Released in 2002,
Russian Ark drew astonished praise for its technique: shot with a Steadicam in one ninety-six-minute take, it presented a dazzling whirl of movement as it followed the Marquis de Custine as he wandered through the vast Winter Palace in St. Petersburg – and through three hundred years of Russian history.
This companion to
Russian Ark addresses all key aspects of the film, beginning with a comprehensive synopsis, an in-depth analysis and an account of the production history. Birgit Beumers goes on from there to discuss the work that went into the now-legendary Steadicam shot – which required two thousand actors and three orchestras – and she also offers an account of the film’s critical and public reception, showing how it helped to establish director Aleksandr Sokurov as perhaps the leading filmmaker in Russia today.
A list of all books in the series is here on the Intellect website on the series page
Kino Sputnik
Table des matières
Note on transliteration
Acknowledgements
Kino Sputniks general editors’ preface
List of illustrations
Production credits
Plot summary
Chapter 1: Introduction and production history
Chapter 2: Contexts
Chapter 3: Film analysis
Chapter 4: Themes and motifs
Chapter 5: Reception
Conclusion: The sinking ship
A propos de l’auteur
Birgit Beumers is professor of film studies at the University of Aberystwyth, Wales. She is editor of the journals Kino Kultura and Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema.