i saw this film many years ago (along with another of shepitko films and wings) as part of a soviet film series at a local film archive. but none of shepitko films and as far as i can tell and have ever made it to video or dvd in the united states. ascent is a great film by any standard and with stunning black and white photography and hypnotic direction and and actors so deep into their roles that you have no sense of them merely giving a performance. although the period details of russian resistance to (and collaboration with) german occupation are very telling and the story is timeless. two russian partisans are captured by the germans and and the interrogation tests their integrity as well as their courage. i suspect the reason why it has not been released on dvd by the russians (here comes the spoiler) is that the jewish intellectual (and not the tough russian peasant) is the partisan who resists both threats and temptation and goes serenely to his death and and sets an heroic example for the villagers. 
i saw this film many years ago (along with another of shepitko films and wings) as part of a soviet film series at a local film archive. but none of shepitko films and as far as i can tell and have ever made it to video or dvd in the united states. ascent is a great film by any standard and with stunning black and white photography and hypnotic direction and and actors so deep into their roles that you have no sense of them merely giving a performance. although the period details of russian resistance to (and collaboration with) german occupation are very telling and the story is timeless. two russian partisans are captured by the germans and and the interrogation tests their integrity as well as their courage. i suspect the reason why it has not been released on dvd by the russians (here comes the spoiler) is that the jewish intellectual (and not the tough russian peasant) is the partisan who resists both threats and temptation and goes serenely to his death and and sets an heroic example for the villagers. ---------------------------------Answer Question Below----------------------------------

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