Russkiy kovcheg (2002)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Aleksandr Sokurov

Writers:

Boris Khaimsky (dialogue)
Anatoli Nikiforov (written by)

Release Date:

8 November 2002 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | History

Tagline:

2000 cast members, 3 orchestras, 33 rooms, 300 years, ALL IN ONE TAKE

Plot:

A 19th century French aristocrat, notorious for his scathing memoirs about life in Russia, travels through the Russian State Hermitage Museum and encounters historical figures from the last 200+ years.

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Russia | Critically Acclaimed | Czar | Herimitage

Awards:

9 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Sergei Dontsov	...	The Stranger (The Marquis de Custine) (as Sergei Dreiden)
Mariya Kuznetsova	...	Catherine The Great
Leonid Mozgovoy	...	The Spy
Mikhail Piotrovsky	...	Himself (Hermitage Director)
David Giorgobiani	...	Orbeli
Aleksandr Chaban	...	Boris Piotrovsky
Lev Yeliseyev	...	Himself
Oleg Khmelnitsky	...	Himself
Alla Osipenko	...	Herself
Artyom Strelnikov	...	Talented Boy
Tamara Kurenkova	...	Herself (Blind Woman)
Maksim Sergeyev	...	Peter the Great
Natalya Nikulenko	...	Catherine the Great
Yelena Rufanova	...	First Lady
Yelena Spiridonova	...	Second Lady

Also Known As:

Русский ковчег (Russia)
Russian Ark (International: English title)
Russian Ark - Eine einzigartige Zeitreise durch die Eremitage (Germany)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Russia | Germany

Language:

Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Taiwan:GP | Italy:T | Brazil:Livre | France:U | New Zealand:PG | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Singapore:PG | Chile:TE | Canada:G

Filming Locations:

St. Petersburg, Russia

Company:

State Hermitage Museum, The

Trivia:

Among the many problems that plagued the one-day-only production, there was a considerable language barrier. Director Aleksandr Sokurov speaks only Russian, and cinematographer Tilman Büttner speaks only German, so a translator followed the duo around (along with 'Büttner''s seven-man crew) to keep the communication open.

Movie Connections:

Featured in In One Breath: Alexander Sokurov's Russian Ark (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Aria

9/10

This documentary-type movie, done all in one long, unbroken take with a steadicam, has the camera basically hovering around a famous Russian museum for an hour and-a-half as the unseen film director (both by us and the others in the museum) makes comments, as if in a dream, and converses with a French, former diplomat from the 1800s. It's a mix of a museum tour, Russian history, and performance art -- Catherine the Great appears at one point, desperately looking for the toilet. I liked it because it's about the closest thing to a dreamstate you can get in film, something like the long tracking shots in Tarkovsky's movies; I didn't get a lot of the references to Russian historical figures, but it doesn't really matter. However, if you know Russian history, you may get extra enjoyment out of it and might latch onto the sarcastic bits better than I did. I think this is a real achievement; a perfect example of how style is substance. 9/10