Russian Ark

Summary

Russian Ark

An extraordinary journey through time and Russian history. The Marquis de Custine, an 18th century French diplomat with a love/hate relationship to Russia finds himself on a time trip through St. Petersburg′s fabled Winter Palace - from the times of Peter the Great to the present day.

With him, an invisible Russian filmmaker, who is confused about Russia′s position in Europe.
Together they encounter life at the Imperial Palace as it was in different ages. From little backstage love affairs in Catherine the Great′s personal theater to the last Grand Royal Ball of 1913. From Peter′s humiliation of his coarse 18th century countrymen to the Nazi′s bloody siege of Leningrad during World War II. It′s as if the Hermitage is a vessel, retaining the Russian soul until a better day, when that country once again knows where it belongs.
Russian Ark is a truly unique film - the "absolute auteur movie". Alexander Sokurov tells his story in one uninterrupted steadicam sequence, which was only recorded once. There is no editing, the film unfolds in pure real time. The filmmaker′s vision - featuring more than 2,000 actors and extras - was realized entirely "in the camera".
Russian Ark was recorded straight to hard disk in the High Definition format, for digital and for 35 mm projection, featuring a live performance by the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra under Valery Gergiev.

Source: German films Service & Marketing GmbH