One of my favorite documentaries of all time is Werner Herzog's documentary Grizzly Man which focused on Timothy Treadwell, a self-proclaimed "American bear enthusiast, environmentalist, amateur naturalist, and documentary film maker" who spent 13 seasons (illegally) living amongst grizzly bears in Alaska's Katami National Park until, along with his girlfriend, he was mauled to death and eaten by a neighboring bear. Treadwell was making his own documentary at the time and Herzog incorporates much of Treadwell's raw tapes--Treadwell's multiple takes are particularly fascinating--and material. An audio recording of the attack survived which provides much of the film's "will he air it or not" compelling but macabre tension.
The producers of Grizzly Man have gone back to the original material left behind by Treadwell and created an eight-part series which will air next month on Animal Planet. Unfortunately Herzog won't be involved in this second look, which is disappointing because I really enjoyed his editorial take on Timothy Treadwell which highlighted the ego that drives someone to think they can tame nature.
Read more here.