MOVIE OF THE WEEK October 2, 2026: THE ART OF ADVENTURE
In The Art of Adventure, director Alison Reid (The Woman Who Loved Giraffes) tells the globe-trotting tale of Robert Bateman and Bristol Foster, two longtime Canadian friends whose shared passion for nature and drive to see the world beyond North America led them on an 18-month odyssey across 50,000 miles and 19 countries in the late 1950s — and, later, fueled their careers as passionate stewards of the environment.
After meeting as boys in Toronto while participating in a museum naturalists’ club, Bateman and Foster recognized each other as kindred spirits; both were lovers of the outdoors and its creatures and were driven by curiosity and a desire to explore. So, in their 20s, they decided to do just that, planning an ambitious adventure that would take them across oceans and continents. They ordered and equipped a hardy Land Rover that they dubbed The Grizzly Torque (inspired by the Pogo comic strip) and set out in May 1957. Their expedition led them through African savannas, Indian villages, and Australian ranges. Along the way, they documented everything they saw in sketches, photographs, and film.
Reid uses their impressive trove of material liberally in the documentary, illustrating their recollections with vivid clips of the Torque getting stuck in deep mud, their encounters with Indigenous people, and vistas full of herds of roving animals. As they look back on their epic adventure more than 60 years later, both men recall it with deep affection, recognizing the opportunity as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to immerse themselves in places that, especially in retrospect, felt like untouched paradises. They also understand that this formative experience helped lead them to careers that built on their love of the wild, Bateman as a well-known wildlife painter and Foster as a biologist and preservationist.
In a present in which the impact of climate change hits all too close to home, the duo worries about what the future holds for the natural world they care for so deeply — and they’re very aware of the fact that it would be impossible to take a trip like theirs today, which makes their recollections of it all the more precious. By the time their story ultimately comes full circle with the rediscovery of a faithful friend they long thought lost to time and memory, Reid makes it very clear that Bateman and Foster’s enduring companionship is as solid as the legacy they’ve built as caretakers of the wild. — Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Loren King I didn’t expect that a documentary about two Canadian naturalists and adventurers in their 90s would be a such a feel-good film. But that’s what director Alison Reid (The Woman Who Loves Giraffes)has delivered with this uplifting, eye-opening and altogether charming portrait of Robert Bateman and Bristol Foster, childhood friends who in 1957 set off in a custom Land Rover that they whimsically named the “Grizzly Torque” after a “Pogo” comic. With equal parts youthful naiveté and a curiosity about the world and its people that has followed them into advanced age, Bateman and Foster experienced an epic, life-changing adventure through remote parts of Africa and India. They documented their travels with Foster’s remarkably preserved film footage and Bateman’s exquisite and intimate drawings, all of which Reid puts to stunning use in her film. Bateman became a famed wildlife artist and Foster continues to work on behalf of conservation and the environment. The two remained close friends through the decades and the film culminates in a touching full-circle moment that is too uncanny to reveal. “The Art of Adventure” is 90 minutes of pure bliss; a layered story that takes the viewer on a journey through time.
Leslie Combemale Apart from chronicling a historic adventure that captures the zeitgeist of the era and a bygone time, Alison Reid’s The Art of Adventure shows a beautiful example of platonic male friendship. For art lovers, especially fans of nature art, viewers can witness the expansion of one well known artist’s talent and inspiration over decades of work. Added to those elements is solving the mystery of where their beloved Range Rover, The Grizzly Torque, wound up, and its careful restoration, a powerful metaphor for caring for the world around us, even as we fear it’s beyond repair.
Jennifer Merin: Filmmaker Alison Reid chronicles the 1950s round the world sojourn and career-defining adventures of two exceptionally creative men who’ve been lifelong friends and partners in inspiration. In 1957, world renowned wildlife artist, Robert Bateman and spirited biologist, Bristol Foster embarked on a daring round the globe expedition in a Land Rover called “The Grizzly Torque”- setting in motion their ongoing commitment to environmental activism. In The Art of Aventure, Reid uses archival footage of Bateman and Foster, often driving their ‘Grizzly Torque’ over drenched mud roads and through dense forests, or surrounded by potentially dangerous wildlife, or in the company of local Indiginous people with distinct beliefs and cultures. There are fabulous illustrations by Bateman — drawn, he says, while he was driving. Their trip was well documented, and the natural world they recorded and revealed are now. unfortuntely, of the past. Reid’s on camera interviews with Batemen and Foster, now in their 90s, allow the creative gents to narrate and navigate their own stories with fascinating detail and to show their very strong commitment to protecting what’s left of the natural world as they experienced it. Alison Reid’s The Woman Who Loves Giraffes, a documentary profile of naturlist Anne Innis DAgg, was our MOTW for January 10. 2020. In The Art of Aventure, Reid shows the same intimate connection with and profound respect for her subjects.
Liz Whittemore Alison Reid’s The Art of Adventure is a captivating and visually rich documentary that beautifully captures the spirit of exploration and artistic awakening. By retracing the audacious 1957 transcontinental journey of young Robert Bateman and Bristol Foster in their iconic Land Rover, “Grizzly Torque,” the film masterfully weaves mesmerizing archival footage, vivid artwork, and reflective present-day insights. It is both a poignant tribute to a lifelong friendship and an inspiring look at how boundless curiosity about the natural world shaped one of the world’s most renowned wildlife artists.
Sandie Angulo Chen: Filmmaker Alison Reid’s documentary The Art of Adventure is a tribute to the nearly 80-year-long friendship between nonagenarian Canadian adventurers Robert Bateman, one of the country’s best-known wildlife artists, and Bristol Foster, a retired biologist. The film chronicles how, in 1957, the two young men embarked on an ambitious trip around the world, visiting 19 countries in a Land Rover they named The Grizzly Torque. It’s a feel-good story about the transformative power of travel, nature, and enduring friendship.
Monique Jones The Art of Adventure gives viewers a sense of curiosity and love for the natural world. However, viewers may be sensitive about Robert Bateman and Bristol Foster, two white guys, using words like “primitive” to describe aspects of the world’s Indigenous people. I think this can mostly be attributed to the fact that the two friends and naturalists were adventuring in the ’50s, a time which still saw native people as “natural” as the animals around them. But the film doesn’t dwell in an extended stay in “the noble native” ideology. Most of the film is about how incredible, valuable and precious the natural world is. To its credit, the film acknowledges that the western world doesn’t value nature as much as other world cultures do, and as one person says in this documentary, Foster and Bateman adopted an “Indigenous” mindset because of their love for the world around them. Despite any mistakes the two might have made how they described native people in their “primitive state” (or how they bathed in the pools of the Taj Mahal) they have a base level of respect for the people who live in the areas they wish to conserve. The Art of Adventure would be valuable to anyone who appreciates Bateman’s artwork and Foster’s environmentalism. People who haven’t heard of them will get a fair, balanced representation of them. Mileage may vary regarding some parts of the film, but overall, the importance of conservation is a message everyone can get behind.
Cate Marquis In Alison Reid’s magical documentary The Art of Adventure, Robert Bateman and Bristol Foster, two friends who had bonded as teens in Toronto over a love of nature and birding, set out at age 27 to travel around the world in a specially outfitted Land Rover they dubbed The Grizzly Torque. It is a crazy idea, even in 1957, and at first Robert, an artist, resisted but budding biologist Bristol persuaded him. They crossed the Atlantic to pick up the Land Rover in London, then sailed to Africa, where they embarked on the adventure of a lifetime, one that impacted who they became and cemented their friendship. As they drove across Africa, then sailed to India and Nepal before heading to Malaysia and Australia, Robert painted wildlife, scenery and people, while Bristol filmed wildlife, people and natural landscapes. Using on camera interviews with the now-aged friends, footage and stills from their journey plus interviews with family, Reid tells the story of before and after the journey, painting a warming picture of long friendship and two lives well lived.
FILM DETAILS:
Title: The Art of Adventure
Director: Alison Reid
Release Date: October 7, 2026
Running Time: 86 minutes
Language: English
Screenwriter: Alison Reid (documentary)
Lead Performers: Robert Bateman, Bristol Foster
Distribution Company: Game Theory Films
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Sandie Angulo Chen, Betsy Bozdech, Leslie Combemale, Monique Jones, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Liz Whittemore
Other Movies Opening This Week
Edited by Jennifer Merin
