Films/DVD Asylum

Russian Ark... what kaka!

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Victor Khomenko

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Sorry, clark, can't say much good about that movie. Piece fo junk made for foreign consumption.
Felt like the Soviet tourism promo film, about as inept.
I hated Sokurov, but decided to give him one more chance, given the enthusiasm some here have displayed about the Ark. I think I am ready to close the book on him, and this time for good.
Fool me once... fool me several times...

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For people who prefer (live) theatre to (artificial) film, it was still a treat. nt - clarkjohnsen 12:21:33 12/28/03 (0)
s
Right on. My wife decamped after ten minutes or so, - tinear 16:38:46 12/26/03 (7)
preferring to interrupt our 2-yr. old's play and read to her.
I, foolish me, continued on to the bitter end...which it was. Good God, how can you screw up a piece on one of the world's great museums?
A fool would just have the camera amble along, photographing the works, with ample attention paid to the inside and outside architecture. Some voiceover by some art experts, a bit of historian-speak...presto! This director proved he has a long time to go before he makes it to "fool."
- Re: Right on. My wife decamped after ten minutes or so, Did you not... - patrickU 04:21:19 12/27/03 (0)
  lock her up?
  Thank you for the warning! I will NOT have a look on it tonight.
- Funny you mentioned the outside - Victor Khomenko 19:05:52 12/26/03 (5)
  The area around the palace is one of the most gorgous places in the world. If he simply took his time flying his camera around it and then through the Hermitage's endless rooms, no one would complain.
  And... where on Earth did he find that many ugly women? Not in St. Petersburg, I can assure you.
  - We are waiting for the bambina to be old enough to be - tinear 08:41:31 12/27/03 (2)
    captivated by museums, and then--- OFF to the Hermitage (and the Prado, Rijksmuseum, Uffizi, etc...). Dad and Mom with a bellyfull of caviar (washed down with what I remember was quite satisfactory Russian bubbly) merrily escorting the well-comported child along the vast corrodors...
    - I envy you to a large degree - Victor Khomenko 09:11:16 12/27/03 (1)
      I wish I could do such a trip myself again... but most likely that will not happen.
      One thing I found works the best, is to travel way off season. In February the paintings look exactly the same, but you don't have fifty Japanese tourists arranged in a solid phalange with their cameras on the ready, like the 20 foot Macedonian pikes... blocking your access to all works.
      The truly grandiose ones, like the Hermitage, you need to cover in several days, as the overloads sets in quickly. The rest of your days can be spent seeking out and consuming cheap beer and caviar, and the local bubbly is indeed passable, considering its price.
      And I am sure you realize the child can't be just thrown there - he should be well prepared. Nothing like recognizing the painting that you already know so much about!
      - BRRRRRRHhhh. St. Pete in February? Well, maybe March: - tinear 10:18:39 12/27/03 (0)
        
        In Reply to: I envy you to a large degree posted by Victor Khomenko on December 27, 2003 at 09:11:16:
        
        I want to have the brain un-frozen to appreciate the works!
        If you plan on visiting Venice, I'd also recommend traveling in the winter: the piazzas are ruined by shoulder to shoulder tourists---it's so much smaller than other major art centers and spoiled by far fewer folks. I've visited twice, both times in winter, and had a wonderful time. Be forewarned, however, that 25 degrees in Venice feels much, much colder: it must be the wind off the omnipresent water, coupled with the humidity.
        (My wife has already (!) started the art appreciation: there's a series of child's books with famous paintings the themes of which kids like. (Of course, she's been hearing classical music since she was a baby (our daughter, that is...).
  - VK, polish your monocle . . . - albee33 22:22:58 12/26/03 (1)
    I saw plenty of good looking women in the film. I've viewed it three times and plan on buying it.
    This movie was about craft. It is superb from that standpoint. The final ballroom scene was incredible with its 19 minutes of orchestra and dancers.
    Not all of us have trippy-toed through the Hermitage so whatever he chose to show us worked for me.
    - You are right on one point - Victor Khomenko 05:33:54 12/27/03 (0)
      That anything you can show to those who have never seen it is great, but I can assure you that what you saw was not realy the stongest foot forward.
      I agree the ball was entertaining - pun not truly intended - and from the craft standpoint it was a good experiment, and I will even give it to you that perhaps I am reacting too personally.
      But that is *my* reality. Most of the rooms and paintings I remember all too well. I have personal memories of many events and people there, as I probably started visiting it when I was 7 or 8.
      But even if you separate form that, all that stuff with the European visitor was frankly kaka, as the maker definitely had a message, a not too significant of a message, to be sure, and it was handled in Sokurov's typical heavy-handed and unpleasant manner.
      So he tried to give the average tourist film some human face... but with a too big a dose of his usual unpleasantness.
      You might want to see his other films, most notably the Telets and Molokh.
      Ugly.

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