Russian Ark

Starring: Sergei Dreiden, Maria Kruznetsova, Leonid Mozgovoy
Directed by:Alexander Sokurov
Rating: Not Rated
Genre: Drama
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A modern filmmaking finds himself back in the 18th century, where he takes a trip through 300 years of Russian history.

Review:

Tim: Russian Ark is the longest uninterrupted shot in film history. It is amazing that the movie is all one continuous, unbroken shot for 96 minutes. It is also the first feature film ever created in a single take. For these two reasons alone, you should see Alexander Sokurov's experimental masterpiece.

Unfortunately, the film is incredibly boring. Because the film is all one shot, there is not starting off or ending points- no roadsigns along the way. You drift endlessly through the film, losing track of time. A 96 minute film soon feels like you're living through the 300 years of history sitting there, watching.

Despite its novel concept, the movie is quite slow. I fell asleep three separate times while watching the movie.

It is very interesting to take a 300 year journey through Russian history, but its just hard to stay awake. This film is beautiful to look at, but dreadful to actually watch.

I recommend seeing Russian Ark for its artistic value, not for entertainment purposes. It is incredibly important as a piece of art, incredibly boring as a piece of entertainment.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: reading Russian history