THE ASCENT (Voskhozhdeniye)

A Film by Larisa Shepitko

USSR 1976
B&W, Russian w/eng st, 111 min

Cast: Boris Plotnikov, Vladimir Gostyukhin

An uncompromising portrayal of war and betrayal that instantly placed Shepitko, a pupil of Alexander Dovzhenko, among the great filmmakers of the world. On the surface, The Ascent tells the tense and agonizing story of two Russians on the run in German-occupied Byelorussia. Underneath, it is a bold reversal of the heroics and stereotypes of Soviet officialdom, daringly expressed through explicit religious symbolism. The tough, earthy Rybak, daring and adept in blizzard and battle, crumples under threat of torture, while the scholarly Sotnikov, nervous and introspective, faces death with unsuspected reserves of courage. He discovers the ultimate identity in a spirituality that communism has failed to provide. Sheptiko’s last completed film before her tragic death.

“A psychological adventure of almost mesmerizing tension and terror, leading to an overwhelming emotional and mystical crescendo of a climax.”
– Michael Wilmington, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

“Brilliantly ironic with the power and excitement of truths deeply believed.”
– Peter Keough, CHICAGO READER

Winner, Golden Bear, Berlin Film Festival 1978

Also available on video only: WINGS by Larisa Shepitko and LARISA by Elem Klimov.