3 Interesting Facts About the Movie "Russian Ark"

Jessica Diehl
Jun 1, 2018
3 min read

Updated: Jun 23, 2018

One of the last films we watched in Russian Culture class was a movie called Russian Ark, directed by Alexander Sokurov. This film is not your typical entertainment-type movie, and at first it was difficult to fully appreciate. The movie features a narrator, who you never see, and he converses and interacts with a European gentleman who is walking through the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. From room-to-room, we see beautiful, iconic paintings and sculptures, various plays during the reign of Catherine the Great, some historical events, and the last grand ball during the reign of Tsar Nicholas II.

After doing some digging, I was able to find some fascinating tidbits about the movie that really helped me appreciate what an interesting film it was. Here are my top 3 interesting facts about Russian Ark, and I hope it helps you enjoy the movie more fully too.

1. It was taken in one shot.

Have you ever heard of a movie being done in one take? I didn’t even know that was possible. It was shot in one, continuous 90-minute clip. Thousands of actors and three orchestras had to coordinate their movements just right to make the movie as flawless as possible. Supposedly, the first 3 attempts at recording failed. The whole cast and crew had only one more chance to capture the movie, as there wasn’t enough battery power left in the camera and the sun was almost setting. Luckily, they pulled it off. The movie isn’t completely flawless though, as you can imagine for such an undertaking, and there are moments in the film where you can see actors react to the oncoming camera crew.

The man in charge of the camera was Tilman Buttner, a German who had the only camera capable of pulling off such a feat. When he was nominated for a Film Academy Award, Sokurov, the director of Russian Ark, actually rejected his nomination.

2. The nameless European in the film is based on a real person.

In the movie, “the European” walks through various rooms, remarking on different artwork on display. His comments are usually not that flattering to Russia, and insinuates that Russia is continually copying Europe and is second-rate. It’s clear that he thinks of himself and the European culture as one that is superior.

The man is supposed to be the French aristocrat named Marquis de Custine, who visited Russia in 1839. He wrote a book about his travels titled La Russie en 1839, and it was an incredibly harsh view on the country. He wrote things like: “The profession of misleading foreigners is one known only in Russia....everyone disguises what is bad and shows what is good before the master's eyes.” Or, my personal favorite dig, he says the nobility were like 'trained bears who made you long for the wild ones.' Ouch.

3. The movie shows off a ton of beautiful art work.

When I first watched the movie, I saw a bunch of paintings and sculptures which I had never heard or seen before. I didn’t really understand what I was looking at. Here are some of the things you’ll see in this movie:

1. Cleopatra / Massimo Stanzione

Massimo Stanzione was considered one of the best painters in Naples, Italy in the 17th century. This painting was done during the 1630s.

2. The Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee / Rubens

Rubens is considered one of the most influential artists of the Flemish Baroque tradition. This painting was completed between the years 1618-1620. It is a forceful painting, depicting a conflict between The Pharisee and Jesus due to Jesus allowing a sinful woman to wash his feet.