L'Arche Russe

Alexander Sokurov's extraordinary masterpiece Russian Ark is a unique journey through time and Russian history. Filmed entirely in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Sokurov's breathtaking film recreates 300 years of history and culture and is the first entirely unedited, single-take, full-length feature film. A contemporary Russian filmmaker magically finds himself in the Hermitage (the so-called "Russian Ark", affectionately guarding art and history until the world sees better days), where he meets a cynical 19th-century French diplomat. And so the pair begins an extraordinary time-travelling journey through Russia's turbulent past from Catherine the Great's backstage love affairs to the last Tsar's ball in 1913 in the Winter Palace. Russian Ark, which combines state-of-the-art digital technology, lavish production values, and a 2000-strong cast, is the ultimate director's cut.