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 series page KinoSputnik

Note on transliteration

Acknowledgements

KinoSputniks 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