The following featurette, Movie Making in the Wilderness, comes to us compliments of William Brent Girdler Jr., William Girdler Sr.'s son. This fascinating short film on the making of Grizzly offers narration from Bill Girdler, behind-the-scenes footage, and at least one glimmer of a cut sequence.
The 1976 mini-documentary bears the Film Ventures International signature. Brent Girdler said the video was given to him many years ago. I honestly don't know if/where the feature showed in the day. Its professional edge makes me think it was a promotional item of some kind; maybe for screener or television viewings?
Whatever its origin or purpose, Movie Making in the Wilderness provides a rare opportunity to see Girdler work his magic ... and the even rarer chance to hear him discuss his craft. The featurette also spends ample time shining a spotlight on Grizzly's fuzzy superstar: the bear!
In its pure form Movie Making in the Wilderness clocks in at around seven minutes, but I've edited out two-minutes worth of film clips to make the video files as web-friendly as possible for dial-up users. I suggest to those of you with a slower connection that you view the smaller REAL media version. Click here to download the free version of the REAL player if you don't have one.
