And, ultimately, it is the brazen quietude he finds in the Alaska backcountry that makes his film so compelling. He escaped crowds and lines and summer reruns. His epic journey takes you on a vacation away from the hustle and bustle of today's fast. Watch through his eyes as he continues to document with his camera, capturing the stunning Alaskan wildlife and scenery and even a visit from his brother Ray. With the notable exceptions of his hand-cranked Bolex camera and the airplane that delivered him supplies, Proenneke left technology behind. Dick Proenneke's profound account of his 30 year adventure in the remote Alaska wilderness continues in this sequel to Alone in the Wilderness. Youll watch cubs learning to fish, bears gorging in berry-laden fields, and a remarkable scene of bears consuming a beached whale carcass. And to realize that Proenneke did all this work in front of an unmanned movie camera reminds me of what they say about Ginger Rogers: She did everything Fred Astaire did but did it backwards and in high heels. Follow the largest carnivore that walks the earth, the great Kodiak bear, down ancient feeding trails, up salmon-rich rivers - even into a den where a mother nurses her newborn cubs. To watch Proenneke make, say, a salad bowl or perfect Dutch door out of scraps of native spruce is humbling. Why do I find this documentary-made 35 years after most of the footage was shot-so intriguing? Well, the more you watch, the more you understand what a radical visionary Dick Proenneke was, a pioneer on issues of the environment, sustainability, and artisanship. In the pristine wilderness, Steve and his team explore an area packed with more. Leigh’s terrific story is in the February issue of Sunset. Join Steve Backshall on the Kamchatka peninsula as he takes on white water so extreme it has never been attempted. So Sunset sent writer Leigh Newman, who grew up in the Alaska bush, to Lake Clark National Park to visit the Dick Proenneke Cabin and report back. And yet, as millions have discovered, the 57-minute film Alone in the Wilderness is completely mesmerizing. My favorite documentary is shot on grainy 16mm film, has a monotone narration, and includes little action-a 52-year-old man builds a tiny cabin in the Alaska wilderness in the late 1960s.
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