Product Description

A groundbreaking feat of filmmaking, Alexander Sokurov's amazing journey through 300 years of Russian art and history is the first ever feature to be shot in a single, unedited take - the ultimate director's cut. Magically transported to St Petersburg's Hermitage museum in the early 1700s, a contemporary filmmaker and a cynical 19th Century French diplomat become accomplices in an extraordinary voyage through Russia's turbulent past to the present day. As they explore the splendid corridors and salons of the Palace, the two men witness prominent historical figures enacting startling scenes from the Tsarist Empire. Digitally shot with a state-of-the-art high definition steadicam and featuring a masterfully orchestrated cast of 2,000, Russian Ark is destined to stand as a defining moment of cinema history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15006 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-09-29
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: Russian
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 96 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Russian master Alexander Sokurov has tapped into the very flow of history itself for the flabbergasting Russian Ark. Thanks to the miracles of digital video, Sokurov (and cinematographer Tilman Buttner) uses a single, unbroken, 90-minute shot to wind his way through the Hermitage in St Petersburg--the repository of Russian art and the former home to royalty. Gliding through time, we glimpse Catherine II, modern-day museumgoers, and the doomed family of Nicholas II. History collapses on itself, as the opulence of the past and the horrors of the 20th century collide, and each door that opens onto yet another breathtaking gallery is another century to be heard from. The movie climaxes with a grand ball and thousands of extras, prompting thoughts of just how crazy Sokurov had to be to try a technical challenge like this--and how far a distance we've travelled, both physically and spiritually, since the movie began. --Robert Horton

Special Features

• Making of… documentary
  
• Hubert Robert - A Fortunate Life - documentary by Alexander Sokurov
  
• Stills gallery
  
• Filmographies and biographies
  
• Theatrical trailer

DVD Technical Information:

• Language: Russian
  
• Subtitles: English
  
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
  
• Colour
  
• Region Code: 2
  
• Enhanced for widescreen TVs
  
• Running time: 96 minutes

Synopsis
A visually hypnotising cinematic feat, RUSSIAN ARK is Alexsandr Sokurov's spellbinding ode to St. Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum. Shot in one fluid take using High Definition video cameras, the photography floats and careens through the lavish corridors of the museum, examining its architectural details while following a dreamlike plot. A cast of 867 actors supply the action of the film, whether dancing the mazurka in a lively ballroom, performing a military salute, or watching a theatre performance. The Marquis (Sergey Dreiden), an aged but limber European dressed in solid black, is the film's charismatic guide, leading the narrator--who is the unidentified voice behind the camera--through each doorway and into each gallery in a sweeping tour of the Hermitage. While the Marquis interacts with some of the guests, debating about Italian art with a couple of Russian scholars, delighting over rich paintings by Rubens and Van Dyck with an angelic blind woman, taking a lively brunette for a spin on the dance floor, others do not see him. Even the narrator suspects that the Marquis is a ghost, long dead and wandering the Hermitage in a quest to better understand history. Time periods, indicated by style of dress, fluctuate between the 1700s and the present. Famous Russian figures, such as Peter the Great, Nicholas I, and Catherine the Great appear and then disappear, with no explanation of their roles. Between the Marquis and the narrator, confusion reigns. They are spectators and trespassers in this mysterious space, trying to find their way.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant and beautiful
There's been enough said about how this film is shot in one take, and Sokurov justifies this by saying that the film is like one breath, taking in 300 years of Russian history, which it very much is. I was gripped throughout - the technique, with the drifting dream-like steady-cam absorbs you. You find yourself unconscious of the fact that you are actually watching a film.
While this may appeal to any foreign-film fan, it's more likely to find favour with people who have an interest in Russian cinema, history and literature, and personally, I can't imagine watching this film without having been to Russia and to The Hermitage (where the film is set) in particular. I just don't think I would have felt the emotional tug of the film (which is quite a strong part of it, alongside the historical element) as much. To go to Saint Petersburg is to realise that Russia is an immensely cultured country, which is what Sokurov is getting at with the European guide in this film. People see Russia as un-European and somewhat barbaric, while they ignorantly assume the French to be the most cultured nation in the world. Sokurov goes some way to refuting that with this work.
The extras on the dvd are perfect. There is a short film by Sokurov about the guide in Russian Ark - his past, who he was, why he is chosen to take us round The Hermitage. There is also a documentary about the making of the film, which shows not only how monumental the task of shooting and coming up with the idea for the film was, but gives some historical information and shows us some of the hidden historical figures who pass us by in the film.
There is no other film that this can possibly be compared to. Everyone interested in avant-garde cinema or in Russia (and its relationship with Europe) should watch this immediately.

Well, it's different...
Sorry , but I didn't rate "Russian Ark" particularly highly. This film merely consists of two people wandering at random around an ornate St Petersburg museum colliding with several tableaux of people dressed in costumes from the Tsarist era.There is a spot of picture smelling as well as a variety of galleries and large rooms in the Hermitage are explored. The museum is certainly opulent and the historical scenes are impressively choreographed ,but the film was all a bit disjointed and incongruous for my liking.

A Glimpse of Russian Art, Culture, and History
This awe-inspiring film by Alexander Sokurov was filmed at the Museum of the Hermitage, former palace of the Tsars in St Petersburg, Russia. It was done in one take which is a first of its kind. The film is most unusual and creative in that it is narrated by a French Marquis who occasionally is a voyeur to Russian history as it unfolds while strolling through the Hermitage. History unfolds before his eyes and the Marquis occasionally interacts with various people of different eras whom he is viewing. This is a creative and magnificent production which contrasts the European viewpoint of Russian art, culture and history against Russia's own point of view of the same ...

The film begins in a haunting, dream-like manner when the French Marquis discovers himself in 18th Century Russia ... watching handsome young officers and their beautiful female partners enter the palace during the time of Peter the Great. The French Marquis is describing what he sees and interprets it for the film viewer, while another disembodied spirit, who has only a voice, occasionaly expresses the Russian point of view about the same scene. This film takes the viewer through 300 years of Russian history and at least four galleries of the Hermitage, as well as the ballroom and other private areas. The French Marquis opens private doors and enters into 18th century Russian aristocratic life. At one point, he recognizes the poet Pushkin during an encounter. The French Marquis also describes and interprets artwork by great Masters displayed on the walls, for instance, a famous painting by Van Dyke and a very exquisite marble statue of three naked muses by the sculptor Canova. The Marquis comments on Russian tastes in art and also about Russian music which he hears coming from a conservatory ...

Several of my favorite scenes are when Catherine the Great comes to life before our eyes. Catherine the Great was the founder of the museum. Initially, she bought over 200 paintings which now has grown to a collection of over 2.7 million items. There are five palaces which make up the complex. Her walk outside into the winter snow on the grounds of the Hermitage seems haunting, prophetic and beautiful beyond description. Another authentic looking scene is when a Persian envoy arrives before the throne of the Tsar, with the intention of creating a pact of peace after a Russian diplomat had been murdered in Tehran. The magnificence, grandeur and solemnity of the occasion is indescribable. One of the most impressive scenes was the ballroom scene, when handsome Russian officers and elegantly dressed ladies danced a mazurka to a live orchestra. The costumes were period pieces created just for this film, based on authentic clothes worn by aristocrats of that era. There was a great scene were the Marquis entered the dining room before the guests arrived for dinner. He admired the hand-painted blue and gold porcelain dinner ware (the real thing which was lent by the museum for use in the film). Another haunting and well done scene is when the Marquis enters a dusty room where he is admonished by "the voice" to not go. It houses remnants of the past related to World War II ... of which the Marquis would have no knowledge. He was told Germany and Russia went to war and the Russians paid a high price as over one million died. The film ends on a positive note, when the ballroom guests file out, walking down long corridors, and down marble staircases, wearing their magnificent finery, eventually to be escorted to their waiting horse-drawn carriages. The final scene shows an icey ocean which seems to represent the great Unknown ... the void, possibly Infinity.

This DVD has a great section, called "Film in One Breath", which chronicles how the film was made. There are comments by Alexander Sokurov where he explains his goals and intentions during the filming process. The camerman, Tilman Bütner, provides insights into the technical difficulties of making a film in one single take. The film was very expensive to make, it had a cast of over 850, most of whom wore 18th Century costumes made especially for this occasion. A special camera called "steadycam" was made in Canada specifically for creating this film. It was also the first of its kind. There were numerous organizational and lighting problems to overcome to create the right scene, with the right effects. Great challenges were arose related to set design, lighting and the proper use of architecture which obviously could not be changed.

Alexander Sokurov was also the director of "Mother and Son" another cinematic masterpiece with highly original filming techniques which made the film look like a French impressionistic painting that came to life. It told a very touching and sensitive story. Truly it depicts the Russian soul during its finest moment. Both films "Russian Ark" and "Mother and Son" are highly recommended. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]