By Tim Binnall
The highly anticipated documentary 'Capturing Bigfoot' has finally been released and, to the distress of some and the delight of others, it casts profound doubt on the validity of the legendary Patterson-Gimlin footage. Directed by Marq Evans, the film has been the talk of the paranormal world since it premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in March. As word spread that the documentary convincingly debunks the iconic 1967 Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin (P&G) footage purportedly showing Sasquatch, many took a 'wait and see' approach to the news until the movie was released. That moment arrived today, October 20th, on National Sasquatch Awareness Day, which celebrates the anniversary of when the controversial scene was said to have been filmed.
Serving as the centerpiece of the documentary is an approximately 20-second-long piece of previously unseen footage (a screen capture of which can be seen below) believed to have been filmed by Patterson a year before the famed P&G scene. Featuring what appears to be Gimlin on horseback, the curious clip shows a 'Bigfoot' that bears an uncanny resemblance to the Sasquatch 'star' of the later film that shocked the world. The faux creature also behaves in a strikingly similar manner, walking away from the camera before briefly stopping to look back, and then ambling off into some brush. Given the remarkable commonalities between the two scenes, many observers have understandably inferred that the 1966 clip was a first attempt at the more refined 1967 film and that it proves the later event was a hoax.
Beyond the newfound footage, which will undoubtedly be as closely scrutinized and exhaustively examined by researchers as the original film, 'Capturing Bigfoot' makes a compelling case for the P&G film being fake, including interviews with purported participants in the hoax and a confession from Patterson's wife, who lamented being involved in the entire affair. The release of the documentary serves as something of a crescendo to a proverbial victory lap run by P&G skeptics over the last few months. However, when the dust finally settles, some may find themselves feeling a bit empty when they realize the debate over the footage is seemingly over. Meanwhile, longtime believers in the footage who now find themselves agreeing that the P&G film was a hoax are likely experiencing a similar sense of loss.
While the vast majority of 'Capturing Bigfoot' viewers will probably conclude that the legendary 1967 film was a hoax, there remain some in the Bigfoot community who continue to contend that the footage is genuine, positing that the new scene was actually filmed after the event P&G event. However, should that be the case, such a scenario creates a new problem, as one of the strongest points towards the validity of the iconic event is that it was impossible to create such a convincing Sasquatch costume. Therefore, if the duo did craft a re-creation of their famous footage, it would upend a cornerstone of the case that is often made by advocates for the film. Others have called into question the provenance of the newfound footage, raising suspicions over how it came to light.
Setting aside those debates, for many believers, nothing short of a confession from Gimlin, which has not occurred, is likely to convince them that the film was fake. That said, as stressed in the documentary, the apparent debunking of the Patterson-Gimlin film does not destroy the case for Bigfoot, as there are countless eyewitness accounts and other interesting pieces of visual evidence that suggest the creature could exist. To that end, one need only to look at the infamous Surgeon's Photo of Nessie, which was also debated for around 60 years before being revealed to be a hoax, to see that legendary cryptids are particularly hard to kill, as Scotland's famed 'monster' continues making headlines to this day.
Ultimately, if 'Capturing Bigfoot' is correct in its conclusion that the P&G footage was fake, it could be argued that the individuals behind the scene should be celebrated rather than villainized, since they managed to pull off one of the greatest hoaxes in history with what would amount to a wondrous piece of folk art. Additionally, being disproven due to an unearthed piece of film from decades ago is a fittingly sensational finish to the spectacular story that started when Patterson and Gimlin ventured out to Bluff Creek back in 1967. Where do you stand on the developments brought about by the new documentary? Weigh in with your thoughts at the Coast to Coast AM Facebook page.