Review #36: 'Russian Ark' (2002)

When I first heard about this film back in 2002, it sounded like something of a gimmick. Using digital technology and a team of highly-talented cinematographers and lightning technicians, the film took place in one location and featured one long 96-minute steadicam shot through the Russian State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. I'm embarrassed but somewhat happy to report that I was completely wrong, and that the technique is not a gimmick, but instead a powerful tool used to conjure up a feeling of state and atmosphere. It's also so technically impressive that even if this was not the case, it would still be an awe-inspiring achievement.

We, the audience, are locked inside the head of the narrator (voiced by director Aleksandr Sokurov) who awakens amongst a party of excited party-goers dressed in historical gowns and suits making their way inside of the then-Winters Palace, which between 1732 and 1917 was the home of the Russian tsars. Out narrator is somewhat disillusioned and confused, and wonders why is he is there and if he is in fact dead. He is soon joined by the mysterious Stranger (Sergei Dontsov), a French aristocrat who knows he is long dead and is somewhat much more comfortable with his surroundings than our humble narrator. The two swoop from room to room, which contains some of the most beautiful and impressive art I've ever seen, and they discuss and ponder both the art and Russian history. As they travel the palace, they also travel through time and through some of the key events in Russian's past.

What makes this film so impressive is not just the 96-minute shot. It is also the dreamlike state I found myself placed in when viewing the film. It was a similar feeling to the one I had when watching Andrei Tarkovsky's Mirror (1975) and Stalker (1979), as although often I didn't fully understand exactly what was taking place or what the director was getting at, the film was so beautiful I just let myself become entranced by it. A 96-minute philosophical and academic Russian history lesson won't sound like much to a lot of people, but the director's deft touch keeps the film moving along nicely. The Hermitage Museum is absolutely stunning, and Sokurov uses its beauty to take us on this journey, as the Stranger waltzes from room to room gazing upon its sights, and often interacting with historical and modern figures.

It becomes apparent early on that the main metaphor the film stands for is Russia's involvement with Europe. The Stranger is supposed to be channelling the Marquis de Custine (or may even be him, it is not made clear), who was a travel writer best known for his writing during the rule of Nicholas I in 1830's Russia. He often mocks Russia as the Marquis did, and the Narrator, who clearly represents Russia, is often anxious to move on without him, representing the ability of Russia to carry on without the support of Europe. There is so much more than this going on the film, far more than I can describe in a few hundred words. It is a meditation on art, history, culture, and also on the power of film and editing.

A few attempts have been made to create something similar to this, notably Hitchcock's Rope (1948), which used clever editing to create the illusion that it was all one shot. Although a very good film, it wasn't entirely successful in that department. Not to criticise, obviously the technology wasn't available to Hitch back in the day, but even if it had, it would not have had the same lasting effect that Russian Ark had on me. And just when you think the film couldn't get any more impressive, the final scene comes along with a cast of thousands all dressed in full costume in one climatic glide down the Grand Staircase. Absolutely beautiful.


Directed by: Aleksandr Sokurov
Starring: Sergei Donstov, Mariya Kuznetsova, Leonid Mozgovoy
Country: Russia/Germany

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie