Bigfoot: Man or Beast?

This was a great film if it was 20 years ago and about four in the morning and you had a hand rolled cigarette and a couple of glasses of wine and it came on the only station broadcasting all night in your area. This was before cable, folks. Stations really did often shut down from two to six a.m.. They'd play the star spangled banner, show some Air Force jets flying through the Grand Canyon and then suddenly a major network tv station shut off and you got a test pattern and a a four hour high pitched beep. I kid you not. But one would usually stay on and it was your only hope. Whatever movie came on, that was the hand you were dealt, and this miserably amateurish idiot film was the only game in town on more than one sad occasion. The only authentic scientific moment is the frame by frame showing of the famous footage of the Bigfoot walking through a forested area in the U.S. Northwest. This shakey 8 millimeter clip was recently proven to be a total hoax, a guy in a gorilla suit, so if the movie wasn't a joke before, its twice as comical now. By all means, watch this film if it ever comes on TV, but not if you're sober. Another fine film from American International.

This movie is a great nostalgia trip to the 70's, especially if, like me, you have a fondness for 70's paranormal programs (OK, maybe I'm the only one). J. Smith narrates as we watch Robert Morgan, John Green, Rene Dahinden and a host of others discuss Bigfoot! Watch Robert Morgan's expedition into Bigfoot country (in the shadow of pre-volcano-blasted Mount St. Helens). I just love it, it takes me back to my 70's childhood, when Bigfoot, UFO's and other topics were really getting a foothold into popular culture. If you like In Search Of, chances are you will like this.

BIGFOOT: MAN OR BEAST is a very thorough, well-made documentary. Whether you believe these creatures actually exist or not, this is a fair treatment of the subject matter. It's not as absurd as one might expect either, since everyone involved comes across as sincere.

There are the eye witnesses and their retelling of their experiences, as well as experts both pro and con. Sightings as far back as the 1920's are discussed. There are also healthy doses of voiceover narration.

SPECIAL NOTE: This movie contains the famous 16mm video that has become the signature footage of the creature.

Of course, this did come out in the early 1970's, so it reflects its era. It's handled far more seriously than more recent Bigfoot exposes, which have usually been in the form of "reality shows".

This documentary is required viewing for the true enthusiast...

Bigfoot: Man or Beast? (1972)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Released the same year as THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK, this docu-drama is basically just like that movie, although this one here focuses more on the actual hunting of the creature.

For the most part this is an entertaining movie as long as you're a fan of the subject. There's certainly nothing ground-breaking here but you've got to admit that the 1970's were the clear Golden Era for Bigfoot movies. You had countless documentaries, several cheap movies and television series like In Search Of... that took a look at the legendary creature and all of them tried to educate the viewer on the creature and what hopes there were for finding one. This film does a good job with the interviews as we get to hear from several eyewitnesses. I thought the film started to drag during the final thirty-minutes when it turned into more of a hunting guide.

Yes! Robert Morgan baby! Looks like Loomis from Halloween. He trots through the woods with the same sound bite harmonica music for 90 min. He isn't very convincing when he describes his bigfoot sighting. "The most man-like, human...gorilla...I had ever seen." They start a forest fire and he cries along with his hippie entourage because their plans for finding Biggie are ruined. At the beginning the guy driving the crazy all terrain car is great, especially when he tells the guy with the chainsaw to hold up for a bit. Includes the Patterson film, a mime describes what he thinks of it, has my buddy Grover Krantz(he shows that same footprint he is so proud of) "What we have here is obviously a crippled individual.", also get to see the Biggie Hunters argue weather he should be shot or not. But for the most part its grovy guys in grovy clothes looking for Bigfoot. That about sums it up.

Doc