Russian Ark

Russian Ark is a 2002 film from (obviously) Russia, directed by Alexander Sokurov. The film -- which follows an unseen narrator through the Russian State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg as he talks about the history of the city and the artifacts within the museum -- is something of a miracle in film-making: the entire film (around 93 minutes, excluding the credits) was shot using a single Steadicam in one continuous, uninterrupted take. When you realize that this film has over 2,000 actors in it, this feat becomes even more incredible.


 * Blooper: When all of the people are pouring down the staircase, one of the women trips and is laughing when she gets back up.
 * Costume Porn
 * : The Narrator. It's implied he Of course, the true state of affairs is a bit Mind Screwy, what with him being able to interact with people from various different times, some of whom can see him and some of whom can't.
 * The Everyman: Nearly a Featureless Protagonist, since all we know is that he's a male, present-day Russian.
 * Mind Screw
 * Narrator
 * Leave the Camera Running: The entire film can be considered a literal example of this trope.
 * The Oner
 * POV Cam
 * Public Domain Soundtrack: A tune by Mikhail Glinka is used during the final dance.
 * Real Person Cameo: The Marquis de Custine, albeit credited as the European, is the main one. We also see Peter I, Catherine the Great, Alexander Pushkin, and so forth.
 * Scenery Porn
 * Translator Microbes: Something is allowing the Marquis de Custine to speak and understand Russian-- a language he apparently couldn't speak before the beginning of the movie.
 * Tsarist Russia