One-Shot Wonders!
Simply one of the most astonishing feats of filmmaking ever, Alexander Sokurov’s Russian Ark is a gobsmacking technical marvel, a feature film shot in a single take, encompassing 300 years of Russian history and scenes that vary from single actors to massive formal balls and military exercises. Given the grounds of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg’s famed Hermitage museum for a single day, Sokurov and his team worked for a year to map out and create this film, which was captured on the third take. The plot, such as it is, follows an unnamed narrator, who may or may not be a ghost, as he wanders through various rooms, each one representing an era of Russian history (nothing is spelled out, so some of it may be mystifying, but…stay with it). He encounters various people – some famous, most not – and witnesses scenes both mundane and incredible, leading to a final scene in which you just might think you’re flying. An overwhelming and joyous cinematic experience.