RUSSIAN ARK

Invisible to everyone around him, a contemporary filmmaker magically finds himself in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg – back in the early 1700s! He meets a cynical French diplomat from the 19th Century and the men become accomplices in an extraordinary time-travelling journey through Russia’s turbulent past – ending in the present day.
Wandering through the splendid corridors and salons of the Palace, the Marquis and the filmmaker witness astonishing scenes from the Tsarist Empire: Peter the Great thrashes his general with a whip; during rehearsals of her own play, Catherine the Great rushes around looking for a place to relieve herself; the family of the last Tsar dine together, quite oblivious to the impending revolution. And hundreds of dancers waltz at the last Great Royal Ball of 191