Russkiy kovcheg (2002)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Aleksandr Sokurov

Writers:

Boris Khaimsky (dialogue)
Anatoli Nikiforov (written by)

Release Date:

8 November 2002 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | History

Tagline:

2000 cast members, 3 orchestras, 33 rooms, 300 years, ALL IN ONE TAKE

Plot:

A 19th century French aristocrat, notorious for his scathing memoirs about life in Russia, travels through the Russian State Hermitage Museum and encounters historical figures from the last 200+ years.

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Russian History | Russia | Art | Critically Acclaimed

Awards:

9 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Sergei Dontsov	...	The Stranger (The Marquis de Custine) (as Sergei Dreiden)
Mariya Kuznetsova	...	Catherine The Great
Leonid Mozgovoy	...	The Spy
Mikhail Piotrovsky	...	Himself (Hermitage Director)
David Giorgobiani	...	Orbeli
Aleksandr Chaban	...	Boris Piotrovsky
Lev Yeliseyev	...	Himself
Oleg Khmelnitsky	...	Himself
Alla Osipenko	...	Herself
Artyom Strelnikov	...	Talented Boy
Tamara Kurenkova	...	Herself (Blind Woman)
Maksim Sergeyev	...	Peter the Great
Natalya Nikulenko	...	Catherine the Great
Yelena Rufanova	...	First Lady
Yelena Spiridonova	...	Second Lady

Also Known As:

Русский ковчег (Russia)
Russian Ark (International: English title)
Russian Ark - Eine einzigartige Zeitreise durch die Eremitage (Germany)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Russia | Germany

Language:

Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Taiwan:GP | Italy:T | Brazil:Livre | France:U | New Zealand:PG | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Singapore:PG | Chile:TE | Canada:G

Filming Locations:

St. Petersburg, Russia

Company:

State Hermitage Museum, The

Trivia:

The snowy courtyard that Catherine II walked through in the movie was covered and full of tropical plants and animals from around the world when Catherine II lived there. This second floor courtyard is now filled with statues and lilac bushes.

Movie Connections:

Featured in In One Breath: Alexander Sokurov's Russian Ark (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Nocturn

"This Ark Will Sail Forever"

I found "Russian Ark" a fascinating work of a very ambitious director. For me, it was a highly enjoyable guided tour through the rooms, galleries, and halls of one of the greatest museums in the world. I have not been to Hermitage (Winter Palace) for over fourteen years, and to see the familiar rooms, stairs, paintings, and sculptures was like traveling back in time. The film is also the journey over three hundred years of the Russian history and the attempt to understand the country's place and meaning in European culture. Each of the palace's rooms is filled with memories, shadows, whispers, smiles, and tears of the people whose lives have made the history of the country. The fact that it is all presented in a single, the longest uninterrupted shot ever makes it even more incredible. I also saw the documentary about making "Russian Ark". It is called "On One Breath" - that's how the director, Alexander Sokurov wanted his audience to feel about the film that was shot in a single glorious take during several hours on one winter night. The preparation for this unforgettable night took almost four years.