Russian Ark (2002)
87%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: 10 wins & 15 nominations
Russian Ark is a cinematic masterpiece that takes the viewer on a mesmerizing journey through the Hermitage Museum, exploring the rich history of Russia in a single, uninterrupted shot. Sokurov’s direction is nothing short of brilliant, as he weaves together a tapestry of art, culture, and politics that is both haunting and beautiful. The film’s immersive quality is unparalleled, transporting the audience to another time and place, and leaving them with a sense of wonder and awe. This is a must-see for anyone who loves cinema, history, or art, and a testament to the power of film to capture the essence of a nation and its people.
Russian Ark is like a history lesson, a museum tour, and a theme park ride all rolled into one. It’s like being in a dream where you’re floating through time and space, surrounded by the ghosts of the past and the present. The Hermitage Museum is the star of the show, and it’s easy to see why. The palace is magnificent, and the art and artifacts it contains are breathtaking. If you’re a fan of history, art, or just good cinema, you won’t want to miss this one. It’s a trip you won’t soon forget!
Production Company(ies)
Screen Gems Jerry Bruckheimer Films, L Star Capital
Distributor
Wellspring Cinema
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2003
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
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Runtime:1h 35m
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Language(s):Russian, Persian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 13, 2002 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 9, 2003
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Russian Ark, drama, 1h 35m, directed by Aleksandr Sokurov, written by Anatoli Nikiforov and Aleksandr Sokurov, starring Sergei Dreiden, produced by Andrey Deryabin, Jens Meuer, Karsten Stoter, reviewed by Joshua Rothkopf, Jesse Cataldo, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Aaron Cutler, Steven D Greydanus, Tom Meek, David Walsh, Jordan M Smith, Dennis Harvey, Guillem Martinez Oya, Lucero Solórzano, box office gross of $37.4K, MPAA rating not specified, French marquis, Sergei Dreiden, labyrinth of corridors, theaters, ballrooms, Persian ambassador, Russian history, uninterrupted, 87-minute take, Wellspring Cinema, surround sound, Dolby SR, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo, flat aspect ratio, Sergei Dontsov, Leonid Mozgovoy, David Giorgobiani, Mariya Kuznetsova, Aleksandr Chaban, Maksim Sergeyev
Worldwide gross: $8,690,168
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $14,085,648
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,847
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,536,058
US/Canada gross: $3,048,997
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $4,942,033
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,816
US/Canada opening weekend: $29,022
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $47,041
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,234
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Leonid Mozgovoy – The Spy
David Giorgobiani – Orbeli
Mariya Kuznetsova – Catherine the Great
Aleksandr Chaban – Boris Piotrovsky
Maksim Sergeyev – Peter the Great
Director(s)
Aleksandr Sokurov
Writer(s)
Anatoli Nikiforov, Aleksandr Sokurov
Producer(s)
Andrey Deryabin, Jens Meuer, Karsten Stoter
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
10 wins & 15 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (109) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (97) | Rotten (12)
Perhaps no amount of skillful reasoning could have swayed our gatekeepers from their ignorance. But as Kiarostami himself suggested in his dignified statement to the press, the embarrassment is also his, and by extension our own.
March 16, 2020
Joshua Rothkopf
In These Times
TOP CRITIC
Despite an undeniable attraction to the majestic, Aleksandr Sokurov seems equally adverse to straightforward spectacle, approaching potentially colossal subjects from odd, specific angles.
April 12, 2014 | Rating: 4/4
Jesse Cataldo
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Part pageant and museum tour, part theme-park ride and historical meditation.
October 24, 2013
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
This is as immersive-and as Shining-level spooky-as history gets.
September 3, 2013 | Rating: 5/5
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The movie’s smooth voyage comes to seem like a dream play, suspended painlessly in time.
September 3, 2013
Aaron Cutler
Village Voice
TOP CRITIC
Awash in nostalgia and dreamlike passiveness, reflecting the lack of a clear way forward for contemporary Russia.
January 30, 2004 | Rating: A-
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films
TOP CRITIC
The first non-narrative film captured in a single shot, it chronicles every stage of Russian history, including the reigns of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.
March 27, 2021
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
The general tone of the piece is cynical, morbid and unpleasantly other-worldly.
February 16, 2021
David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
Luxuriously gentile and hauntingly lucid in its blending and reconstruction of the history held securely within the Hermitage Museum, the film is at its core a lavishly privileged tour of the magnificent palace.
November 12, 2020 | Rating: 4.5/5
Jordan M. Smith
IONCINEMA.com
Russian Ark is enveloping as a kind of cultural-identity summation combining elements of museum tour and live spectacle.
October 14, 2020
Dennis Harvey
48 Hills
Meet the ghost of the past, the ghost of the present. How become what we are and why art is our living history. [Full review in Spanish]
December 12, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
Guillem Martinez Oya
Cinematismo
A highly recommended documentary. [Full review in Spanish]
June 29, 2016
Lucero Solórzano
Excelsior…
Plot
An unseen man regains consciousness, not knowing who or where he is. No one seems to be able to see him, except the mysterious man dressed in black. He eventually learns through their discussions that this man is a 19th century French aristocrat, who he coins the “European”. This turn of events is unusual as the unseen man has a knowledge of the present day. The two quickly learn that they are in the Winter Palace of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the European who has a comprehensive knowledge of Russian history to his time. As the two travel through the palace and its grounds, they interact with people from various eras of Russian history, either through events that have happened at the palace or through the viewing of artifacts housed in the museum. Ultimately, the unseen man’s desired journey is to move forward, with or without his European companion.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Russian Ark on Fresh Kernels.
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