ness (2004) featured Herzog in an elaborate parody of his own work, blurring the line between the two formats. In commentary recorded for that film’s DVD release, he recalls that his first book was Winnie the Pooh and that it remains one of his favorites. Herzog has merged his childhood and adult passions in this poetic documentary, which is one of his best. Timothy Treadwell, who spent 13 summers living among grizzlies in the Alaskan wilderness, is the latest of Herzog’s "holy fools," but he has less in common with Herzog’s "best fiend," Klaus Kinski, than with the director himself. As Herzog relates in his distinctive German-accented narration, Treadwell — who shot 100 hours of nature footage over five years — was able to capture "the unexpected magic of cinema." Like Herzog, Treadwell frequently turned the camera on himself. Born in Long Island, the former Timothy Dexter made his way to Malibu, losing a role on Cheers to Woody Harrelson (or so he tells it) and descending into a life of booze and drugs. A master of reinvention, he found his calling as "kind warrior" Treadwell, child-like bear expert, educator, and preservationist from Australia. During a 2000 Late Show appearance, David Letterman garnered laughs when he wondered whether one day we’d read "a news article about you being eaten." On October 6, 2003, Letterman became a prophet. After showing initial empathy, Herzog allows Treadwell’s madness to emerge, through expert opinion ("The bears probably thought he was retarded") and Treadwell’s own damning footage. Herzog’s conclusion? "The common denominator of the universe is not harmony — it’s chaos, hostility, and murder." Pooh would be dismayed.
BY BRETT MICHEL
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