Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Brian Berta This is slow moving but I really like it. It's about a ghostly narrator traveling through the Hermitage. 3 centuries of Russian history are all fit into a single uninterrupted take. It's very impressive that they were able to do it and it makes this film very ambitious. The reenactments of historical events are entertaining and surprisingly engaging. The Hermitage is known for its well done architecture and the movie helped bring its great architecture to the screen. It is gorgeous to look at and it displays several shots real well making them highly memorable. If you don't like slow paced movies then this is not for you but if you like slow movies then you'll most likely enjoy it. Little if not any action happens in this movie yet I enjoyed every bit of it. The ending is quite poignant and it is very thought provoking and a lot of thought went into it. The movie gives you ideas and concepts to think about long after viewing it and its final shot will be lingering in your head. This is a memorable movie that must be watched by all people who like the Art House genre.

cstotlar-1 A film in one take! Of course let's not forget Murnau and "The Last Laugh" made 75 years before. It is a technical feat to be sure but it runs out of steam not too long into the film. We figure the trick out early on and visually, the film just seems to ramble. It feels at times like a guided tour of a huge museum where there so much great art the mind simply turns off. Trying to fit a plot of sorts into such a project is hard enough as it is, but an uninteresting story line... I enjoy long takes - please don't get me wrong on that issue - but we have been spoiled by some virtuoso directors who can use them and cut brilliantly as well. Bravo for the technique but one viewing was more than enough.Curtis Stotlar

SnoopyStyle The unseen narrator wakes up to find people in costume clothing. It's his POV. They move through the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. He learns that he embodies a 19th century French aristocrat. As the narrator and his avatar moves through the palace, they encounter various Russian characters.It's most notable for being one continuous take and having such an impressive place as the Hermitage to film it in. It's a magnificent feat but that doesn't make it a good movie. It's an experiment at best. The disembodied feel makes this like a backstage pass to a grand stage play. That would have been more exciting than this. This movie is interesting for awhile but it's very monotonous. The floaty camera moves don't change. The movie just keeps going and going. However the setting is quite impressive and the movie works on a travelogue level.

Magenta_Bob I expected something very different from this, even watching it a second time I was kind of taken aback by it being just, as a friend put it, "two guys wandering around a mostly sparsely populated museum." As such I don't think I know any film quite like it and I admire it for that. To this end I think the seamlessness is far more than a gimmick and works great, there is a "stream of consciousness"-ness about how the camera just floats about, sometimes lingering on some painting or whatever while the people carry on with their business. This goes again in the dialogue which is just uninterrupted and uncensored thoughts. I don't think any films look quite like Sokurov's visually either, particularly there's some fisheye lens thing going on to dizzying, dreamlike effect (also to be found in Faust). I am not sure how to express this, but I love how unconcerned the film seems about the stuff in it making narrative sense or having to be there, like, I feel like you could take away any given sequence without loss of coherence and yet I'm glad everything is there. The ending is my favorite part I think; everything from the ball onwards and especially the part with the people leaving the castle I find ludicrously impressive and well-choreographed.I feel like there is something inherently symbolical/psychological about walking in and out of these rooms where different things happen. They don't all have different and obvious meanings but it struck me in particular when they walked into the war room. Perhaps more banally there is a meta level to Russian Ark as our Russian narrator doubles as the spectator i.e. us ("Has all this been staged for me? Am I expected to play a role?").To its disadvantage, there is some awkward nationalism in it in the shape of the Russian pointing out all great things Russian, but we do get the European shitting on Russia constantly as a counterweight. However, it is a nice touch when he unites with the Russians in the final dance, as Russia and Europe come together.