One-take wonders

Alina Tugend writes on the movie “Russian Ark” (“Depicting history, and making it too,” Jan. 5) that it does “something no one has ever done before -- shoot a feature-length film in one continuous take.”

Bzzzt! Wrong! Mike Figgis earns that honor for his 2000 movie, “Time Code.” Moreover, he actually shot four feature-length films in one take -- with film crews and actors hustling around a variety of locations and often intersecting with each other -- and then put all four on the screen simultaneously, giving the audience the option of choosing which action to watch at any particular moment.

I’m sure “Russian Ark” is an excellent film, but groundbreaking it ain’t.

Michael Schlesinger

Sherman Oaks