Cinema today is all too often just about plot or special effects. So really great films, successfully weaving together sound, image and time to tell a really cinematic story, are always special. On show in New York earlier this month was a remarkable example. Alexander Sokurov's "Russian Ark", explores the 300-year-long history of the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg. It takes you on an uncut 90-minute walk through 35 of its historic rooms and halls. This has never been done before and the result demonstrates impressively how much film can achieve.
The writer of the passage clearly believes that ____.
what makes a film great is largely the special effects
most films fail to make adequate use of the resources at their disposal
Sokurov's film hasn't got an adequate plot
film-making has steadily declined due to a shortage of creative talent
the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg was not the ideal setting for this film
In the first half of the passage, the writer deals with some basic elements of film-making, ____.
although his main preference is for purely documentary films
and goes on to talk about the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg
in particular with the importance of plot structure
while in the rest he illustrates his views with reference to a specific film
including high-lighting with special effects
According to the passage, the effect created by Sokurov's film is _____.
the sense of the poverty of Russia's history
one of vivid participation in the historic riches of the Hermitage museum
mainly due to the masterly organization of its plot
derives mainly from the elaborate use of special effects
in some ways related to the mysterious atmosphere of the museum itself