Russian Ark (1 Viewer)

[Justin1]

Anyone else excited by this movie. One continuous-shot movie. That is absolutely incredible, especially for a period piece film. Can't wait!
Russian Ark trailer

 

[Jason Whyte]

Absolutely! I saw a few brief clips of this on Ebert last week and was astounded.

I have no idea about distribution behind this film, so it may take a while to hit most markets.

Jason

 

[ThomasC]

Here's the distrubution schedule from the official site:
http://www.wellspring.com/russianark/intheaters.html

 

[Pascal A]

I posted my thoughts on Russian Ark on the New York Film Festival thread and on my film journal. Basically, Sokurov continues to impress with his innovative camerawork, but he seems to be diverging from his more "spiritual" films and converging towards a more stylized, poetic hybrid documentary, like his earlier Dolce (one of my favorite films from 2000) and Moloch. I enjoyed Russian Ark a great deal, and the film will likely land in the upper half of my top ten favorite films for 2002 (though not at the top spot).

 

[Brook K]

As usual Atlanta is one of the last places on the list. I guess I should be happy we aren't being skipped all together, but The High is virtually the worst theater in town.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I saw the trailer for this earlier today and am intrigued by the idea. Maybe I'll get the DVD when it comes out or something, but I don't think I'll get to any theater to see it.

 

[Jason Whyte]

Wellspring doesn't bode well for us Canadians (and there were no Canadian cities listed on that page either)...but we do get their DVD's, so I'll have to watch it that way, I guess. Nevertheless, I'm VERY intrigued by the premise and technique, and look forward to seeing it months from now.
Jason

 

[Kirk Tsai]

The trailer and everyones' reviews since the film festivals have me anticipating this movie very much. But to state this as the first feature length film without a cut seems wrong. Put aside the split screens, didn't Time Code do this a few years back? I don't doubt the higher technical difficulties that Russian Ark presents, with Time Code having no real script and Russian Ark planned out extensively, but still a point to contest.

 

[Ross Williams]

Is it really one continous shot? Or is it just made to look like one continous shot? If so, than it couldn't have been shot on film. Did they use the new digital cameras? I don't even see how it's logistically possible. I'm very intrigued though.

 

[Pascal A]

It's shot on digital video. By the way, here's the (English) link to Aleksandr Sokurov's tribute site (slow loading). There is a very interesting pop-up reading on Sokurov's letter of protest to the European Film Awards for their "overestimation" over the cinematographic contributions by the German partners on Russian Ark.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I showed this (trailer) to one of my teachers at school today and we were talking about how not only is it amazing that the film is just one shot for the whole duration, but that it looks be an amazing one at that and not just a gimmick.

Time Code...was that the movie that was fully improvised?

 

[Kirk Tsai]

The Wellspring website cites it for being the first movie to ever shoot directly onto a hard drive, so it's not even digital tape. Pascal, did you think the visual quality was good?

Haven't seen Time Code yet.

 

[Pascal A]

The visual quality was excellent - rich, vibrant colors, sharp contrast. The colors looked true as well, at least for the actors. I didn't really couldn't tell if the represantation of the paintings were accurate though, but you can see detail, even in the background.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Even if the colors were off, they could have digitally fixed them. I was watching the LotR:EE Appendices II disc today and there was a whole section about digital color modification (there's some fancy name for it) and they showed how they can change colors for specific sections of a film to make them look more realistic or to achieve a certain effect.

 

[Bill McA]

Wellspring doesn't bode well for us Canadians (and there were no Canadian cities listed on that page either)

Jason -
Is Langley, B.C. anywhere near you?
Russian Ark will have a single screening there on May 14, 2003.
It's circulating in 2003 as part of the TIFF's Canada-wide Film Circuit program.
Keep checking the website for more play dates and perhaps something a little closer to you.

 

[MichaelPe]

It's definitely the most impressive (but not the best) film I've seen in a very long time. My jaw was literally open in amazement throughout the whole film. Definitely see this film...
I've been wanting to put it in my Top 30 list for a while, but couldn't find a poster image for it. Now that the Wellspring website is up, I'll be updating my list momentarily.

 

[Jason Whyte]

Jason -
Is Langley, B.C. anywhere near you?
Russian Ark will have a single screening there on May 14, 2003.
It's circulating in 2003 as part of the TIFF's Canada-wide Film Circuit program.
Keep checking the website for more play dates and perhaps something a little closer to you.

Thanks for the notice! I've heard about the TIFF Circuit program and think it's a great idea. Langley is just outside of Vancouver (Nanaimo is closer, but they aren't playing that film in the mini-festival), so who knows where I'll be next May. Let's just hope the upcoming Victoria Film Festival picks this one up!
Jason

 

[Scott McGillivray]

Count me in as one who is very impressed with the ability to film this in one shot. The lighting alone must have been a nightmare to set up! Obviously the digital camera they used was MUCH lighter than a standard 35mm camera. I have been on sets with guys using a steady-cam rig with a 35mm and they are in pain with the effort after several long shots.

 

[Matthew_Millheiser]

As usual, an intriguing-looking film is skipping the South Florida market. I could just eat hair... :frowning:

 

[Mattias Stridsman]

Russian Ark is playing on public television (no commercials) tonight here in Sweden. I'm intrigued by the fact it was shot as one continuous shot, but I don't know if I want to see it for the first time on television... Is it cinema material or would you watch it on TV?