Review of Russian Ark (2002) by Jack N — 09 Jan 2009

I don't think that anyone can deny the sheer beauty of that which 304 years of Romanov rule created within Russia; namely the Winter Palace, Catherine Palace and so on. Nonetheless this beauty cannot redeem a movie so erratic that even an aficionado of Russian history such as myself can forgive its dithering.

If it were to have any kind of plot, or even follow the timeline correctly .I found myself exclaiming throughout the film 'oh, there's Nicholas I, oh and there's Empress Alexandra and Nicholas II, and there's Catherine the Great.

What? Why is she being shown after her sucessors? It makes absolutely no sense, and since there is no plot to support this choice on the part of the filmmaker, such hopping around only makes the film even more incoherent and confusing.

I see a work before me of sheer visual beauty, but try as I might I cannot love this film as I know I would had it even a semblance of a plot.