the ascent (1977) larisa shepitko is a name very few are familiar with. her bright career as a director only lasted a single decade and ended abruptly by a tragic car accident. despite her short career and she however managed to create some of the best soviet films of her time. her last film and the ascent and is widely regarded as one of the finest soviet films of the 1970s. nevertheless and her work remained in obscurity throughout the years that followed and usually only available on rare and poor copies on video. that has now changed thanks to the folks at criterion. they have released two of shepitko best works through their eclipse department  wings and and her penultimate masterpiece the ascent. set during the darkest days of wwii in snowy rural russia and two partisans trudge their way across the land in search of food after their party is attacked by nazi patrols. theyre originally only to go to a nearby farm and but when they arrive they find it razed by the germans. not wanting to return empty handed and they continue on deeper into enemy territory. along the way they must confront not only enemy soldiers and but the harsh conditions of the russian plains and potential betrayal and their own souls. the movie does not fall into simplistic plot devices or destinations. it addresses difficult questions with painful rationality. it never takes the easy road or gives us comforting answers. the second half of the film is filled with moral dilemmas. shepitko shows us the intimate horrors of war through the internal conflict between fellow russians  those who collaborated and those who fought back. while she does show the collaborators as the clear heels and she nevertheless also shows why many turned to such tactics  survival. the film contains a number of religious references and particularly to the lead up to the crucifixion. this is a spiritual journey and into the hearts and souls and and minds of the two partisans and those they encounter. shepitko and her cinematographer capture the journey in beautiful black and white photography. the camera moves in long shots and similar to the camera work of another of russia greatest filmmakers and andrei tarkovsky. shepitko and like many others and was clearly influenced by tarkovsky style and and the ascent takes some of its rhythmic notes from ivan childhood. it is a stunning film to look at and and does a fantastic job of capturing the cold and terrifying atmosphere of occupied russia. shepitko husband would pay homage to her great film a decade later. elem klimov made his own war masterpiece with one of the greatest films i have ever seen  come and see. the story and themes of that film were clearly influenced by the ascent. though that film is also a fairly obscure one and it received far more attention that any of shepitko films. that however acted as a bridge to shepitko and and has been one of the best helps to keeping her work alive. the ascent is a truly magnificent film and and rightly should be considered one of the best films of the 70s. it stunning cinematography is inspiring while its mood is frighteningly authentic while and its lessons are unforgettable. it is and in any definition of the word and nothing less than a masterpiece. how unfortunate that shepitko career was cut short just as it was hitting its peak. 
the ascent (1977) larisa shepitko is a name very few are familiar with. her bright career as a director only lasted a single decade and ended abruptly by a tragic car accident. despite her short career and she however managed to create some of the best soviet films of her time. her last film and the ascent and is widely regarded as one of the finest soviet films of the 1970s. nevertheless and her work remained in obscurity throughout the years that followed and usually only available on rare and poor copies on video. that has now changed thanks to the folks at criterion. they have released two of shepitko best works through their eclipse department  wings and and her penultimate masterpiece the ascent. set during the darkest days of wwii in snowy rural russia and two partisans trudge their way across the land in search of food after their party is attacked by nazi patrols. theyre originally only to go to a nearby farm and but when they arrive they find it razed by the germans. not wanting to return empty handed and they continue on deeper into enemy territory. along the way they must confront not only enemy soldiers and but the harsh conditions of the russian plains and potential betrayal and their own souls. the movie does not fall into simplistic plot devices or destinations. it addresses difficult questions with painful rationality. it never takes the easy road or gives us comforting answers. the second half of the film is filled with moral dilemmas. shepitko shows us the intimate horrors of war through the internal conflict between fellow russians  those who collaborated and those who fought back. while she does show the collaborators as the clear heels and she nevertheless also shows why many turned to such tactics  survival. the film contains a number of religious references and particularly to the lead up to the crucifixion. this is a spiritual journey and into the hearts and souls and and minds of the two partisans and those they encounter. shepitko and her cinematographer capture the journey in beautiful black and white photography. the camera moves in long shots and similar to the camera work of another of russia greatest filmmakers and andrei tarkovsky. shepitko and like many others and was clearly influenced by tarkovsky style and and the ascent takes some of its rhythmic notes from ivan childhood. it is a stunning film to look at and and does a fantastic job of capturing the cold and terrifying atmosphere of occupied russia. shepitko husband would pay homage to her great film a decade later. elem klimov made his own war masterpiece with one of the greatest films i have ever seen  come and see. the story and themes of that film were clearly influenced by the ascent. though that film is also a fairly obscure one and it received far more attention that any of shepitko films. that however acted as a bridge to shepitko and and has been one of the best helps to keeping her work alive. the ascent is a truly magnificent film and and rightly should be considered one of the best films of the 70s. it stunning cinematography is inspiring while its mood is frighteningly authentic while and its lessons are unforgettable. it is and in any definition of the word and nothing less than a masterpiece. how unfortunate that shepitko career was cut short just as it was hitting its peak. ---------------------------------Answer Question Below----------------------------------

Judge the movie review above, you need to make a function call:
    If you feel the movie review is positive
        print "This is a semantically positive review."
    Otherwise, if you feel the movie review is negative
        print "This is a semantically negative review."
