Trivia / Grizzly Man

• Deleted Scene: A clip from The Late Show with David Letterman where David Letterman jokingly asks Treadwell if he thinks he'll be eaten by bears was in the theatrical cut, but removed from the DVD release. This was actually due to a copyright issue, but it came off in poor taste.
• Executive Meddling: Executives apparently wanted the audio from Treadwell's death to be used in the movie, but Herzog flatly refused. Given how he himself reacted to listening to it, it's probably for the best.
• Pop-Culture Urban Legends: There is a widespread rumor that the famous scene where Werner Herzog listens to the tape was faked, ie it was dramatized. This likely stems from people misunderstanding Herzog when he stated that the scene was staged. What he actually meant was that the moment was not spontaneously filmed, but rather that Herzog had decided to film himself listening to the tape, and the camera angle was preplanned. The reactions of Herzog and Jewel Palovak are 100% real.
• Urban Legends: Several websites purport to have the real Treadwell death audio available for listening. According to the very few people who have actually heard the audio (mostly wildlife officials, the coroner who handled Treadwell's body, and Werner Herzog), all of these alleged recordings are fakes. The real tape remains in the hands of a personal friend of Treadwell, who keeps it in a safe deposit box and has never listened to it herself.
• What Could Have Been: Herzog initially didn’t want to appear on camera at all, but finally decided his listening to the tape of the attack would be too awkward to portray unless you could see him, and he kept his back to the camera as a compromise.

---