Russian Ark [Anniversary Edition] [Blu-ray]

Overview

Alexander Sokurov's Russian Ark is an amazing accomplishment, and clearly made with passion, but while the film is sure to be hailed as a masterpiece by some, its narrative conceit isn't nearly as interesting as the technical feat of its creation. The result is a unique and intelligent film with sporadic moments of transcendent beauty that fails to create a strong emotional connection with its audience. It's essentially a 96-minute museum tour, with the added benefit of time travel and wax figures that briefly come to life. But wax figures are all they are, essentially. Sokurov, as though following a hasty guide, spends so little time with the historical figures he portrays that it often feels as though he's moving on just as you begin to figure out who and what you're watching. The Russian experience of World War II, for example, is portrayed with a brief stop in a foreboding, ghostly room filled with coffins. The filmmaker is known for his lugubrious pacing, but Russian Ark has the odd distinction of seeming both slow paced and rushed. It moves slowly and mournfully, but still only glances across the surface of the eras it portrays. It's a demanding film, encompassing a wealth of Russian history and art history between its first and final frames. Those who stay with it will be rewarded in the end by a gorgeously mounted ball, in which the camera gracefully slides among elaborately costumed dancers as the orchestra plays. It's a deeply felt irony that this transcendent moment of joy takes place on the eve of the Russian revolution, and the world of these briefly glimpsed characters is about to come crashing to an end. It's a shame that the film has few moments where form and content align so powerfully. Josh Ralske

Product Details

Release Date:	11/19/2013
UPC:	0738329111625
Original Release:	2002
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kino Lorber
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	26,913

Special Features

In One Breath (2003, 43 min.), a documentary about the making of Russian Ark; Includes cast and crew members; Theatrical trailer

Editorial Reviews

Alexander Sokurov's Russian Ark is an amazing accomplishment, and clearly made with passion, but while the film is sure to be hailed as a masterpiece by some, its narrative conceit isn't nearly as interesting as the technical feat of its creation. The result is a unique and intelligent film with sporadic moments of transcendent beauty that fails to create a strong emotional connection with its audience. It's essentially a 96-minute museum tour, with the added benefit of time travel and wax figures that briefly come to life. But wax figures are all they are, essentially. Sokurov, as though following a hasty guide, spends so little time with the historical figures he portrays that it often feels as though he's moving on just as you begin to figure out who and what you're watching. The Russian experience of World War II, for example, is portrayed with a brief stop in a foreboding, ghostly room filled with coffins. The filmmaker is known for his lugubrious pacing, but Russian Ark has the odd distinction of seeming both slow paced and rushed. It moves slowly and mournfully, but still only glances across the surface of the eras it portrays. It's a demanding film, encompassing a wealth of Russian history and art history between its first and final frames. Those who stay with it will be rewarded in the end by a gorgeously mounted ball, in which the camera gracefully slides among elaborately costumed dancers as the orchestra plays. It's a deeply felt irony that this transcendent moment of joy takes place on the eve of the Russian revolution, and the world of these briefly glimpsed characters is about to come crashing to an end. It's a shame that the film has few moments where form and content align so powerfully.

All Movie Guide - Josh Ralske

It was only with the advent of digital technology that the notion of an entire film done in a single take became possible. Mike Figgis got there first with Time Code, and now the Russian director Alexander Sokurov has brought off a comparably startling feat with Russian Ark.

Entertainment Weekly - Owen Gleiberman

Dazzling dance to the music of time.

Village Voice - J. Hoberman

A magnificent conjuring act, an eerie historical mirage.

New York Times - Stephen Holden

Dramatically, this is something of a waking dream.

Washington Post - Desson Howe

The film is a glorious experience to witness, not least because, knowing the technique and understanding how much depends on every moment, we almost hold our breath.

Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert

An astonishing technological feat, but what is even more remarkable is that the technology does not overwhelm the artistry.

Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan

Extraordinary film, one that, like the museum itself, captures and shows three centuries of Russian culture and history in all its beauty, confusion, terror and majesty.

Chicago Tribune - Michael Wilmington

High art, low comedy, hard labor and royal prerogative are here thrown together in an elegant unity, a breathtaking demonstration of Russian cinematic -- hence artistic -- brilliance. Henry Sheehan

L.A. Weekly