Review of Russian Ark (2002) by Margarita M — 30 Aug 2008
An incredibly poetic and technically outstanding film depicts various discontinuous parts of the history of St. Petersburg through the history of the Hermitage building. How on earth did they manage to convince people to let them pull this off in the Hermitage?! Very interesting use of a narrator â?? one who alternates between omniscience and being part of the narrative itself.
The dialogue between the narrator and the Marquis highlights very well the role of narrators in how narratives of history are ultimately recorded in the memory of society. I was surprised at how much I remembered of the Hermitage, despite not having been there in 8 years.
The entire film was shot on video in one single take â?? like a giant, transhistorical ballet. Also features very beautiful performances of Glinckaâ??s music. Iâ??m really interested to see Sokurovâ??s subsequent films, although I havenâ??t been able to find them in mtl.
This review of Russian Ark (2002) was written by Margarita M on 30 Aug 2008.
Russian Ark has generally received very positive reviews.
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