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Directed by |
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Starring |
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Specs |
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- 16:9 Enhanced
- Dual Layer ( )
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Languages |
- Russian: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
- Russian: Dolby Digital Stereo
- Commentary - English: Dolby Digital Stereo
- Commentary - English: Dolby Digital Stereo
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Subtitles |
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Extras |
- 4 Theatrical trailer
- 2 Audio commentary
- 2 Documentaries
- DVD Text
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Russian Ark |
Madman Cinema/AV Channel .
R4 . COLOR . 95 mins .
G . PAL |
Feature |
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Contract |
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Pick a date, any date you like, from all available dates and imagine on that date you had organised over 2000 people, three full piece orchestras, countless costumes and jewellery and one very nervous cameraman – a cameraman who must carry one camera for an hour and a half as he follows your vision throughout one massive museum which has been set-dressed to display the awe and magnificence of over 300 years of Russian culture, picking out highlights and recognisable figures as the camera makes its slow progression of over one and a half kilometres through the stately halls of the museum, focusing on classical art pieces, exquisite sculpture, events, history, fantasy and carrying with it an overwhelming sense of awe as it runs solidly, with no breaks, no pauses, no edits and no mistakes in one single, uninterrupted shot – a shot that sounds too difficult to contemplate but it happened in The Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia, on February 23rd, 2001 as director Alexander Sokurov gambled everything on a bold experiment that was to change the way films are perceived forever – which is quite remarkable in itself, as film has been around for over a century now, yet this film has taken us somewhere no-one else has ever managed to in creating this extraordinary film of intense beauty, haunting illusion and an inanimate building that seems to come alive with the passage of years, breathing with all it contains as the hero piece of the film, rather than any of those 2000 cast members who tell its story – a story that has witnessed the greatest of Russian events and the most tragic of its history and all told here with the linear voyage of time rippling seamlessly like an ocean rolling rhythmically before out eyes, displaying today alongside yesterday alongside last century and last century alongside today in one completely fascinating and astonishing trip through Russian history that leaves the viewer breathless by film’s end, which in turn is another beginning, and wondering how on Earth this film was accomplished in such a manner – how any film could be made with so many factors necessary to complete the picture in the right manner and so much that could go wrong at any given moment; it defies process, and it stands forevermore as a testament to creativity, inventiveness, ingenuity, courage and love, for it is certainly a labour of love, a film of this simple magnitude, and one that proves there are new things yet in the world, new paths to tread and people out there willing to tread them.
Video |
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Contract |
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Feel how uncomfortable that was to read, but after a bit you got used to it until you finished? That’s a bit like Russian Ark. We are so used to receiving edits in our films, we grow subconsciously uncomfortable as we wait for the edit until we realise what is happening here and we acclimatise, as it were. Visually astounding, there is little of complaint here. Perhaps a touch of graininess occasionally when the camera travels through a narrow, dark stairwell, but other than that this film looks damn good. Damn, damn good. I can’t stop thinking about it, to be honest. It’s extraordinary and looks pretty much perfect.
Audio |
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While the character whose eyes we witness the Russian Ark through mumbles quite a bit as the film progresses, this is okay because it’s in Russian. Even if you can’t understand him though and you speak Russian, there are clear subtitles that keep pace well. The dialogue between our protagonist and the curious and acerbic 19th century French diplomat is all clear and sometimes even amusing as they wonder (and wander) about the place they have just arrived in as if waking up in the dark and fumbling for clues by hand. Delivered in Russian here in Dolby Digital surround 5.1 and DD stereo, the surrounds get used for little more than music and occasional crowd scenes, but this doesn’t matter. We become so fully immersed in the film this could probably be in mono and get away with it. However, by the end of the film and the final ballroom scenes, the surrounds are working well to bring the packed ballroom to life and the magnificent orchestral music, performed in situ.
Extras |
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Contract |
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Overall |
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Contract |
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I was worried that the critics had hailed this because it was some hoity-toity arthouse number that they say is spectacular to make people think them cultured. Thankfully, I was way wrong there. There is a storyline and a mystery among the meanderings and after the initial discomfort of the long shot fades, it will hold you and pull you closer. With a film of this calibre and this magnificence, there can be no doubt in my mind as to it belonging in the hallowed halls of our own little Hermitage here, the DVDnet Gold Collection. The costuming, the storyline, the design and the sheer scope of this picture demand that you visit it at least once. An historical achievement for cinema, for Russia and for the world, Russian Ark is unmissable.
LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=3591
Send to a friend.
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And I quote... |
"There has never been anything to even remotely compare to this film. It is perfect.
" - Jules Faber |
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Review Equipment |
- DVD Player:
Teac DVD-990
- TV:
Sony 51cm
- Speakers:
Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
- Centre Speaker:
Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
- Surrounds:
Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
- Subwoofer:
Akai
- Audio Cables:
Standard RCA
- Video Cables:
Standard Component RCA
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