Russian Ark

"I open my eyes and I see nothing. I only remember there was some accident. Everyone ran for saftey as best they could. I just can't remember what happened to me."

Filmed in The Hermitage Museum over a three day period. Amazing shots of the museum and its art.

The plot was a dream sequence of sorts, stealing characters from Russian history. I'm not a history buff so I'll refrain from commenting on its historical accuracy.

We all know how Eisenstein changed movies forever by putting editing out in the open. This is the antipode of that. Ninety minutes without a cut. That by it self isn't the great of an accoplishment--yeah it is--but it is even more so when you see the thousands of extras, the orchestras, the camera movement over the musuem grounds, getting the lighting right in every scene and between them. That made it amazing. A true visual feast.

This is a film I've been meaning to see for a while. Obviously it's a hell of an achievement of organisation, and it certainly looks 'a visual treat' from the clips I've seen; but one question remains: Is the story any good?

It's hard to judge. It isn't a linear story. The visuals play such a large role and it's quite subjective. The camera is the main character; he meets a guy, which reminds me of Dante and Virgil going through hell but with humour. I felt satisfied, for whatever that's worth. I don't want to put my images of it into anyone's head. How's that?

Ok, I'll keep my eye out for an opportunity to see it.

I have been meaning to rent this after reading the back of the box and seeing all the hailing it got from critics.