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Movies / On DVD / Russian Ark
Russian Ark

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Russian Ark (2002)

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Reviews Counted: 92

Fresh: 81

Rotten:11

Average Rating: 7.7/10

Consensus: As successful as it is ambitious, Russian Ark condenses three centuries of Russian history into a single, uninterrupted, 87-minute take.

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: A visually hypnotizing 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... A visually hypnotizing 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 theater 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. [More]

Starring: Sergey Dreiden, Maria Kuznetsova, Leonid Mozgovoy, Mikhail Piotrovsky

Starring: Sergey Dreiden, Maria Kuznetsova, Leonid Mozgovoy, Mikhail Piotrovsky, David Giorgobiani, Alexander Chaban, Lev Yeliseyev, Oleg Khmelnitsky, Alla Osipenko, Artem Strelnikov

Director: Aleksandr Sokurov

Director: Aleksandr Sokurov
Producer: Jens Meurer, Andrey Deryabin, Karsten Stoter
Composer: Sergey Yevtushenko
Studio: Wellspring

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Reviews for Russian Ark

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
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Ratings Image

Less like watching paint dry than like watching it sit on the wall and stay wet.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
04/29/03
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
04/20/03
Guardian [UK]
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N/R

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Full Review Source: FilmFour.com | comment Comment
04/08/03
FilmFour.com
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N/R

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Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
04/05/03
Alexander Walker
This is London
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Its central draw is a staggering feat of cinematography.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
02/26/03
Jamie Russell
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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What is shown is ultimately less captivating than the manner in which it is shown.

Full Review Source: Mr. Brown's Movies | comment Comment
02/08/05
Michael Dequina
Mr. Brown's Movies
Ratings Image

Its technical bravura is impossible to deny. Even those whose knowledge of Russian history stems mainly from Sympathy For The Devil lyrics will find much to savor here.

Full Review Source: Portland Mercury | comment Comment
01/21/05
Andrew Wright
Portland Mercury
Ratings Image

It’s a rich, complex, and mystery-filled journey through Russian art and history.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
01/15/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer
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An audacious and insane experiment, a triumphant film.

Full Review Source: F5 (Wichita, KS) | comment Comment
07/07/04
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)
Ratings Image

Tras 12 minutos de escena de baile y orquesta, uno empieza a desear que los bolcheviques irrumpan en el palacio de una buena vez y empiecen a rodar cabezas.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment 1 Comment
05/06/04
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total
Ratings Image

Awash in nostalgia and dreamlike passiveness, reflecting the lack of a clear way forward for contemporary Russia.

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
01/30/04
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide
Ratings Image

The material is rather heady, but one needn’t digest it in a single viewing. Even if you don’t know much about Russian history, the work is breathtaking as a sort of cinematic ballet.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
10/24/03
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal
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The uninterrupted flow seduces into a trance.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
10/15/03
Jurgen Fauth
About.com
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Sokurov's work here is impressive and says something interesting about how nice it might be to go back in history to simpler times.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
09/14/03
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
Ratings Image

It stands as an extraordinary technically achievement, if nothing else.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
08/18/03
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com
Ratings Image

Obviously, it's an odd premise. But director Aleksandr Sokhurov does have fun with it.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
08/15/03
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Ratings Image

Sokurov's high-tech trick is also a beautifully fluid examination of Russian history and culture, and the most gorgeous museum tour you could imagine.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
08/15/03
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune
Ratings Image

A landmark achievement in the technical aspect of film and can be considered a worthwhile hour and a half.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
08/12/03
Mark Sells
Film Threat
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Related Forums for Russian Ark

REEL_REVIEWER
RUSSIAN ARK - In short: Roll camera - 90 min. later - CUT! Is this art???
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/26


REEL_REVIEWER
RUSSIAN ARK - In short: Roll camera - 90 min. later - CUT! Is this art???
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/26


REEL_REVIEWER
RUSSIAN ARK - In short: Roll camera - 90 min. later - CUT! Is this art???
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/26


REEL_REVIEWER
RUSSIAN ARK - In short: Roll camera - 90 min. later - CUT! Is this art???
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/26


rakastaa
splendor abounds
by: rakastaa 1/29/04
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