Russian Ark (Wellspring), a new film by Alexander Sokurov, is popping up here and there
in arthouse theaters. If you have any interest in history, or if you like the idea of a
stroll through a museum, this is a must-see. It’s a rich, complex, and mystery-filled
journey through Russian art and history.
Or, if you like to see artists attempt to do what has never been done
before, check this out: The entire 90-minute film was filmed in one continuous shot by
cinematographer Tilman Buttner, without a single edit or
cut, thanks to a portable and powerful hard drive for his digital video camera. Sokurov
coordinates a cast of more than 2,000 people to move in and out of the museum rooms,
portraying events both significant and incidental from Russia’s past.
The museum on display is St. Petersburg’s Hermitage museum. Our
tour guides are ghostly figures who seem lost, temporarily suspended in some dimension of
non-chronological time where they stumble into and out of chambers of this magnificent,
labyrinthine museum. One guide is Sokurov himself, acting as a sort of narrator who has
suffered a mysterious accident and fallen into this twilight-zone. His only companion is a
gruff intellectual, the Marquis (Sergey Dreiden),
a French diplomat from the 19th Century.
You’ll catch glimpses of several significant figures, including
Tsar Peter the Great and the Princess Anastasia. A wide array of famous paintings are
featured, many of them depicting scenes from Scripture, and you half-expect Sister Wendy
to step out and start expounding upon the virtues of their design. One moment we find
ourselves in the midst of a masquerade party, and the next we’re in a gallery where
modern folks are musing over ancient paintings. The film’s breathtaking final act
carries you right into the middle of a spectacular formal state ball, the camera weaving
its way through a dizzying mazurka.
The title, Russian Ark, refers to the museum as a treasure
trove of Russian perspective preserved through the Communist Revolution; or, you could
look at it as a sort of Ark of the Covenant, the treasure chest protecting the important
artifacts of a people forced to survive persecution and tribulation.
The film’s one-take achievement tends to distract from whatever
it is trying to say. I found myself holding my breath, waiting for something to go wrong
as these crowds of actors follow their cues and play their parts flawlessly, without a
stumble in the whole effort. Remarkable, considering the director was given only one day
in the museum to accomplish this feat. But repeated viewing, along with a review of
Russian history, will no doubt prove this film to be a lasting commentary and a profoundly
meditative work of art.
If there is a theme to the events and conversations
we attend, it is difficult to discern. Perhaps there is some subtle
political agenda underlying this assembly of scenes, but it would take
someone more knowledgeable and discerning on All Things Russian to
highlight it.
Still, I did sense an attitude of reverence
throughout, a feeling that, for all of their
corruption, Russia’s rich and powerful really did enjoy some beautiful
and meaningful things. From the meditative quality and moral lessons of
their paintings to the grace of their sculpture, from the sophisticated
play of the masquerades to the overwhelming choreography and complex
manner of a formal dance, beauty, balance, and ambition captivate the
imagination and the senses. Even when such treasure is enjoyed at the
expense of others, you cannot deny that to lose these things is just
that… a loss. Russia, like any nation has already or eventually will,
has been built on a flawed foundation – humanity – and thus even its
best human achievements will fade into ghostly memory.
But it is worth remembering. Jeffrey's Rating: B+
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