Russian Weekend

Feeling much better, I took my girlfriend to see the late night showing of Russian Ark in the middle of downtown big city. Initially my assesment was that the movie was interesting in a boring sort of way; however, after a couple of days of thinking about it, I'm forced to admit that the movie had a deeper impact on me than I first thought. After all, since we have been rigorously discussing British Victorian Literature in one of my classes, I have spent more time than the proverbial guy on the street thinking about the European 1800's. Although recognizing that it normally defies easy categorization, Russia - specifically St. Petersburg - seems to me to be more Western and European than anything else.

The fact that the movie was shot in a single hour and half take, or that it had used over 2000 extras was interesting and lent a certain feel to the movie, but I think that the movie marketers are cynically overselling these features, treating them as cheap movie gimmicks. However, I was really struck by the cinematic visual content (as opposed to the style). While the movie acts like a museum tour on film, the paintings and dramatic sequences are something to see; there is enough of a connection between the "scenes" to hold it all together. Shot at the Hermitage, stills from the movie and its production, such as this representation of the last Tsar's wife and their dinner together, of Catherine the Great, or of the last ball held there, capture some of the movie's visual power. (One of the scenes that I enjoyed most depicted a Persian Prince and his attendants offering a ceremonial apology to the Tsar for the murder of one of his diplomats by a Tehrani mob.) Not being Russian, or particularly well-versed in Russian History, I'm sure there were numerous aspects of the movie that were over my head. However, if you have a little patience, some time and inclination, I recommend checking it out.