That was an excellent one.

Sadly Over-hyped

Just perfect...

Excellent but underrated film

The Russian Ark, much like Russian history itself, never ceases to amaze. Sokurov's greatest achievement in his 21st century work. At the time of filming it was certainly innovative (yet to be inundated with films made of one continuous take or pretending to be: see Victoria and Birdman) in the way it was shot, tracking continuously with a Steadicam. But what makes the way Russian Ark was filmed stand out is the fact that it is not a gimmick, the fluidity of the camera as the viewer is led through Russian history creates a sense of urgency and reinforces the universal reminder that no one can stop time, and as the revolution grows closer the visceral experience that the unbroken, long take was creating only escalates as the audience knows what is waiting outside The Winter Palace.

Aleksandr Sokurov's "Russkiy kovcheg" ("Russian Ark" in English) is not like anything that you've seen. Consisting of one continuous shot, it focuses on Russia's history from Peter the Great to the period right before the revolution. The grand ball towards the end is probably the most famous scene, but I found the most interesting scene to be the one where the Shah's representatives apologize for the death of Aleksandr Griboyedov. This glimpse into the czar's foreign relations - in this case those with Persia - are but a thread in the fabric of this mystifying piece of work.It's not a great movie. It seems overwrought at times, and it would've been interesting to see them continue up to the present (the only clue is something about the siege of Leningrad). But even so, this is an impressive movie. I recommend at least trying it.

little more than a museum tour, original trip in Russia past, impressive at all, it is , like each of his films, expression of Sokurov ambition. recreate a lost world, making a kind of documentary who seems a lot with the unique pleasure of book with pictures from childhood, it is not a history lesson, a national manifesto, analysis of good/bad parts from Russian civilization or introduction in the treasure of Ermitaj - few scenes - the El Greco Peter and Paul or the blind lady are really special - but an admirable occasion to reflect about levels of a society. the dance scenes are top of film. the French marquise is image of common meeting with past as refuge and danger. n impeccable show and a parable film. at first sigh, improvisation or a game. in essence, only a testimony.

Sokurov's Russian Ark is a magnificent exhibition of pre-Soviet Russian high-culture, presented in a wandering and dreamlike single shot from a first-person point of view. The underlying plot is mysterious – two ghostlike figures, a 20th century Russian, and a 19th century European of Dickensian appearance – roam between rooms in the Winter palace, viewing and sometimes participating in a variety of historical events. Sokurov drifts between exhibit, theater, and reality as easily as between eras of Russian history. Actors sometimes portray actors and sometimes portray historical figures, and the aloof European companion treats the historical events the two men visit with the same academic reverence with which he treats museum exhibits. With hundreds of actors in magnificent period clothing, historical events reenacted, and stunning works of art and architecture admired and discussed, the film is a moving work of art that manages to appreciate and interpret itself. The strange European companion, who mocks and chastises Russia for its tyranny, its obstinacy, and its adoption of European culture, nonetheless revels in the aristocratic opulence of the Winter Palace and the grandeur of the historical events they attend, sometimes with religious awe, sometimes with childlike playfulness. The quiet Russian narrator is generally defensive, quietly prideful of Russia's past and persistence, but humble regarding its challenges. Always, the division between Russia and Europe is insisted, although the interchangeability of the two cultures pre-revolution is obvious. There is hidden in this film a thesis of some sort, that when Russia left the Tsar it also left Europe. In one scene, Stalinist-era museum curators worry about the state's neglect of the Winter Palace and Russian history, saying "It will be their doom if the tree falls, there will be nothing left." Sokurov seems to argue that despite the detached opulence of the past, the accomplishments of the Imperial era are of undeniable importance to the survival of Russian culture. The uncertainty of the Nation's future is an obvious concern; when the narrator is asked whether Russia is a republic in the post-Soviet era, he responds with "I don't know." In the final scene, the narrator leaves a magnificently extravagant Imperial ball, saying "Farewell, Europe," to his companion, and stepping out into a stormy and misty sea. Russian Ark is beautiful, illogical, sometimes creepy and sometimes playful, and can be viewed as both a historical exhibit and a commentary on the past and future of Russian culture.