Russian ark with english french spanish polish dutch danish. Ambitious in both concept and execution, the film attempts to express the scope and breadth of russian history and culture in a 99minute pageant, all filmed within dozens of galleries and. Not just a dazzling technical feat, alexander sokurovs masterpiece is a heady, hallucinatory tour through russian history, in which a disembodied narrator and his companion wander the opulent, artfilled halls of st. I know, i know, i still need to get the cast names in there and ill be eternally tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to drop me a line. Its the first featurelength narrative film shot in a single take on digital video, using a specially designed disc instead of tape. Punctuated by sokurovs own thoughtful musings and philosophies, it is a timely and. It was filmed entirely in the winter palace of the russian state hermitage museum. Russian ark is a russian film about i dont think there. Abstract this paper analyzes how aleksandr sokurovs russian ark treats the complex relationship of russia and europe, considering their. Russian ark is a 2002 historical drama film directed by alexander sokurov.
In sokurovs russian ark, nothing is cut, nothing is moved, nothing is reinvented or added at the whim of the allpowerful director. An unseen man regains consciousness, not knowing who or where he is. That cultural tour, however, is only one aspect of. With an 89% user rating on rotten tomatoes and 4 stars by roger ebert, the russian ark is impressive in both execution and form. In the three previous films, sokurov had dealt with hitler, lenin and hirohito, three icons of selfcentred authoritarianism. The good people who made the russian ark, including the director aleksandr sokurov, created an awesome series of behindthescenes videos to show how they were able to accomplish such a monumental task.
In russian ark, an unnamed narrator wanders through the winter palace in saint petersburg, and implies that he died in some horrible accident and is a ghost drifting through the palace. Alexander sokurovs 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 isnt nearly as interesting as the technical feat of its creation. Survival evolved download game for windows pc, mac. The russian filmmaker won the golden lion award for his film faust, 2011. Russian ark kinosputnik paperback november 15, 2016. The film follows the wonders of the museum, in which every room of the facility focuses on a period of time in russian history. Filmed entirely in the state hermitage museum, in st. Russian director aleksandr sokurov took on an immense and highly risky task in 2002s russian ark russkiy kovcheg, a germansoviet coproduction that became an art house hit. Alexander sokurovs russian ark 2003 is more than simply a tour of the state hermitage museum of saint petersburg. No one seems to be able to see him, except the mysterious man dressed in black. It will do nothing to extend the limited audience for sokurovs work. Behind the scenes documentary on the filming of russian ark. It is an unbeatable combination, and probably unrepeatable, leading film comment to whine in its yearend issue that sokurovs feat is a cinematic culdesac, promising much but leading nowhere. As david bordwell points out in his brilliant post on the matter, the urge to make films out of fewer and fewer shots has been a reflection of directorial machismo for a while now.
Russian ark script transcript from the screenplay andor. The result is a unique and intelligent film with sporadic moments of transcendent beauty that fails to create a strong emotional connection with its. Exploring the relationship between art and power, francofonia blurs the lines of fiction, documentary, memoir and video essay. The cinematographer tillman buttner, using a steadicam and highdef digital technology, joined with some 2,000 actors in an tightwire act in which. Instead alexander sokurov is a director who is concerned with the simple principal elements of cinema. Russian ark 2002 a visually hypnotizing cinematic feat, russian ark is alexsandr sokurovs spellbinding ode to st. Apr 03, 2003 the prolific russian director aleksandr sokurov has composed a cinematic love letter to the hermitage museum in st petersburg, the ark in which russias elite cultural identity has been. Alexander sokurovs spellbinding masterpiece russian ark is a multiaward winning film consisting of one unbroken camera shot that. Petersburg, sokurovs breathtaking film recreates 300 years of history and culture and is the first entirely unedited, single take. Although some players may prefer more consistent graphics and choose the console versions on ps4 and xbox one, the pc version has an advantage featuring various mods and easy access to new maps as soon as they come out. Finally, the russian ark script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the aleksandr sokurov movie. The film is the final in a fourpart series on the nature of power. Russian filmmaker alexander sokurov the sun broke boundaries with his dreamlike vision of the hermitage in st. Now, writerdirector aleksandr sokurov, working at the outset of a different.
A french marquis sergei dreiden wanders through a vast labyrinth of corridors, theaters and ballrooms at a reception for a persian ambassador. Russian arkrusskiy kovcheg 2002 russia 99 mins prod co. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay andor viewings of russian ark. In one breath alexander sokurovs russian ark making of. Shot on highdefinition digital video, the movie consists of one unbroken take, assuming the point of view of a partly invisible, timetraveling visitor to st. With an 89% user rating on rotten tomatoes and 4 stars by roger ebert, the russian ark is impressive in both execution and form behind the scenes. With sergey dreyden, mariya kuznetsova, leonid mozgovoy, mikhail piotrovsky. Russian filmmaker alexander sokurov broke boundaries with his dreamlike vision of the hermitage in st. Its the first featurelength narrative film shot in a single take. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Alexander sokurov s extraordinary masterpiece, russian ark is a unique journey through time and russian history. Jul 14, 2016 alexander sokurovs spellbinding masterpiece russian ark is a multiaward winning film consisting of one unbroken camera shot that moves through st. On 23 december, 2001, the hermitage took part in the russian ark project, the new experimental documentaryfeature film of the famous director aleksandr sokurov. What we see is a direct record of what the camera saw on its.
Petersburg, sokurov s breathtaking film recreates 300 years of history and culture and is the first entirely unedited, single take, fulllength feature film. The result is a unique and intelligent film with sporadic moments of transcendent beauty that. Hitchcocks rope 1948 and beckers running time 1997 look. The internet provides many websites in english for those who want to know more about the logistics behind the films unique feat of cinematography, but very little. Alexander sokurov s russian ark 2003 is more than simply a tour of the state hermitage museum of saint petersburg. Russian ark russkiy kovcheg by allan hunter 20020602t00. Zero point director danfung dennis talks about filmmaking for the.
The director conceived russian ark as an unprecedented, continuous, fulllength trip into the world of the hermitage in the form of a succession of prearranged and accidental meetings. Russian ark is an astounding technical feat that must be seen to be believed. Russian ark is a 2002 experimental historical drama film directed by alexander sokurov. In sokurov s russian ark, nothing is cut, nothing is moved, nothing is reinvented or added at the whim of the allpowerful director. In a single, unbroken shot lasting over 90 minutes, the viewer is swept not just through the breadth of the physical space but through hundreds of years of russian history, slipping back and forth in time as the unseen narrator the camera serves as the roving point of view of. Aleksandr sokurov seems equally adverse to straightforward spectacle, approaching potentially colossal subjects. Russian ark 2002 a visually hypnotizing cinematic feat, russian ark is alexsandr sokurov s spellbinding ode to st.
I am sick of editing, sokurov said, lets not be afraid of time. Russian director aleksandr sokurov began working in the soviet era, experimenting in varied media and movie lengths to tell intimate stories set against the sweep of history. Though the ensemble of halls and passages and stairways seen in sokurovs. Survival evolved looks spectacular and runs smoothly even on weaker pcs. No one still have beat russian arks record of 92 minutes. Alexander sokurovs extraordinary masterpiece, russian ark is a unique journey through time and russian history. It was filmed entirely in the winter palace of the. 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 isnt nearly as interesting as the technical feat of its creation.
Aleksandr sokurov russkiy kovcheg aka russian ark download. The second big idea behind russian ark is the desire to make the most of modern digital cameras and make an entire feature film in a single take. In each room, he encounters various real and fictional people from. A web guide to the history found in russian ark, a film by. Behind the scenes of the 96 minute shot, the russian ark. The films mother and son 1997 and russian ark 2002 brought him international acclaim, and sokurov is now considered one of the most important european filmmakers. Thanks to the miracles of digital video, sokurov and cinematographer tilman buttner uses a single, unbroken, 90minute shot to wind his way through the hermitage in st petersburgthe repository of russian art and the former. Feb 17, 2016 alexander sokurovs spellbinding russian ark is a multiaward winning film consisting of one unbroken camera shot that moves through st. Shot in one long 96minute tracking shot with a cast of 2000 actors and extras, the film takes the viewer into the great hermitage collection in st. Sokurov has produced over forty works including short and feature films and documentaries. The movie was filmed in the winter palace of the russian state hermitage museum. It is an unbeatable combination, and probably unrepeatable, leading film comment to whine in its yearend issue that sokurov s feat is a cinematic culdesac, promising much but leading nowhere. Visionary director aleksandr sokurov russian ark considers how french society and their occupying nazi forces viewed culture and thus themselves during the second world war. From a quick look at the external links i didnt see any claim that russian ark was the first to use any particular technique.
In russian ark, an unnamed narrator wanders through the winter. A french marquis wanders through a vast labyrinth of corridors, theaters and ballrooms at a reception for a persian ambassador. Egoli tossell filmfor a filmthe hermitage bridge studio prod. Similarly, ra probably works best for those conversant in russian history, art history, or sukarovs conceits.
For me ra should be indecipherable but like ebert said, if cinema is sometimes dreamlike, then every edit is an awakening. We are hoping this event draws a large crowd from all of the departments in the school for the. Russian ark 2002 alexandr sokurov, aleksandr sokurov. Its an inventive concept, one that immediately brought to mind filmmaker alexander sokurovs beautiful russian ark. Francofonia, alexander sokurov, filmfestspiele venedig. Stefan ciupek, sergei ivanov, betina kuntzsch art dir. Shot in one take on digital video, the film shows the museum from a firstperson point of view. The movie consists of one unbroken shot lasting the entire length of the film, as a camera glides through the hermitage, the repository of russian art and history in st. When we set off on this journey that was to become russian ark, more than four years ago, it sounded novel but straightforward. In each room, he encounters various real and fictional people from various periods in the citys 300year history.
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