Russian Ark (2002)

Film: Russian Ark

Director: Alexander Sokurov

Country: Russia

Released: May 2002

Runtime: 96 minutes

Genre: Fantasy

Studio: Hermitage Bridge Studio

Influenced: Sebastian Schipper, Alfonso Cuarón, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Céline Sciamma, Mark Cousins

Russian Ark warrants inclusion here for more than its innovative technical achievement. Alexander Sokurov somehow managed to shoot the entire 96-minute film in one take, a highly innovative approach to filmmaking that required precise choreography, timing and coordination among the cast and crew. Using a specially modified version of the Sony HDW-F900 digital camera, Sokurov captured the majesty of the world-famous Hermitage museum in St Petersburg in high-definition video, and in the process created the the longest unbroken shot in the history of cinema. The film is a historical fantasy that takes the audience on a journey through space and time, with a narrative that spans several centuries of Russian history, touching on key moments and interacting with historical figures like Catherine the Great, Peter the Great and Nicholas II. Our guide is a 19th-century French aristocrat who appears to be the Marquis de Custine, who somehow finds himself wandering around the Hermitage and able to speak Russian.

As well as being a high-wire technical feat, the film is also a profound exploration of Russian history and the ongoing tension around the country's embrace of European culture. It's a distinctly odd movie, owing  to its lack of a traditional plot or cast of characters, and the way that Sokurov prioritises mood, atmosphere and visual audacity over traditional narrative structures. Also unique and bizarre are the hushed conversations between the aristocratic diplomat – who acts as a guide – and the narrator – who is holding the camera. This creates an intimate and conspiratorial tone, as if they are sharing secrets or insights that are not meant to be heard by others around them. The choice of whispers also aligns with the film's dreamlike fantasy quality, as if the characters are navigating a realm between reality and imagination. Sokurov, a director often drawn to historical themes, has said that he wanted to capture "the flow of time" in a pure cinematic language that suggests "a single breath".

As the diplomat and narrator move through the Hermitage museum, they witness events and interact with people from different eras, including the 18th century, Russian Revolution, and more. At times the director zooms in to famous paintings such as Saint Peter & Saint Paul by El Greco, an especially famous artwork in Russia given it once appeared on a stamp produced by the USSR. At times the movement of the camera slows down to allow for meditation on Russian history, art and culture, and at other times it speeds headlong down corridors to follow the movements of the actors, in one scene pursuing a group of garlanded young girls. The famous Winter Palace ballroom scene is a standout moment in the movie, featuring a large cast of characters in period costume engaging in a grand ball. Taking place on the eve of World War I, the ball features an orchestra and dancers performing a tightly-drilled mazurka, along with an audience of older figures nodding their approval. 

Sokurov's camerawork is particularly fluid and impressive during this ballroom scene and the film's final, melancholy sequence. Russian Ark received widespread critical acclaim for its technical achievement, historical exploration and artistic vision, including the Visions Award at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival and the Alfred Bauer Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. Sokurov was praised for his collaboration with renowned cinematographer Tilman Büttner, allowing him to achieve the single-take technical feat. Together, during four years of production, they had to ensure that every element of the film, including the actors' performances, was perfectly timed, since any mistake would have required the entire scene to be reshot. What they managed to capture on film is, in itself, a treasure trove (or "ark") of history and culture that has been preserved from the flood of time that engulfs us all.