Proteus (2004)

28% of critics liked it
(18 reviews)
48% of users liked it
(733 ratings)

Filmmaker David Lebrun casts his eye on the evolution of art, science, and the world around us in this fusion of documentary and experimental forms. Ernst Haeckel was a 19th Century biologist with a keen interest in art; he found a way to merge these two disciplines when he published the book Art… More Filmmaker David Lebrun casts his eye on the evolution of art, science, and the world around us in this fusion of documentary and experimental forms. Ernst Haeckel was a 19th Century biologist with a keen interest in art; he found a way to merge these two disciplines when he published the book Art Forms in Nature, in which he offered detailed sketches of nearly 4,000 different single-celled organisms. As Lebrun tells the story of Haeckel and his work, he meditates upon the vision shared by the artists and scientist and other great minds of the age, and uses Haeckel's images as a jumping off point for his own visual explorations. Proteus received its world premier at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 1 min.
Directed By: David Lebrun
Genres: Art House & International, Documentary, Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Mystery & Suspense, Special Interest

In Theaters: Jul 30, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Dec 7, 2004
Studio: Strand Releasing

Critic Reviews

Jason Anderson, Globe and Mail
Grounded by the stark physicality of the location and the emotional charge generated by those prison-bound passions (Jean Genet would have approved).
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
Is it a movie or the best-designed episode of Nova ever?
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Involving and affecting even if it is not completely coherent or fully realized.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Clearly attempting to make the story relevant for contemporary times, they use a variety of stylistic devices that serves to have the opposite effect, distancing us from a story that might have been far more compelling if rendered in a direct fashion.
John McMurtrie, San Francisco Chronicle
The movie's pretty much a stinker.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
A challenging, flawed look at a little-known slice of history.
Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
The problem with Proteus is that the issues tend to overwhelm the story, and one is never fully engaged in the narrative.
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
David Lebrun's wonderful documentary brings Haeckel's artistic and scientific triumph to life through a beautifully written narration.
David Elliott, San Diego Union-Tribune
Frankly steamed sex scenes spice the film from John Greyson and Jack Lewis, gaining it entry to gay festivals but only momentarily rousing it from the fetid doldrums of a fatiguingly 'instructive' story.
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, TheMovieChicks.com
The biggest failing of the movie is that it focuses on the scientific experiments and the facts of the case instead of the emotion of the situation.
Mary Brennan, Seattle Times
Problematic on almost all levels.
Bridget Byrne, Boxoffice Magazine
An intelligently rendered film (shot on video) that doesn't seek to make its central characters overtly sympathetic even as it stresses the human rights so thoughtlessly or deliberately denied them.
Chuck Wilson, L.A. Weekly
Carries an air of forced-wit experimentation that never quite gets its anachronisms in order.
S. James Wegg, JWR
... the story of lust, love and betrayal intriguingly bemoans racism and prejudice of bygone times while peppering the 'history' with more modern references ...
Donald J. Levit, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Homophobia and hyprocisy, history and legend, racism and jealousy, cruelty and love all figure in -- and prove too much.