Rent The Ascent (1977)
4.0 of 5 from 96 ratings
1h 49min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- In the darkest days of World War II, two partisans, Sotnikov (Boris Plotnikov) and Rybak (Vladimir Gostyukhin) set out for supplies to sustain their beleaguered outfit, braving the blizzard swept landscape of Nazi occupied Belorussia. When they fall into the hands of German forces and come face-to-face with death, each must choose between martyrdom and betrayal, in a spiritual ordeal that lifts the film's earthy drama to the plane of religious allegory. With stark, visceral cinematography that pits blinding white snow against pitch black despair, 'The Ascent' finds poetry and transcendence in the harrowing trials of war.
- Actors:
- Boris Plotnikov, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Sergey Yakovlev, Lyudmila Polyakova, Viktoriya Goldentul, Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Mariya Vinogradova, Nikolai Sektimenko, Anatoli Chebotaryov, Sergei Kanishchev, Vasili Kravtsov, Mikhail Selyutin, Leonid Yukhin, Aleksandr Zvenigorsky, Elem Klimov, Valentin Rasputin, Stefaniya Stanyuta, Mayya Bulgakova, Aleksandr Dovzhenko, Larisa Shepitko
- Directors:
- Larisa Shepitko, Elem Klimov
- Writers:
- Vasiliy Bykov, Yuri Klepikov, Larisa Shepitko, Elem Klimov
- Aka:
- Voskhozhdeniye
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Documentary, Drama
- Collections:
- Top 10 Best Last Films: World Cinema, Top 10 Golden Bear Winners, Top Films
- Countries:
- Soviet Union
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 15/02/2021
- Run Time:
- 109 minutes
- Languages:
- Russian LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.37:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- New selected-scene commentary featuring film scholar Daniel Bird
- New introduction by Anton Klimov, son of director Larisa Shepitko and filmmaker Elem Klimov
- New interview with actor Lyudmila Polyakova
- 'The Homeland of Electricity', a 1967 short film by Shepitko
- 'Larisa', a 1980 short film tribute to Shepitko made after her death by her husband, Elem Klimov
- Two documentaries from 2012 about Shepitko
- Program from 1999 featuring an interview with Shepitko
- An essay by poet Fanny Howe
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Reviews (1) of The Ascent
One of the greatest ever films about war - The Ascent review by TE
Larisa Shepitko died young and this film is her signature work, a 24 carat gold classic.
She was married to Elem Klimov, who shares the script credits here. His film, 'Come and See', is of equal stature in the war movie canon (and it's available via Cinema Paradiso too).
'The Ascent' is mainly concerned with the moral choices that men and women are forced into making by the cruel circumstances of war. Shepitko added a layer of spiritual significance to the original novel, which brought her into conflict with the Soviet authorities, though the film was passed uncut.
This blu-ray edition boasts a magnificently sharp black-and-white picture. The Russian winter looks both ominous and beautiful. There are some fascinating extras thrown in for good measure.
There is no padding or digression here, just a stark, stripped down narrative with a sense of tragic inevitability.
It is also good to see Tarkovsky's favourite actor, Anatoliy Solonitsin, showing his skills at conveying the power of silence.
Great to see this landmark of world cinema.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.