The Ascent (1977)
"Voskhozhdeniye" (original title)

Two Soviet partisans depart their starving band on a short march to a nearby farm to get supplies. The Germans have reached the farm first, so the pair must go on a journey deep into ... See full summary »

Director:

Larisa Shepitko

Writers:

Vasili Bykov (novel), Yuri Klepikov,

Stars:

Boris Plotnikov, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Sergey Yakovlev

4 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Boris Plotnikov	...	Sotnikov
Vladimir Gostyukhin	...	Rybak
Sergey Yakovlev	...	Village elder
Lyudmila Polyakova	...	Demchikha
Viktoriya Goldentul	...	Basya
Anatoliy Solonitsyn	...	Portnov, the Nazi interrogator
Mariya Vinogradova	...	Village elder's wife
Nikolai Sektimenko	...	Stas'
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sergei Kanishchev	...	Boy wearing Budenovka (as Serezha Kanishchev)

Storyline

Two Soviet partisans depart their starving band on a short march to a nearby farm to get supplies. The Germans have reached the farm first, so the pair must go on a journey deep into occupied territory, a voyage that will also take them deep into their souls.

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Plot Keywords:

partisan | starving | village | betrayal | soviet union | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian German

Release Date:

2 April 1977 (Soviet Union)

Also Known As:

The Ascent

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mosfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Sotnikov: [Imprisoned, Sotnikov and Rybak are arguing whether to speak with Germans or not] We're soldiers. Soldiers. Don't crawl in shit. You'll never wash it off.
Rybak: So then, to the grave - to feed the worms. Right?
Sotnikov: That's not the worst that could happen. No. That's not what I'm talking about. Now I understand. I understand. The important thing is to be true to yourself.
Rybak: Fool! You're a fool, Sotnikov. You graduated from the institute for nothing. I want to live! To live! To kill those bastards! Understand?...
[...]

User Reviews

A Soviet masterpiece

In the Belarus of 1942, two Soviet soldiers are captured by Nazi-friendly Belarusians. In captivity, the attitude of the two men toward their fate differs greatly. One of the soldiers manages to find an inner strength and spirituality, incomprehensible to the other man. Larisa Shepitko's last film is one of the most beautiful war films in cinema history. The cinematography, by Vladimir Chuchnov, is incredible - particularly in the opening sequence, where long, slow, tracking shots depicting the solitude and almost desperate nature of winter landscape in rural Belarus set the mood perfectly. It is easy to draw comparison to Tarkovsky's films, even more so since Tarkovsky's alter ego Anatoli Solonitsyn has a small but important part in The Ascent. The acting is overall brilliant, especially by Boris Plotnikov, in the part of Sotnikov. The film reveals an old-fashioned belief in the strength of religious passion, which feels related to characters such as Dostoyevsky's Prince Myshkin, or Tarkovsky's Stalker. However, this is not a weakness of the film, but rather one of its greatest strengths. The religious content seems so honest, and human, that it is impossible not to be moved. The emotional richness of the film cannot be overstated; the answer is not as simplified as a short summary of the plot would make you think. The slow development of the characters, and the emphasis on their complicated relationships to each other, are somewhat reminiscent of The Commissar, another great Soviet film. The Ascent deserves a second watching, as well as a third, and a tenth. It continues to provide interesting ideas, beautiful images, and emotional complexity.