We should have heard the tape in the film
We should have heard the tape in the film
true documentaries present everything
Everyone who has heard the tape says they've been haunted by it for years. Including it in the film would push the documentary into risky territory. This was a mainstream, marketable documentary. It would be too much for many viewers.
The footage of the director listening to the tape was titillating and intentional for sure. He could have omitted that scene. The recurring mentions of the audio footage make you want to hear it. I think it's supposed to make you imagine the sounds in your head.
The footage of the director listening to the tape was titillating and intentional for sure. He could have omitted that scene.
I disagree. If he had excluded that footage, people would've attacked him for that, too. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Getting back to the original post:
Why did we need to hear the recording? What new information would it have given us? We know they both got killed horrifically (that pilot's testimony made that pretty clear I thought), so why does anyone need to listen to what is basically a "snuff-audio"? I think we need to remember that Herzog didn't make a film about those two persons' deaths. He made a film about a person (Treadwell), his life, his weird behavior and (misguided) views of himself and of the bears. His death was part of it, sure. But the film was about more than just his final moments.
Besides: Just like not showing gore or violence in a horror-film can be much more potent than presenting them in plain view, I thought Herzog listening and reacting to the tape was much more powerful than actually playing the tape for the audience.
S. share