Russian Ark: The Masterworks Edition | Anna Aleksakhina, Konstantin Anisimov

Russian Ark: The Masterworks Edition | Anna Aleksakhina, Konstantin Anisimov | Russian Ark and Russian Arc

DVDs:

Russian Ark: The M...

	Russian Ark: The Masterworks Edition Anna Aleksakhina, Konstantin Anisimov Fox Lorber, 2003 average customer review:based on 112 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

A compelling and moving exploration of humanity

When I first hear about Sukarov's "Russian Ark," most discussion centered on its nature as a feature-length single shot. This in itself is an amazing achievement -- Hitchcock did something like this with "Rope," but made some necessary (though seemless) cuts whenever the film ran out. Sukarov's achievement is possible thanks to HD (high definition video) and it looks beautiful. However, the technique is not an end in itself, but a means to an end.
The message of the film, according to its director, is that culture is like an ark in a turbulent sea. It is culture that expresses who we are, what we feel, what we believe, and how we live. The Hermitage is therefore much more than a museum, and this film much more than a colorful historical pageant. It is a celebration of Russian life -- a poignant reflection on the complex and often convoluted journey of the Russian people through time. Oftentimes the poignancy is expressed visually through ommission -- the charming but brief family dinner of Nicholas II and his family speaks of impending doom. That the images are tranquil only heightens the contrast to the bullet riddled bodies we never see on screen. Similarly, the final ball is almost surreal in its celebratory tone -- as the guests leave they speak of perhaps arranging another ball of their own, since this one was so enjoyable, but we know that their words are in vain, for their world is coming to an end, a fact to which they seem blissfully unaware.
Sukarov strives to shoot in real time -- thus no cuts. An official apology delivered to Nicholas I is shown in all its splendor and forced pageantry. Because there are no cuts, and because the camera meanders freely about the room, the scene seems much less like a historical reconstruction and much more like a documentary.
The tone is so real, in fact, that we feel as if we are actually seeing the real Nicholas I, playing with the real Anastasia, and following the real Catherine the Great as her feet crunch the snow in her thoroughly-wintered garden. What could have been a ponderous cinematic exercise becomes a dream-like excursion through time. We float, along with the camera, from room to room, taking in pieces of history, gazing at the marvelous artwork, and running into one great historical event after another.
Sukorov's succeeds in creating a meditative work of art. Like many of his films, "Russian Ark" is best seen not as a film, but a dream-like meditation. Those who have the patience and a contemplative state of mind will find a viewing of this film most worthwhile.

for more information click here

Russian Ark and Russian Arc

Settle in for mood and atmosphere and the amazing one shot take but don't expect plot or story. This is much more philosophical "chat" between the camera eye/I narrarator and the Marquis who slowly work their way through the halls of the actual Hermitage museum. The coordination of over 1000 actors in authentic costume and the single take are awesome. For some, watching the making of material first will give a better appreciation of the experience others may wish to venture forth for the experience first.

Not bad, but not outstanding either

Ever since the creation of feature-length films, Russian Ark has been an inescapable inevitability. If you don't already know, it is the first and so far the only movie to be made in only one take. The entire film is one long tracking shot.

I went in knowing that, and I promised I wouldn't mention that fact in my review. But, like the film, it was an inevitability. However, I did not know going in that the tracking shot is a POV shot. It didn't really make much difference. We see through someone else's eyes, but never really get to know whose POV we share.

Shall we press forward?

The goal of the film is to visually capture three hundred years of Russian history. I myself am little familiar with the details recounted, but there is a strange hypnotic quality that kept me intrigued. It's impossible to judge the film by the same standards as one would most others because it's not really a drama. It's an onscreen ballet that turns the audience into one of the dancers.

The film didn't really inspire me in the way it was meant. Most of the film consists of watching people look at the art from collections held by historical figures. The cameraman and his European guide drift in and out of invisibility as they walk among the relics of the past, travelling between periods as they walk from room to room. Neither is sure how he ended up there, but they remain too in awe of their surrounds to bother. The truth is eventually revealed, but it is no huge twist given how strange the film is to begin with.

The film never bored me, but it never entirely captivated me either. It reminded me of the rides of Epcot at Disney. You strap yourself in your seat and let yourself be guided through an animatronic universe explaining whichever region to which the ride belongs. This dares to be a little more frank about its subject matter, but at the same time, you never quite feel transported the way you do on such rides.

If Fellini were to make an entire film based on the ending of 8 1/2, it would probably be something like this. Russian Ark is an interesting little epic that maybe could've done better with a plot.

for more information click here

A lovely work of art, but a movie?

I'll confess to being extremely impressed with Russian Ark as an artistic and technical accomplishment. I'm as impressed as anyone with Sokurov's ability to film it in one take (and the ability of the actors late in the film to keep their composure - the fear of messing up at the very end of the thing would probably have made me faint as soon as the camera turned in my direction), and the images are sumptuous and lovely. They could hardly be otherwise in as gorgeous a setting as the Hermitage (Winter Palace). I'm not a very good photographer, and almost every photo I've taken of or in the place over the years looks like a masterpiece.

This is clearly a movie in the strict sense of the word, but it's more like a piece of performance art than a movie. It has the power to move me, but I love Russian history and have studied it for years. If you don't know anything about Russian history, watching this film will be something like looking at a painting by Mondrian or Pollock after a lifetime of looking at Rockwells and El Grecos. It will probably leave you cold and baffled, but liking the pretty colors, costumes, and sets. I'd recommend spending some time with Pushkin, Catherine the Great, and Dostoyevsky before watching this. That won't guarantee that you'll like it (I can't really say that I do), but you'll have some basis for understanding it.

If it was Sokurov's goal to make something moving and emotional (I've read that it was), he wasn't entirely successful; if it was his goal to make something beautiful and impressive, he did a fine job. I can't help but feel, though, that beauty isn't enough to make a great film.

for more information click here