Inspired by the lithographs of 19th century biologist and artist Ernst Haeckel, filmmaker David Lebrun (left) labored for 23 years to make Proteus. Courtesy of Night Fire Films.

In mesmerizing sequences of evolving shapes, animation brings to life the intricate geometric skeletons and extraordinary beauty of tiny undersea organisms called radiolarian in the documentary, Proteus (60 min., color, 35mm). Nineteenth century biologist and artist, Ernst Haeckel's (1834-1919) lithographs of the single-cell life forms inspired producer/writer/director/editor David Lebrun to explore that century's fascination with the sea, once the ultimate scientific frontier. Told almost completely with 19th century images, the visual core of the film is artwork photographed from the originals at the Ernest Haeckel Haus in East Germany, and animated using traditional techniques - photographing cells on an Oxberry optical printer. Texts from period letters, poetry, ship logs and scientific discourses make up the narrative. Taking 23 years, the project was completed on weekends or when Lebrun had some time off, "This was my labor of love. I found myself, not having originally planned to, doing an animated feature by myself. That's a big job."

<< Previous Review

Next Review >>