I initially saw Russian Ark when it was in theaters in 2002, but decided to rewatch it late last year because Russian Ark is not a traditional film, and I am older and may understand it better.
Russian Ark is a surreal cinematic exigesis on the nature of time, art, history and museums. Russian Ark unfolds in the Winter Palace of the State Hermitage Museum, and the main character is an unseen, unnamed person represented by the only camera as he moves through the space unshackled by time and frequently accompanied by a fellow wanderer, the Marquis. As they move through the space, each room provides an encounter with notable figures and events in no obvious time period order with occasional stops to meditate on the spiritual or historic significance of the work. Occasionally two time periods overlap or people who exist in a particular time period are startled to encounter the two men or the Marquis becomes uncharacteristically fearful and retreats when he is confronted by guards of a particular era.
Russian Ark is a type of ghost story meets Biblical metaphor on the nature of humanity’s journey through museums as sites of historical and artistic importance that if examined literally in terms of spatial location make no sense other than a desire to preserve beauty and memory. A museum is like an ark preserving history and art from the apocalyptic storms of erosive time. Russian Ark simultaneously ridicules Russian art as being incapable of originality while revering it for its beauty and majesty. Russian Ark as a surreal drama provides a cinematic metaphor and definition for the idea of a museum.
Russian Ark is a bit of a tragedy, a museum as a purgatory for trapped souls to communicate their limited, temporal knowledge with the inability to transcend or change their fate ultimately doomed to relive past events without the harmonious accuracy of life unfolding initially, but a type of anachronistic communion of the saints. The residents are trapped in time with a desire to move forward, but are unable to.
Russian Ark is notable for being executed in a single shot over the course of over ninety minutes with less than a day to shoot on location. Russian Ark is a cinematic masterpiece that requires repeat viewings to fully appreciate and understand its meaning. The unique, nonlinear, surreal narrative and the subtitles will deter average moviegoers, but Russian Ark is must see viewing for film lovers who are up for a challenge.
Side note: I want the Marquis’ outfit minus the high heels.