7 recommendations

I recommend this...

The Man Who Lives With Bears

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

No, this isn't a doco about the life and death of Timothy Treadwell, the man who was eventually killed and eaten by the bears he so dearly loved (his grim story was documented in the film Grizzly Man).

The Man Who Lives with Bears instead focuses on another man who, unsurprisingly enough, lives with bears: Charlie Vandergaw co-exists with these fearsome creatures in the Alaskan wilderness and somehow manages to survive (at least so far).

Watching this doco is a little tense, especially in the opening scenes when shots of 68-year-old Vandergraw peacefully interacting with grizzly and black bears are contrasted with shots of the bears viciously fighting amongst themselves - you can't help but fear that it's not long before they'll turn on him.

But though these bears are savage, strong and terrifying, they're also intelligent and curious. Vandergraw admits he is scared of them, but as the film progresses you start to feel more sympathetic towards his exotic lifestyle and why he has chosen to live in the middle of nowhere.

Though having said that, Vandergraw often comes across as dangerously reckless; nevertheless, The Man Who Lives with Bears will please those who were engrossed by Nine's recent run of David Attenborough documentaries.

The Man Who Lives with Bears airs on the Nine Network on Monday, August 11, at 7:30pm.

Click here to view Citysearch's TV guide.

Sam Downing, August 2008