This riveting documentary explores the psychological transformation of the modern character. Inspired by the Greek playwright Euripides, Academy Award© winning director Jessica Yu weaves together the stories of four men consumed by personal odysseys. The narrative structure mirrors a Greek drama and the film incorporates quotes from Euripides to contextualize their personal stories. Never before has an interpretation of Euripides’ work revealed how relevant he is for audiences today.

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Protagonist Product Information:

Grade Level: AP English Literature, College and University
Subjects: Classics, Literature, Drama, Psychology, Political Issues
Set: DVD Only
Copyright: © 2006 . All rights reserved.
Total Running Time: 90 minutes + 25 min of Bonus Materials
ISBN Number: 0-9820-8141-3
Educational Prices:

 
Educational with Public Performance Rights: $249.00
 
 

Educational without Public Performance Rights: $129.00
 
 

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For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!
 

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Video Librarian Review
September / October 2008
Rating: 4 Stars - Highly Recommended - Editor’s Choice

Jessica Yu’s fascinating documentary Protagonist explores psychological observations found in the plays of Euripides to illustrate the universality of human experience. The decision to have wooden puppets “recite” passages in ancient Greek that exemplify the Athenian dramatist’s concepts—as well as to act out episodes in the lives of four modern men whose extensive autobiographical recollections reveal Euripides’ continuing relevance—might have been disastrous. But Yu weaves these elements, together with animated segments inspired by Athenian pottery paintings, into a seamless whole to present an argument that is both provocative and profound. Her extensive interviews with the quartet of subjects—an anti-gay minister who finally admitted his homosexuality, a German terrorist who ultimately rejected the credo of violence, a bullied boy who found release in martial arts, and an abused child who became a bank robber—explore the same themes of obsession and potentially destructive absolutism that Euripides examined in his tragedies. The point, as Greek thinkers were fond of observing, is that human nature is unchanging: the struggles that men and women faced more than two millennia ago are essentially still being played out today. A poignant and serious meditation on human psychology, Protagonist is highly recommended. Editor’s Choice. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
 

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This entertaining and delightful film is a very unique and powerful adaptation of Euripides’ famous Greek tragedy, The Bacchae. It examines the psychological transformation of modern society through the eyes of four men of disparate backgrounds, all played by puppets in Greek chorus tradition: Hans-Joachim Klein, a notorious former German terrorist; Mark Pierpont, an evangelical minister who comes out of the closet; Joe Loya, a bank robber turned journalist; and Mark Salzman, a Kung Fu devotee picked on by others since childhood. The puppetry is phenomenal, and a fascinating way to portray the drama. Some of the special features in the video include an interview with the director, behind the scenes action related to the puppetry, title animations, and the original trailer.

This modern adaptation of a well-known Greek tragedy is striking in its ability to portray the four characters and their evolutions so dramatically, while still maintaining the Greek mask tradition. Everyone who watches this film will relate to one or more of the characters, and the issues and challenges they have to face in modern society.

-Educational Media Reviews Online