I can't imagine what Alexander Sokurov must have been going through when the first and only shooting day came around. One day to do something that has never been attempted before, using two thousand actors and after having dumped an unconceivable amount of money into the film, if something goes wrong the project is completely scraped.
As a drama, there is nothing like it that I have ever seen. There is no real discernible plot outline, it is simply a man experiencing Russian history in a strange and hypnotic way. This is a story of Russian culture, it is a story about what makes that nation what it is. There is a new kind of conflict created here, a man struggles to understand the importance of such objects, of such people, of such events that are shown in this film. But in retrospect they explain it as an understanding of humanity. What we are destined for, and why we are as important as any of these historical figures.
The first thing that interested me about the film of coarse was the idea of the single shot. I'm a film student, so any chance that I get to see a film that really is the first of its kind I have to give it a shot. A lot of people seem to not understand the idea or importance of taking it in one shot. Was Sokurov just trying to set a record or did he really do this because it was right for the story? After watching Russian Ark I think that it was simply the right way to shoot the film, it gave you a sense that you were swimming along with the events as they transpired, it let you see the connection of one time period to the next. It let you enjoy the tour of the magnificent winter palace, but it kept you involved in the story in a way that traditional methods could not.
The thing that surprised me about the film was the perception of time. When I think of reasons for shooting a movie in one shot it comes with the idea that it is a story that is told in real time. A story that is made up of a chain of events that directly intertwine with each other and therefore makes it motivated for you to follow the events around as they transpire. Yet, this is one of the few films ever made in which time is completely irrelevant. you never really got the feel that time was elapsing in any way shape or form. You just saw segments of history pop up around the museum. The motivation for this film seemed to be more to alter the viewers perception of space. It allows you to see the grand scale of some of these incredible rooms but beyond that you get to see transitions into other scene's in ways that cannot be achieved through any other techniques. The man goes from an empty hall way into the next room that may be filled with a massive number of people, or just various historical characters, and the setting could be a century before or after the scene we had just witnessed.
Many people that I had talked to said to make sure you watch this film when your wide awake or it will put you to sleep. I watched this at around 9pm on a Monday night after a heavy day of classes and after I had finished it I could not get myself to sleep. I realized that I had witnessed one of the greatest historical landmarks of the film industry. It is films like this that change the cinema for the better. That allow us to see what these advancements that we make can mean. Just the fact that something like this was attempted is incredible to me, the fact that it was actually completed successfully is beyond comprehension. By all stretch of the imagination, it shouldn't have worked, something should have gone incredibly wrong. I guess Murphy's law took a day off for Alexander Sokurov.
This film is very much recommended. For those of you that are art or history buffs, this is a must see. For film students the same applies to you. And if your a schmuck like me and you fall into all of these categories it will be an experience that you will never forget.
As a drama, there is nothing like it that I have ever seen. There is no real discernible plot outline, it is simply a man experiencing Russian history in a strange and hypnotic way. This is a story of Russian culture, it is a story about what makes that nation what it is. There is a new kind of conflict created here, a man struggles to understand the importance of such objects, of such people, of such events that are shown in this film. But in retrospect they explain it as an understanding of humanity. What we are destined for, and why we are as important as any of these historical figures.
The first thing that interested me about the film of coarse was the idea of the single shot. I'm a film student, so any chance that I get to see a film that really is the first of its kind I have to give it a shot. A lot of people seem to not understand the idea or importance of taking it in one shot. Was Sokurov just trying to set a record or did he really do this because it was right for the story? After watching Russian Ark I think that it was simply the right way to shoot the film, it gave you a sense that you were swimming along with the events as they transpired, it let you see the connection of one time period to the next. It let you enjoy the tour of the magnificent winter palace, but it kept you involved in the story in a way that traditional methods could not.
The thing that surprised me about the film was the perception of time. When I think of reasons for shooting a movie in one shot it comes with the idea that it is a story that is told in real time. A story that is made up of a chain of events that directly intertwine with each other and therefore makes it motivated for you to follow the events around as they transpire. Yet, this is one of the few films ever made in which time is completely irrelevant. you never really got the feel that time was elapsing in any way shape or form. You just saw segments of history pop up around the museum. The motivation for this film seemed to be more to alter the viewers perception of space. It allows you to see the grand scale of some of these incredible rooms but beyond that you get to see transitions into other scene's in ways that cannot be achieved through any other techniques. The man goes from an empty hall way into the next room that may be filled with a massive number of people, or just various historical characters, and the setting could be a century before or after the scene we had just witnessed.
Many people that I had talked to said to make sure you watch this film when your wide awake or it will put you to sleep. I watched this at around 9pm on a Monday night after a heavy day of classes and after I had finished it I could not get myself to sleep. I realized that I had witnessed one of the greatest historical landmarks of the film industry. It is films like this that change the cinema for the better. That allow us to see what these advancements that we make can mean. Just the fact that something like this was attempted is incredible to me, the fact that it was actually completed successfully is beyond comprehension. By all stretch of the imagination, it shouldn't have worked, something should have gone incredibly wrong. I guess Murphy's law took a day off for Alexander Sokurov.
This film is very much recommended. For those of you that are art or history buffs, this is a must see. For film students the same applies to you. And if your a schmuck like me and you fall into all of these categories it will be an experience that you will never forget.