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Dir: David Lebrun
Rating: 4.7 | 0 User Reviews | Send to Friend
By Jes Sipling
After 22 years trying to figure a way to animate Radiolaria, one-celled ocean floor organisms encased in intricate crystal-like webs, David Lebrun pasted together this hour-long documentary of animated old drawings and photos, narrated by a few jolly sounding Brits (Marian Seldes and Richard Dysart). Named after the Greek god of the sea, the film has the feel of a History Channel Monday night special as it attempts to show the relationship between nature and science, spirit and matter. The doc’s main character is Ernest Haeckel, a German biologist and major figure in evolutionary theory; his conflicted love for both the arts and science set the background for his discovery and hand-drawn documentation of over 4,000 species of Radiolaria. It is these drawings that inspired Lebrun to create the film, and while Haeckel’s story is an interesting look into what we owe 19th Century scientists, it’s lack of depth indicates more that it's simply a vehicle for Lebrun’s weak attempt in giving purpose to his art project. He's constructed the range of specimens into several animated progressions, set to music, that break up the segments of history. Though the Radiolaria are fascinating in their complexity and symmetry, the slideshows become increasingly longer and appear to be mere filler for storyline. However, just like most History Channel projects, the film sheds light on an area of science that may otherwise be overlooked, and you can't entirely fault it for that.
Special features include the making of the film, the written biographies of Lebrun and Haeckel, and a Radiolarian gallery.
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