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Russian Ark

Play trailer Poster for Russian Ark Released Dec 13, 2002 1h 35m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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89% Tomatometer 108 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A French marquis (Sergei Dreiden) wanders through a vast labyrinth of corridors, theaters and ballrooms at a reception for a Persian ambassador.
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Russian Ark

Russian Ark

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Critics Consensus

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

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Critics Reviews

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Joshua Rothkopf In These Times Perhaps no amount of skillful reasoning could have swayed our gatekeepers from their ignorance. But as Kiarostami himself suggested in his dignified statement to the press, the embarrassment is also his, and by extension our own. Mar 16, 2020 Full Review Jesse Cataldo Slant Magazine Despite an undeniable attraction to the majestic, Aleksandr Sokurov seems equally adverse to straightforward spectacle, approaching potentially colossal subjects from odd, specific angles. Rated: 4/4 Apr 12, 2014 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Part pageant and museum tour, part theme-park ride and historical meditation. Oct 24, 2013 Full Review Tom Meek Cambridge Day The first non-narrative film captured in a single shot, it chronicles every stage of Russian history, including the reigns of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. Mar 27, 2021 Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site The general tone of the piece is cynical, morbid and unpleasantly other-worldly. Feb 16, 2021 Full Review Jordan M. Smith IONCINEMA.com Luxuriously gentile and hauntingly lucid in its blending and reconstruction of the history held securely within the Hermitage Museum, the film is at its core a lavishly privileged tour of the magnificent palace. Rated: 4.5/5 Nov 12, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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s r 1001 movies to see before you die. Ambitious and impressive. I have never been to St Petersburg, nor the Hermitage, but this makes me want to visit it in person. It did keep my interest with some subtle poetic mysticism and the bizarreness, but it then left you with a sudden ending that didn't leave me fulfilled. I don't plan on seeing it again. It was on youtube. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review William L A tremendous accomplishment from a logistical perspective alone, Russian Ark feels a bit as if someone is showing off their Ferrari to you, but for an hour and a half. Yes, I appreciate all that it took to pull off a film of this style and vision, but there are bound to be a couple of redundancies if you hang around for too long (in particular, how many times can they get away with acting slightly goofy in front of paintings?). However, that simple assessment really does sell this Alexander Sokurov experimental film short - the camerawork captures the Winter Palace beautifully, and despite the ease with which he could have presented Russian Ark as 'the first feature-length film to be shot in one take' and called it a day from the standpoint of artistic merit, he actually creates a discourse on Russian identity as his narrator and nameless European wander the gilded halls of old European royalty, taking in key figures in moments of intimacy and action alike. Despite the premise, the acting feels tight all around, and with very little objective backstory granted to his two main characters (one of which is never seen onscreen), the film's climax at their parting feels sincere and impactful. That's not even mentioning the resplendent scenes of formal court and a magnificent period ball to finish the 'evening'. I wonder what the actual editing budget for a feature-length film that uses no cuts looks like? (3.5/5) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/29/21 Full Review Audience Member Impressively photographed but this paen to Russian high culture is anything but my cup of tea. So bored. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review dave s Russian Ark is a movie like no other. Hypnotic and captivating, it follows a French diplomat, accompanied by an unseen second party, as he wanders through the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia. Along the way, they experience Russian history over the last 200 years, including Peter the Great and Tsar Nicholas I, among others, capped off with participation in a formal ball. What makes the film remarkable is the fact that it consists of only one take, seen through the eyes of the unseen second party. The complexity and logistics of accomplishing such a feat are remarkable and the visuals are stunning. It's a shame that some sort of plot element couldn't have been introduced to better hold the attention of the viewer, as it does come across at times like a promotional video of the museum, but it is still worth seeing for the technical brilliance. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Fra B It's a movie that succeds at quite a lot of different things, is an amazing technical achievement, it's a monument for Russia and its way of showing different realities in the same continuos shot is innovative and inspiring. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/18/20 Full Review Audience Member Una maravilla. Una toma, 2000 o más actores y un gran escenario, el museo Hermitage. Recomendable totalmente Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Russian Ark

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A French marquis (Sergei Dreiden) wanders through a vast labyrinth of corridors, theaters and ballrooms at a reception for a Persian ambassador.
Director
Aleksandr Sokurov
Producer
Andrey Deryabin, Jens Meuer, Karsten Stoter
Screenwriter
Anatoli Nikiforov, Aleksandr Sokurov
Distributor
Wellspring Cinema
Production Co
Egoli Tossell Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Russian
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 13, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 17, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA)
$37.4K
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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