In my opinion this is a claustrophobic portrayal of Russia and as I see it the Hermitage is the refuge where all of Russia is contained; works of art from everywhere but Russia itself; the military constantly present and even a scene where two sailors seem more perceptive of the works around them than the ' experts. ' Sergei Dreiden as The Stranger who has come in from the 18th c wanders through the endless marble halls and even enters a closed room, white with the makers of coffins and snow gently falling. The place of death itself, at the centre of the ark of the Hermitage/Winter palace, as it travels on a sea that is a dark flecked white with a darkness above it. A few words I thought were key in this flawless film made by the great director Sokurov; ' Look around us, the flower of Russian soldiers ' and the terrible words ' Farewell Europe, it's over, ' Gergiev conducts with magnificent flippancy music from Glinka as the inhabitants of the ark dance.
Review of Russian Ark
