Review of Russian Ark (2002) by Morgan O — 20 Mar 2008
This remarkable film really has to be seen to be believed.
I first saw it in Russian with no subtitles and I was mesmerised by the sumptuous visuals and the audacity of the film's construction.
The second time I watched it with English subtitles and I was able to follow the loose, dreamlike narrative with no difficulty.
I'm going to watch it a third time and I think that's advisable to get the most out of the film.
On a purely reductive level 'Russian Ark' is Sokurov's tribut to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, but the crystalline elegance of the film's structure makes it so much more than that.
Honestly, you could turn this film on and watch from any point and what you saw would feel complete. The Deleuzeian 'crystal' nature of the narrative means that there is no set, traditional story for you to follow. It's all broken down into fragments that reflect and express meaning, rather than representing 'true' things. As a viewer you can take what you want from it, every viewpoint is different due to metaphor and connotation.
This film and Raoul Ruiz's 'Time Regained' are simply the two most elegant, majestic, genre-breaking films I have ever seen. Truly worth seeking out if you love cinema.
This review of Russian Ark (2002) was written by Morgan O on 20 Mar 2008.
Russian Ark has generally received very positive reviews.
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