Russian Ark (2002) - Synopsis
The Russian Ark
The Hermitage is to be seen in a new and revealing light in a forthcoming film, a unique ninety-minute panorama of the most famous palace in Russia, now one of the great museums of the world. And more than a museum. In the popular imagination the Hermitage is a living entity, a fabric that breathes Russian history and culture. Quite apart from the endless procession of people who have come to admire its many artistic treasures, generations of the Romanov family actually lived, loved, and, in some cases, died in a place they called 'home' for all its rare splendour.
The new film will attempt to recreate, as precisely as possible, the historical events which took place in and around the palace. Nowadays such an effect can be best achieved by employing all the scope and scale of a spectacular modern medium to convey the full sweep of history through a sequence of truly majestic rooms. In the words of the director, Alexander Sokurov: "We are creating a film about the Hermitage, for the Hermitage".
