The Russian film series at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts concludes Sunday, March 21, with "The Russian Ark," a provocative 2002 film by director Aleksandr Sokúrov. The 2:45 p.m. screening will be preceded by a Russian food tasting in the Quick Center lobby at 2:15 p.m.
"The Russian Ark" is both an artfully constructed film and an exercise in the dramatic possibilities of new media. Using the modern miracle of digital video, Sokúrov created a single, unbroken 90-minute shot, winding its way through the spectacular Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Three hundred years of Russian history come together as the viewer finds Catherine II, the doomed family of Nicholas II and modern-day museum-goers moving in and out of the breathtaking galleries that were once home to royalty.
The film includes 35 rooms in the grand museum and culminates in a jaw-dropping ball scene that required hundreds of extras and perfect timing. As in many of his films, Sokúrov creates a visual meditation on the history of the Russian people and their amazing voyage through war, revolution and social upheaval. Like the Biblical ark, Sokúrov believes, The Hermitage has steered its way through adverse currents, becoming the keeper of history and art as well as a testament to the buoyancy of the human spirit.
Tickets are $7 with refreshments at an additional charge. For tickets, call the Quick Center box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. For more information, visit the website, www.quickcenter.com.
Posted On: 03-01-2004 10:03 AM
Volume: 36 Number: 203