A 19th century French aristocrat, notorious for his scathing memoirs about life in Russia, travels through the Russian State Hermitage Museum and encounters historical figures from the last 200+ years.
[Characterizes] history as a large rush of information so huge, alive, and easy to get lost in that it would feel a shame if there existed nothing to give us a conduit to it.
It's worth noting that the footage was manipulated ... in post-production, but this unbroken take still functions as a documentary record of an exceptional logistical feat.
This is a stunning film, a one-of-a-kind tour de force.
Slant Magazine
April 12, 2014
Despite an undeniable attraction to the majestic, Aleksandr Sokurov seems equally adverse to straightforward spectacle, approaching potentially colossal subjects from odd, specific angles.
