Russian Ark

Rating:
Summary: the anti-Eisenstein
Review: In the history of cinema, it is the Russians who are generally credited with elevating film editing to a modern art form. It is ironic, and strangely fitting, therefore, that it should be the Russians who, almost a full century later, have now produced the first full-length feature film ever to be composed of a single unedited shot running uninterrupted from first moment to last (Hitchcock came close with "Rope," but he did include a few "cuts" in the course of the film). Even Sergei Eisenstein, who, in films like "Potemkin" and "Ten Days That Shook the World" spent his career developing and demonstrating the power of editing, would, I dare say, be impressed by "Russian Ark," a film every bit as innovative and challenging as those earlier seminal works.

For their bravura, awe-inspiring cinematic tour-de-force, director Alexander Sokurov and cinematographer Tilman Buttner take us into the famed Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, providing us with a grand tour not only of the opulent rooms and famous artwork contained therein, but of 300 years of Russian history as well, as various vignettes involving famous people (from Peter and Catherine the Great to Nicholas and Alexandra) and events are played out within the glorious gilded walls.

"Russian Ark" is a bold and audacious project that is the cinematic equivalent of a breathlessly performed high wire juggling act. We know that one false move on the part of the actors or the cameraman, one missed cue or accident of fate could bring the whole delicately poised enterprise crashing down around them. How often, one wonders, did a perfectionist like Sukorov have to resist the temptation to yell "Cut!" to his actors and crew? It's truly amazing to see just how beautifully planned and flawlessly executed the final product turns out to be, especially the ball sequence at the end which features hundreds of dancers and spectators who are set in beautifully choreographed and constantly whirling motion. What's most remarkable is how much of a participant the camera itself is in the proceedings. Not content to stand idly by and observe the scene like some passive onlooker, the camera moves right into the center of the action, gliding in and out of the crowds with utmost grace and precision. Visually, the film is stunning, with exquisite costumes and furnishings as far as the eye can see. Indeed, "Russian Ark" is, among other things, a veritable feast for the eyes, the likes of which we have rarely seen on film before.

"Russian Ark" does have something of a "plot," involving a narrator whom we never see, a 21st Century filmmaker - we assume it's Sukorov himself - who's found himself inexplicably caught in some type of time warp and magically transported to this strange spectral world. There's also a bizarre European "ghost" figure from the unspecified past who comments - and occasionally attempts to intrude - on the actions taking place around him. But these two characters are of far less interest to the audience than the aural and visual delights of the film itself.

"Russian Ark" is a wonder to behold, for it is much more than just an "exercise," a "gimmick," or even an "antithesis" to Eisenstein; it is a vibrant work of art that challenges the limits of its medium and reminds us of just what it is about movies that we love so much.

Rating:
Summary: Ghosts of the past
Review: There is little doubt that RUSSIAN ARK created a milestone in filmmaking. A phenomenal amount of time, energy, and money went into the production of this film. The cast included 867 trained actors plus more than a thousand extras and dozens of horses and carriages. Filmed in one continuous shot inside the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, RUSSIAN ARK portrays 300 years of Russian history filmed in 33 museum rooms with three live orchestras. For ninety minutes the camera followed a man dressed in black who is product of the past. As he moves from gallery to gallery it is revealed from his dialogue that this man is a historical diplomat from France. He has much criticisms and critiques of Russian art and culture in contrast to Europe. Important moments of Russia's past are intertwined with the man's visit to the Hermitage. The past comes alive and the viewer is a voyeur to these historical events. I was fascinated and intrigued while watching this film as I was transported to the past. The music was tender and delicate and the costumes and makeup were elaborate and detailed. RUSSIAN ARK portrays a fusion of Russia's culture and art. I highly recommend watching the special feature "In One Breath" which is both a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of this film and a director's and cameraman commentary.

In short, I absolutely loved this film. My only regret is that I didn't see it on the big screen.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Film
Review: There are many great things about this film, you can read all about them in other reviews if you want the details. Just think what you want to get out of a film: A visual landscape that takes you to a place you most likely won't see; characters who share their culture with you and emotionally involve you; a visual commentary on one of Russia's most important landmarks. And it only gives you a glimpse of Russia, her remarkable people, her heritage. Present this film along with the documentary on the Hermitage (also on DVD) as the best gift for the Holidays.

Rating:
Summary: A stunning visual tour of the grand Winter Palace
Review: A dream-like tour through the Hermitage in Petersburg, bringing the old halls to life in a visual tour-de-force. Sokurov glides through this film using a single camera and never breaking stride, led by an odd stranger who finally finds his place among the many chambers of the grand Winter Palace. This is a movie not to be missed as it takes in the grand sweep of aristocratic Russian life from Peter the Great to Tsar Nicholas. Rich in detail, poignant in its telling, the film rises and falls as though scripted on musical scales. So many allusions that one can watch it several times and it would still retain its magic hold on the viewer. Of course, a little knowledge of Russian culture would help in understanding the nature of the film, culminating its deeply felt view to the sea.

Rating:
Summary: Maybe you have to be Russian
Review: It's beautiful, haunting. But this is one time you really should watch the special features before you attempt the film itself. There are so many disconnects, unintroduced characters, and loose ends that it's frustrating. I suspect a Russian would recognize instantly what's going on;the rest of us must simply accept, and enjoy. But stick with it: The last scene, where after their last dance, the aristocracy go ,two-by-two , from the 'ark' into the storm could have been heavy handed melodrama. Instead it's underplayed, and unspeakably sad.
The decision to have no cuts, dissolves, or editiorial manipulations is not a 'gimmick'. I sense it's fundamental, possibly the director's attempt to restore the national memory from that brutal,disfiguring, jump- cut known as the soviet union. Of course, this is an outsider's guess; I'd be interested in hearing what Russians think on this point.

Rating:
Summary: One should ignore the film making snobs
Review: This is a gorgeous movie that everyone should view at least once in their lifetime. Director Alexander Sokurov creates a visually beautiful and thought provoking tour of the famous Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. We accompany a long deceased French diplomat who travels across three centuries of Russian history. His witty and sometimes sarcastic remarks reveal the attitudes of one of his station in life during the eighteenth century. The Hermitage has a very cruel and haunting history. Russian nobles such as Catherine the Great were dictators indifferent to the suffering of the common people. Many paid dearly to put together this fantastic collection. One can almost sense the ghosts who still roam the Hermitage's many rooms of breath taking art work.

I am, though, afraid that many might ignore the Russian Ark due to the snobbish comments of certain members of the cinematic intelligentsia. These folks get overly excited about the fact that the director completed this film in an unbroken 90 minute span. Needless to add, most of us could care less. We are only concerned about the finished product. Thankfully, Sokurov and his crew have succeeded beyond their wildest hopes. Every academic and artistic institution should own a copy. Parents might also wish to purchase the dvd edition.

Rating:
Summary: TECHNOLOGICALLY -- AND EMOTIONALLY -- BREATHTAKING CINEMA
Review: One of the most visually stunning films ever made, Alexandr Sokurov's RUSSIAN ARK is a landmark creation on many levels, many of which have been touted in numerous articles and reviews. From a purely technological aspect, it's the first feature-length film ever made using a single camera photographing a single 96-minute shot in one take, with no edits. The documentary feature on the DVD gives the viewer an inside look at the challenges of this approach - made more daunting by the fact that during the winter in St. Petersburg, the crew only had about 4 hours of daylight with which to work. The logistics requiring the crew surrounding the camera - including the director - to stay out of view, even as the cinematographer spun 360º from time to time, are a major work or choreography in themselves. Sokurov's dedication to his project - and the dedication of his crewmembers - is both apparent and very moving.

In an interview included in the 'making of' documentary on the DVD, the director states 'I'm sick of editing. I don't want to experiment with time. I want to screen real time - it should be as it is. One doesn't have to fear the flow of time.' So many filmmakers are so concerned that their audience's attention span is so short that they will become bored if things don't 'move right along' - it lowers cinema to the 'lowest common denominator', fails to challenge the audience, and, in the final analysis, insults the viewer's intelligence. There's no danger of that in any of Sokurov's work - the viewer's mind (and emotions) are given quite a workout, and, as with physical exercise, are stronger for it in the end.

Some critics - who perhaps have no patience for being required to think about what they're seeing - criticize Sokurov and other visionary directors (such as the great Andrei Tarkovsky) as being cold and emotionless. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sokurov has stated in several forums that one of the goals of RUSSIAN ARK - and all of his work - is to evoke strong emotions in the viewer. The methods of his creation might be different from those we have come to expect from the major Hollywood studios - but they are very effective, and more thought provoking in the bargain.

In RUSSIAN ARK we experience Russia's treasured museum, the Hermitage, from the point of view of a 'visitor' - we never see his face, only hear his voice and thoughts (by Sokurov himself) as he walks through the Winter Palace, viewing tableaux from 300 years of Russian history enacted before his eyes. He is accompanied for most of his journey by another character - unnamed in the film, but based on the Marquis de Custine, who published a travel book in 1839 entitled EMPIRE OF THE CZAR: A JOURNEY THROUGH ETERNAL RUSSIA - with whom he converses and debates the scenes they see before them. We witness Peter the Great berating one of his generals; a play written by the Tsarina is performed for her and selected guests; the appearance before the Tsar of a delegation from Persia, there to apologize for the murder of a Russian diplomat in their country; a grand ball featuring a full symphony orchestra and hundreds of dancers (perhaps the visual climax of the film); and in perhaps the film's most poignant moment, we witness Tsar Nicolas and his family dining together, blissfully unaware of their impending fate. Along the journey from room to room, from tableau to tableau, the viewer, along with the narrator and the Marquis, can gaze upon some of the most breathtaking art the world has ever produced. Even the building itself, with its incredible architecture and opulent outfittings, is a character in its own right - Sokurov's vision has brought the Hermitage to life in a way that draws the viewer right into every frame.

The director has succeeded marvelously in his effort to show the 'living' aspects of history, of art. Museums have an undeserved reputation for being 'dead' places - they couldn't be more alive. The dangers in abandoning or forgetting our past have been shown time and time again, in both social and political theatres. As the Marquis states at one point during the film, 'Everyone can see the future - but no one remembers the past.'

Sokurov stated that he had long held a dream of 'making a film in one breath' - he has achieved that beautifully in RUSSIAN ARK, and it will take your breath away as well. This is cinema for the time capsule.

As far as I have been able to ascertain, the only other Sokurov film available in the US is MOTHER AND SON - check it out as well, and pray that more of his work will become accessible.

The best way to see any great film is, of course, on the screen - so don't pass up any opportunity to experience him in that way, either.

Rating:
Summary: St Petersburg as an Ark of Russian Culture
Review: Aleksandr Sokurov has created a unique, wondrous masterpiece of a film in his great homage of Russian history and art and the Hermitage Museum. Four years in the planning, a cast of thousands, exquisite reproductions of costumes that span the three hundred years of Russian history, and brilliant cinematography by the German Tilman Buttner, Sokurov has condensed the essence of Russian culture in a 90 minute non-stop 'live' filming within the halls of the Hermitage museum (all 5 palaces known as the winter palaces of the Tsars). The result is an enchanting, bewitching, meandering tour of Russian from the time of Catherine the Great, Peter the Great, Pushkin, the Romanovs - Nicholas I and II - to the final ball in the palace the night Tsarist Russia ended. Our tour guide is the off camera voice of Sokurov in conversation with a French Marquis and assorted ghosts of the past as we seamlessly view glimpses of Russia's past, scenes like an actual play that Catherine the Great wrote and watched, the writer Pushkin, the Romanov family at their last supper in the palace and the grand ball that culminates this stage of the glory of Russia. The ballroom scene is resplendent with vast numbers of costumed actors dancing a mazurka to the music (Glinka's mazurka from his opera 'The Life of the Tsar') provided by the Maryinski Orchestra conducted by no less than Valery Gergiev! As the guests finally leave the Hermitage museum the camera focuses on an open window overlooking the sea on which the city of St Peterburg floats. We then know that we have been on an ark of Russian culture for the past 90 minutes - an immeasureably beautiful and sensitive document that has captured all the mystery of Russia's history, presented with tenderness and finesse and with the extraordinary facility using the newest of digital camera technology. This is a magnificent epic film and deserves a wide audience on its own. The additional information provided by a 30 minute "How the film was made" on the DVD is equally informative and graceful. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Rating:
Summary: Russian History Through the Eyes of the Hermitage Museum
Review: "Russian Ark" has earned a place in cinematic history by being the longest continuous shot ever in a movie. The entire hour-and-a-half film is one uninterrupted take. No edits. No stopping. Tilman Buttner, the film's cinematographer, supported and maneuvered a digital Steadicam through 33 rooms of St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum for an hour and a half while the action played out before the camera. Director Alexander Sukurov used 2,000 actors, thousands of lavish costumes, precise choreography, and impeccable timing to bring Russian history to life inside the Hermitage Museum, which was for centuries the Winter Palace for Russia's Tzars. The audience sees through the eyes of a modern Russian man, perhaps a ghost, who is able to wander the rooms of Hermitage invisible to those he observes. This man is our narrator, for lack of a better word. His voice is that of director Alexander Sukurov. The narrator encounters another man who is out of place and sometimes unseen by others, a French Marquis who lived in Russia in the early 19th century. The Marquis serves as a guide and provides a running commentary on Russian culture and art, which was not to his liking during his lifetime. As our narrator and the Marquis wander from room to room, they witness the people and history that inhabited the Hermitage through centuries of Romanov rule and into the 20th century. We catch glimpses of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Nicholas I, Nicholas II and witness the last days of Tzarist government. The Marquis articulates a Western European view of Russian culture as second-rate and borrowed, while our narrator draws attention to works of Russian origin while acknowledging the tendency for Russians to collect foreign art. The film culminates in a magnificent ball with live orchestra, which would have been logistically difficult to film in multiple takes or even to organize in real life, so is especially impressive filmed in one sweeping take. Director Alexander Sukurov has said that "Russian Ark" is "a film about the Hermitage, for the Hermitage." Although it is interesting to identify and observe the various prominent figures from Russian history that we see, the film isn't a history lesson. It is more like a fly on the wall in the Hermitage Museum, with cultural commentary from both Russian and European, modern and aristocratic, points of view. The background conversations are apparently of so little importance that they are often not translated. I found myself wondering what people were saying though, so some knowledge of Russian might add to the enjoyment of the film. Filming in one long take could be considered an unnecessary gimmick, but the continuous shot does give the feeling of sweeping through the halls of the Museum and its history. "Russian Ark" does require patience. Not everything that went on within the walls of the Hermitage was interesting, and our guide was not chosen for having a winning personality. But "Russian Ark" has a majesty and originality that impresses despite the film's lack of a conventional narrative. Although it is not at all necessary to the understanding or enjoyment of the film, I found myself curious as to the identity of the Marquis: He is the Marquis de Custine, who, in 1839, published notoriously critical memoirs of his time in Russia. Russian with English subtitles.

Rating:
Summary: An incredible film experience
Review: If you like art (Hermitage style), and you like history, then you have to see "Russian Ark". Aside from being a technical masterpiece in that it is the only feature length film ever made in one continuous take (direct to hard drives), it is a stunning visual stroll through the Hermitage across three hundred years of time.

You have never seen anything like it, so don't expect to be able to anticipate, or second guess the action. It's 90 minutes of one continuous take with no cuts or edits. Even if you have been there, you have never seen it like this. Each room was brought back to proper period condition without wires, alarms, or modern additions prior to the shoot. Awesome.

Watch it on the largest, highest resolution screen you can hijack for the evening. It's in Russian, with English subtitles, and it works perfectly. After you see it, run through the extra material on the disk to understand how this incredible film was made. It's even worth another round with the Producers' commentary turned on through the film (he speaks English).

It amazes me to think that this film was able to be produced in such a setting, and I know that it will never happen again. The title of the film describes the Hermitage as the Ark of Russian culture. After you see the film, you will understand.