Alexander Sokurov's Russian Ark is a thing of pure beauty; a film that will forever be cemented in both cinema and Russia's history.
Russian Ark is an incredible film shot entirely in one single take. That means there are no scenes; there are no cuts; it is a camera following a wonderful narrator throughout the Winter Palace of the Russian State Hermitage Museum with the narrative of them both being dead, from what we can assume, and placed in the Winter Palace to view Russia's history within it. Each corridor and room contains a plethora of actors and extras displaying a particular period of time.
The perfectly orchestrated timing of the actors is incredible, there's no room for mistakes. One mistake and the film would have to be shot from the very beginning. Russian Ark feels like a dream in which you have a soft voice read and show you the beautiful creations of those that are no longer here; and the lives of royalty that once lived within the walls of the building that is nothing short of an architectural masterpiece.
Despite not being the only film shot in one take, Russian Ark is the only to have a focus on history, and a narrator that knows everything about everything that unfolds before him with such passion for it all. It doesn't feel like a film at all, more so a documentary.
It's beautiful. Dream-like. Comforting. Educating. Passionate. It is everything I have always wanted a film to be.
Oh, it is also worth noting that film contains over 2000 actors and 3 live orchestras. None of them made any visible or audible mistakes.
Love the film and thanks for bringing it into this forum. I would just add that the movie does much more then conquer the single shot endeavor and dazzle with cinematic opulence. It arcs centuries of socio-political developments and unveils great nuances of Russian cultural heritage. Wonderful, exciting film!
The technical feat of filming this impressed, but this was a TOUGH watch. I watch movies from the 10's, 20's, 30's, silents, talkies, art films, you name it. But this was just a tough watch and I couldn't get there. Makes me wary to check out Francophonia.