RUSSIAN ARK (2002)
ONE OF THE MOST ASTONISHING FILMS EVER MADE, BEST SEEN ON THE BIG SCREEN! 2,000 ACTORS. 33 ROOMS. 3 ORCHESTRAS. 1 CONTINUOUS SHOT.
Alexander Sokurov’s spellbinding masterpiece Russian Ark is a multi-award winning film consisting of one unbroken camera shot that moves through St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum. It’s a staggering work of art, an impressive technical feat that is also cinematic poetry of the first order. It opened to critical acclaim upon its 2003 Australian release and was the highest-grossing foreign language film of the year. And now it returns to the big screen remastered in stunning 2K digital format.
In the dreamlike journey, an unseen modern filmmaker (voiced by Sokurov) is joined by a somewhat scornful French diplomat, the Marquis de Custine (Sergey Dreiden). As Sokurov’s camera glides through 33 rooms of the Hermitage, moving in and out of cathedral-like galleries, opulent ballrooms, shadowy corridors and workrooms, three centuries of Russian history and European art are compressed into one single 96-minute shot.
An extraordinary film, one that, like the museum itself, captures and shows three centuries of Russian culture and history in all its beauty, confusion, terror and majesty. Russian Ark offers a unique and immersive cinematic experience that celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Russia while exploring themes of time, memory, and the fleeting nature of human existence.
(Russian and other languages, English subtitles)
REVIEWS
“One of the most astonishing films ever made.” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times.
“Has to be seen to be believed. A glorious experience.” Village Voice.
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