Maineiac, you mention having seen the film on Discovery Channel, but I wonder if you saw the scene in which Werner Herzog is listening to the tape with headphones while Grizzly Man's ex girlfriend is watching him with unbearable pain on her face? The expression on her face, and Herzog's recommendation to destroy the tape and never listen to it, provides more insight to the audience than hearing the tape ever could.
Grizzly Man's death is not a penultimate moment. It is his ultimate moment, and were his ultimate moment not his death, perhaps it should be shared with the world. Do you wish your death to be shared with anyone who pays $9.00 to witness it? Thankfully, Herzog was sensitive enough to use proper judgement.
In my opinion, it is simply bad taste to include footage, or audio tape of someone's death in a film intended to be released for commercial purposes. I respect your opinion to the contrary, but there is no argument that will ever pursuade me to change my mind on this point, so we will have to agree to disagree.
Regarding awards, and particularly the DGA awards (as well as the SAG and WGA awards), I can assure you the members of the Directors Guild take nominating and voting for their members very seriously. Among directors, receiving the DGA award from one's peers carries more meaning than an Oscar, which I agree has become quite commercial. Nevertheless, Oscar caliber achievements are usually excellent indicators of outstanding work by which the work of others is measured.
