Had she not died in a car accident in 1979 at the age of 41, it’s likely that Ukranian-born Larisa Shepitko would be established as one of the greatest of all filmmakers. As it is, she only completed four feature films — her entire career subject to the vagaries of Soviet state approval — of which The Ascent is the last, and the pinnacle.
During the darkest winter of WWII, two partisans venture through the backwoods of Belarus in search of food for their comrades. But the nearest village has already been looted by German soldiers, so they are forced to head further through snowy terrain, and eventually fall into enemy hands…
Shot in black and white, this is not simply an action-adventure film, rather the harrowing environment is inscribed with profound philosophical and spiritual themes, as Shepitko zeroes in on ideas about courage, integrity and transcendence.
Sunday’s Pantheon screening will feature a 20-minute introduction and talkback.
Apr 20: Intro by Mike Archibald, writer, editor and filmmaker
Spiritually harrowing and visually stunning.
Glenn Kenny, rogerebert.com
An unabashed sense of grandeur as well as deeply touching humanity.
Jennifer Dunning, New York Times
Presented by
Larisa Shepitko
Boris Plotnikov, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Sergei Yakovlev, Lyudmila Polyakova, Victoria Goldentul, Anatoly Solonitsyn
USSR
1977
In Russian with English subtitles
Golden Bear, Berlin Film Festival
Indigenous & Community Access
Credits
Screenwriter
Yuri Klepikov, Larisa Shepitko
Cinematography
Vladimir Chukhnov, Pavel Lebeshev
Editor
Valeriya Belova
Original Music
Alfred Schnittke
Art Director
Yuri Raksha
Also in This Series
The Ascent
During the darkest winter of WWII, two Soviet partisans venture through the backwoods of Belarus in search of food, always at risk of falling into enemy hands. In her masterpiece Larisa Shepitko zeroes in on profound spiritual and philosophical themes.
