Watching Russian Ark, simply put, was like watching living, breathing, moving historical poetry. It was a very strange film with a very difficult timeline to follow, considering there was really no plot.
We follow a man dressed in black through the State Hermitage Museum from the POV of the camera/narrator/mystery man who has no recollection of how he got there and what's going on. The man in black leads us through the museum, and consequently through over 200 years of Russian history. And here's the kicker.... it was all done in ONE CONTINUOUS SHOT! If you are to take away anything from this film, it's at least the sheer appreciation of the coordination this took to shoot without cutting for 1.5 hrs. With over 2,000 actors & extras, totaling approximately 4,500 members total (actors, extras, crew, etc).... it's really incredible and mind-boggling.
The interaction the man in black had with others in the scene, and the mystery as to how and why we are in this place, each room changing and showing us a new moment in history- was all very very strange. I will admit, between the lack of plot, confusion, and the lulling score, I had a hard time staying awake halfway through.
I did absolutely love the haunting intro, and in general the score was very well done- moving, unsettling, and sad. Listening to it put me in a trance and I felt like I was in a weird time-warp. There was a very melancholic, dark undertone which evoked an emotion in me I wasn't quite sure how to interpret considering I'm not very well versed on Russian history.
Definitely makes a great movie to discuss, and is a good example of a "long shot" for the technical junkies.
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