PaulLondon When the film began the flat DV photography and poor subtitling made me wonder if this was going to be worth the effort. With its anachronisms and stylised start it would be too easy to write this off as sub-Jarman. But, it is worth sticking with this 'historical' inter-racial love story set in South African as its themes of intolerance are still relevant today.Although the low budget is very obvious, so is director Greyson's imagination and belief in this project. An interesting film which almost scuppers itself with its bad start but which redeems itself as it progresses.

gwmindallas At the heart of Proteus is a great story - actually two great stories - about the oppression of homosexuality during the 18th century. The main "love" story between Claas and the sailor has the makings of a very dramatic story if told well.Where the movie went wrong, IMO, was mixing costuming, sets and props from different eras. I "get" what the director was trying to do - show us that these problems exist today as much as they did 300 years ago. But the visual jarring of seeing the modern next to the historical kept knocking me out of the plot. Halfway through the movie, I was wondering if this really was a directorial choice or simply a way to reduce costs by using readily available stuff rather than recreating the time period.The secondary story about Virgil never takes off. We are supposed to juxtapose his life with Claas' and see how Claas becomes more accepting of his homosexuality, or at least "love" for another man, while Virgil becomes more closeted as the oppression begins. I never could figure out if Lorenz was Virgil's lover or just a gay friend. In many ways, this movie would have been better served as a straightforward historical drama than attempting to take on multiple plots and risktaking direction.

dinky-4 While a brief description of "Proteus" may not make it sound particularly appealing, it's a surprisingly good work dealing with a time, place, and situation rarely covered in the movies. The anachronistic appearance of modern clothes and devices is only occasional and is probably meant to emphasize that the problems dealt with in "Proteus" are still with us today, in various forms. This insight, however, probably isn't worth the breaks in the movie's fabric these appearances cause. Also, the subplot involving a Dutch botanist, though given a lot of footage, never quite gels into a satisfying story.Acting honors belong to Rouxnet Brown as the imprisoned "Hottentot" but viewers may be equally impressed by Neil Sandilands as the Dutch sailor-turned-inmate who becomes his lover. Sandilands may be half-a-notch below handsome but he has a good face and a good body and one can well imagine prison guards staring at him whenever he takes a shower. Unfortunately, his flogging scene is joined only after the final lash has been struck.Neil Sandilands is a virtual newcomer at this point but he has about him the look and manner of a young Sam Elliott and could, with the right exposure, go places.Those who go to this movie expecting lots of nudity and graphic sex will be disappointed. The sex scenes are frank but non-exploitive and, by current standards, almost modest.

Kieran Kenney (may contain spoilers)Adapted from an actual surviving transcript of a 1735 sodomy trial, 'Proteus' examines an interracial, homosexual relationship that took place in South Africa, in the prison on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was later sentenced. The two men, African native Claas Blank and Dutch sailor Rijkaart Jacobz, were real people, two men who more or less came together out of desperation for both an emotional connection and an outlet for pent-up sexual desires. At first they seem just like friends, then their relationship seems more purely sexual. Yet, as time progresses, they have come to love each other. Discovery is eminent, but, while they both do meet a tragic end, there is the reassurance that they remain together.John Greyson and Jack Lewis, the makers of 'Proteus', have crafted an eloquent and beautiful film, punctuated with superb performances by the three leads, Rouxnet Brown as Claas, Neil Sandilands as Rijkaart, and Shaun Smyth as Virgil Niven, a botanist who secretly harbors his own homosexual desires. The direction is without the camp sensibilities that would have canceled it's emotional punch, while at the same time it has none of the stuffiness of either a prison drama or a costume drama. The best scenes are between Claas and Riijkaart, in which the actors deftly portray a intensely emotional and sexual relationship at a time when the words for such a relationship didn't exist. Plus the sex scenes have to be some of the most erotic ever filmed.Anachronistic props and costumes are prevalent in throughout the movie. The opening scenes feature a jeep. Three stenographers at the trial are right out of the 1960's, right down to their cotton candy beehive perms and paisley dresses. A conflict salvages eggs in a plastic shopping bag. A modern concrete water tower serves as Claas and Rijkaart's trysting place. It takes a few minutes to get used to, but the modern-day objects and clothes end up mixing seamlessly with the wonderful 18th century frills and waistcoats.'Proteus' is one of the best gay movies out there, surpassing countless others. With so much crap out there, a movie like this, that addresses serious issues, and does so in such a poetic and frank way, is certainly due for closer examination. Hopefully, this wonderful film will get the exposure and recognition it deserves. I recommended it highly.