1977: Something NewThe Ascent (Larisa Shepitko, 1977)The Ascent has the reputation of a very emotional experience, but my appreciation of the film was rather clinical. I admired it without really feeling it. But that's okay because there's so much to admire, starting with the stark, black-and-white cinematography, which is wonderful in typical Soviet fashion. Unlike the shimmery grays of Shepitko's
Wings, the high contrast photography of
The Ascent creates a binary world of rough textures, where even snowflakes seem substantial in their brilliant whiteness. Even though I failed to connect on an emotional level, I did get a visceral sense of the harsh environment, no more so than when one character drags another through the snow. I might have shivered in empathy.
The character being dragged in that scene is played by Boris Plotnikov, and he possesses the most photogenic face in a black-and-white film since Max Von Sydow in
The Seventh Seal. He has the perfect balance of light and dark features for this style of cinematography, and his eyes are alive to match. Every closeup of him is a bit awe-inspiring.
Bergman was on my mind throughout
The Ascent, as was Tarkovsky. The story is something of a war survival tale (e.g.,
My Name Is Ivan, perhaps) but also plays as a spiritual allegory, which is an aspect that never quite worked for me. I was much more interested in the surprising turns the narrative took, as the protagonists staggered between episodes of
The Twilight Zone.
Grade: B+
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