Sergei Dreiden Movies

Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov broke boundaries with his dreamlike vision of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russian Ark. It's the first feature-length narrative film shot in a single take (on digital video, using a specially designed disc instead of tape). Russian Ark is shot from the point-of-view of an unseen narrator, as he explores the museum and travels through Russian history. The audience sees through his eyes as he witnesses Peter the Great (Maksim Sergeyev) abusing one of his generals; Catherine the Great (Maria Kuznetsova) desperately searching for a bathroom; and, in the grand finale, the sumptuous Great Royal Ball of 1913. The narrator is eventually joined by a sarcastic and eccentric 19th century French Marquis (Sergey Dreiden), who travels with him throughout the huge grounds, encountering various historical figures and viewing the legendary artworks on display. While the narrator only interacts with the Marquis (he seems to be invisible to all the other inhabitants), the Marquis occasionally interacts with visitors and former residents of the museum. The film was obviously shot in one day, but the cast and crew rehearsed for months to time their movements precisely with the flow of the camera while capturing the complex narrative, with elaborate costumes from different periods, and several trips out to the exterior of the museum. Tilman Büttner, the director of photography, was responsible for capturing it all in one single Steadicam shot. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

One oddball meets another with the expected unpredictable results in this comedy from Russian filmmaker Boris Khlebnikov. Jenya (Evgeny Syty) is a good-natured man who is more than a bit short on both ambition and common sense. Born and raised in Belarus, Jenya goes to Moscow in search of work, and while he doesn't distinguish himself professionally, he lucks into some money and decides to come home to share his good fortune. En route, Jenya is robbed and has no money or shoes when he arrives in Belarus. Jenya is befriended by a strange elderly man (Sergei Dreiden) who believes it is his duty to expose and remedy the wickedness of the world, and Jenya becomes his new partner in crime. Though the old man's daughter (Anna Mikhalkova) tries to keep an eye on him, his increasingly bizarre crusade makes it hard for her to watch him all the time, and as the old man wages a small-scale battle against a railroad agent and indulges in high-minded petty crime, Jenya is by his side -- at least when he isn't too sleepy or tucking into a square meal. Sumashedshaya Pomosh (aka Help Gone Mad) was an official selection at the 2009 BFI London Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi