File puptcrit/puptcrit.0701, message 270


To: puptcrit <puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org>
From: Greg Ballora <gregballora-AT-sbcglobal.net>
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 20:16:48 -0800
Subject: [Puptcrit] "Protagonist" at Sundance


If you all are like me, you probably are not too up on the documentary  
film world, but I thought I would announce this one. "Protagonist" is a  
fascinating study of the arc of tragedy as seen in the lives of four  
real men. Jessica Yu is the academy award winning  
writer/director/editor of this beautiful piece. Janie Geiser designed  
the puppets for the piece, and I got to help build the puppets, along  
with many others, and had the privilege performing on this piece.  
Jessica created the piece after receiving a grant to do a documentary  
on Euripedes. She read all his plays, and took the basic structure of  
his tragedies, and found four living people whose lives fit that mold.  
This is a weak synopsis of the film, but I use it describe the use of  
the puppets in a documentary. Jessica needed a way to not only perform  
scenes from Euripedes, but also scenes from the past of the four  
subjects. She chose puppets based on Greek Masks, and the puppet  
sections are really pivotal to the film.

Personally, it was a great challenge, to go from my usual work in  
special effects, and cute slick stuff for Disney, to working on this  
film where the puppets were relatively simple, carved wood, but were  
performing scenes like the robbing of a bank, a father beating his  
child, a man hallucinating in prison, and other really meaty scenes. I  
like the film so much that I am going to try to plead with the director  
for a showing in Los Angeles Area that I can invite the puppet  
community to come to. I hope the film gets out to the rest of the world  
as well. It has important messages for our time about the dangers of  
absolute certainty among other things. It is also one of the most  
innovative uses of puppetry I have seen in film. Here are a few links  
to articles about it.

http://www.cinematical.com/2007/01/26/sundance-review-protagonist/

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-ca- 
jessica28jan28,1,2619462.story

I have been surprised that although the puppets are mentioned, there is  
almost no discussion of how well they work in the story, whether they  
are performed well, how they convey meaning,etc. The puppets are sort  
of like a location, worth mentioning, but not perceived as a  
performance that affects the film. I think it is probably because the  
reviewers are so unused to puppets that they don't even see them as  
something to comment on other than as a gimmmick. I hope some of the  
rest of you get a chance to see this film. I don't know how  
documentaries are distributed, but If I find anything out, I will try  
to pass the info on.

Greg Ballora

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