When I was talking to Marq Evans about his previous film THE DIAMOND KING, he said that his next film was going to be on Bigfoot and specifically the Patterson/Gimlin film. He told me a reel of film had come to light that was going to change everything. I asked him not to say anymore because I didn't want to have any preconceived notions when I saw the film. We left it there until the film was listed as part of this year's SXSW when I reached out and asked to see the film.
CAPTURING BIGFOOT is the story of the best-known film footage of Bigfoot, the Patterson/Gimlin film that was shot in 1967 when the pair was out looking for the creature when one showed up and Patterson was thrown from his horse but held on to his camera. It's the tale of what happened as told by Patterson's son, Clint, and the other people involved with it, as well as the people who believed and those that didn't. It's a very bittersweet and melancholy film not just for its revelations but because it's the story of lives broken apart by the a few feet of film.
Shot in a style that at times mirrors the "true life" documentaries of the 60's and 70's. The film recalls a bygone era when you had to go to the movies to see real life monsters on the big screen. The film then hooks us with Clint Patterson watching the newly discovered film for the first time and his saying that it was going to change everything.
The selling point of the film is that recent discovered reel of 16mm film that had been locked in a vault for decades. We know the film exists at the start and it is hinted that the revelation, borne out later in the film, that it reveals the film we all know is a hoax.
Most of the film is a look at the life and times of Roger Patterson told by his son and some of the people who knew him. The film explains the whole story of the film of bigfoot that we've seen for almost 60 years, how it was supposedly shot, how it was marketed and how it tore families and friendships apart. I was not expecting the melancholy that the film creates in the viewer. There is a great sadness not only in seeing the lives of people whose whole existence is a short piece of film, but the way that piece of film wrecked lives as friendships were broken, money was stolen, and families were destroyed as family members said things to each other that should never be said. (And that is before the sadness that occurs when you realized how this film is going to break hearts and destroy the worlds of people invested in Bigfoot.)
When we finally get to the final half hour things are not as we expect. There is no grand "ah ha" moment, and the result is a film that leaves us unsettled for a variety of reasons. The first being that the revelations shift the bigfoot board largely irrevocably. There is no going back now. What does this mean for our thoughts on the Patterson film? What does that mean for those whose lives kind of depend upon it? What of the destruction that the film has laid out? Interestingly there is no grand triumph. Other than writer Greg Long, who feel triumphant, no one is particularly happy or delighted. Damage is done. You can't really be a feeling person and walk out of the film and feel good. Even if you felt the film was a hoax, you can't feel happy at what transpires, too many people have been hurt. The huge strength of the film is that Evans doesn't paint the ending as something glorious but allows the moment to be colored by sadness as everyone realizes that the last 6 decades were ultimately empty. Patterson's nephew's declaration of it being cool to be part of the hoax rings hollow and the efforts of a man to try in find something good in spoiled goods.
As an emotional ride this film is something special. The film packs an incredibly strong emotional punch; unlike anything Evans has done before and I absolutely love that.
If there is any flaw in the film is that there may be one or two niggling points that can be picked at, and which will be picked at, by the bigfoot true believers who will not want to accept the truth, despite Patterson's widow and others saying it was faked. Some people are not going to accept the truth, for example special effects man Bill Munn is seen refusing to accept it as a fake even after being given all the evidence. It is something many people are going to choose to do because they simply can't let go.
CAPTURING BIGFOOT is ultimately a great film. It's literally a game changer. If you have any interest in bigfoot or popular culture, the film is a must see.
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