Larisa Shepitko - Voskhozhdeniye aka The Ascent (1977)

Two partisans resisting German incursions into Belorussia during World War II are separated from their fleeing comrades and are captured by the Germans. Along with a number of local villagers, they are sentenced to die. One of them dies with such overwhelming dignity, such grace, that no one present is unmoved, and the flame of resistance is successfully transferred to several of those who observe his death. This spiritual giant of a man also outfaces a despicable Russian schoolteacher from the area, who is an active collaborator with the Germans.





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. (IMDB user comment)







La ascensión/Ascensión humana
Ambientada durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, Ascensión humana sigue a dos soldados campesinos, alejados de su tropa, quienes caminan trabajosamente por los bosques nevados de Bielorrusia buscando refugio entre los aldeanos. Será un viaje que les hará conocer tanto el heroísmo como la traición. Una obra maestra olvidada del mejor cine soviético, que fue también el testamento de la directora Larisa Shepitko, fallecida en un accidente automovilístico a poco de terminar el film.





Действие фильма происходит во время Великой отечественной войны в Белоруссии зимой 1942 года. Партизаны - кадровый военный Рыбак и бывший учитель Сотников, отправляются на поиски продовольствия для своего отряда. В ходе ночной стычки с полицаями Сотников был ранен и пытается покончить с собой, но Рыбаку удаётся спасти его. Он на себе выносит раненного из леса и прячет в родной деревне захваченной фашистами. Рыбак встаёт перед тяжёлым моральным выбором : спастись самому или попытаться оставить в живых своего товарища…





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