The Ascent
Country
Production
Budget
$0
Box office
$0
Director
Actors
Boris Plotnikov, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Lyudmila Polyakova, Viktoriya Goldentul, Sergei Yakovlev, Mariya Vinogradova, Mykola Sektymenko, Leonid Yukhin, Aleksandr Zvenigorskiy
All actors and roles (10)
All actors and roles (10)
Scenario
Larisa Shepitko, Yuri Klepikov
Producer
Camera operator
Pavel Lebeshev
Composer
Artist
Yuri Raksha
Audition
Editing
Short description
During a freezing WWII winter, two Soviet partisans on a mission to gather food contend with the temperature, the occupying Germans, and their own psyches.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film is based on the novella 'Sotnikov' by Vasil Bykov.
- From the very beginning of the search for an actor to play Sotnikov, Larisa Shepitko instructed the casting assistant, Emma Baskakova, to keep the image of Christ in mind, although it was forbidden to speak about it aloud. Boris Plotnikov, a 25-year-old actor from the Sverdlovsk Youth Theater at the time, seemed to the director to be the best candidate for the role, but officials at Goskino saw in Shepitko’s vision an intention to “smuggle Jesus onto the Soviet screen.” Plotnikov, whose repertoire previously consisted mainly of roles as fairytale animals, even had to be made up to further heroize the image in order for the artistic council to approve him for the role. The actor went through seven auditions, requiring him to constantly fly from Sverdlovsk to Moscow.
- It took Larisa Shepitko four years from the time she read the story “Sotnikov” to prepare, obtain permission from the authorities, and begin filming the movie.
- The film was on the verge of being banned and was released only after the intervention of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus, Pyotr Masherov.
- Filming began on January 6, 1974, Larisa Shepitko's birthday (according to other sources, it began on January 5), and took place in the vicinity of the city of Murom. The first scenes were shot on location—among fields, forests, and ravines—despite temperatures dropping to minus forty degrees. According to Boris Plotnikov, the frost and untouched snow were mandatory conditions set by Vasil Bykov. This approach was approved by Shepitko, who stated that the actors needed to "feel winter with every cell of their being" to more authentically inhabit their roles. The filming process was planned so that the lead actors began with the simplest episodes in psychological and acting terms, allowing them to gradually immerse themselves in their characters.
- The film is based on the story "Sotnikov" by Vasily Bykov.
- Long before "The Ascent," Shepitko had suffered from hepatitis. Moreover, she had not fully recovered, and the aftereffects of the illness negatively impacted her well-being during the filming of "The Ascent." Additionally, a recent spinal injury caused her severe pain. Nevertheless, Shepitko still woke up two to three hours before the film crew to collect herself, after which she worked at the limit of her strength all day. Thanks to such dedication, filming proceeded without interruption and was completed a month ahead of schedule.
- The director auditioned twenty candidates for the role of the Fisherman. The twenty-first was the young Vladimir Gostyukhin.
- Vasily Bykov highly valued Larisa Shepitko and once admitted that if he had met her earlier, he might have written 'Sotnikov' differently.
- The filming of the film took place in an atmosphere of severe stress. Technical and organizational difficulties led to the need to call an ambulance to provide medical assistance to the director on set.
- Young actors Boris Plotnikov and Vladimir Gostyukhin played their first major roles in the film.
- The film's title was coined by Shepitko's husband, Elem Klimov. Following a long-standing tradition between the future spouses, established back in 1963, he received ten rubles for the idea.
- Long before 'The Ascent,' Shepitko had suffered from hepatitis. Moreover, she hadn't fully recovered, and the consequences of the illness negatively affected her well-being during the filming of 'The Ascent.' In addition, she suffered from severe pain due to a recent spinal injury. But Shepitko still got up two to three hours earlier than the film crew to recover, after which she worked at the limit of her strength all day. Thanks to this dedication, filming proceeded without interruption and was completed a month ahead of schedule.
- The last completed film in Larisa Shepitko's directing career. Three years after the film's release, Shepitko died in a car accident while filming 'Farewell to Matera'. Vladimir Chukhnov, the cinematographer of 'The Ascent', also died in the same accident.
- For the role of the Fisherman, the director reviewed twenty candidates. The twenty-first was young Vladimir Gostyukhin.
- The first Soviet film to receive the highest award at the International Film Festival in West Berlin — the Golden Bear.
- Gostyukhin recalled that he so fully embodied the Fisherman that the makeup bruise didn't disappear from his face for three weeks. After filming, the actor struggled for a long time to recover, trying to become himself again, not his character, and even refused to star in Larisa Shepitko's next film, despite her persistent requests.
- From the very beginning of the casting search for the role of Sotnikov, Larisa Shepitko instructed her casting assistant, Emma Baskakova, to keep the image of Christ in mind, although this could not be mentioned aloud. Boris Plotnikov, then a 25-year-old actor from the Sverdlovsk Youth Theater, was, in the director's opinion, the best candidate for the role; however, Goskino officials perceived Shepitko's intent as an attempt to 'smuggle a little Jesus onto the Soviet screen.' Plotnikov, whose repertoire had previously consisted primarily of fairy-tale animals, even had to be made up for further heroization of the image so that the art council would approve him for the role. In total, the actor went through seven auditions, for which he constantly had to fly from Sverdlovsk to Moscow.
- The film's title was conceived by Shepitko's husband,Elem Klimov. Following a tradition established between the future spouses back in 1963, he received ten rubles for the idea.
- Shepitko decided to use unknown or little-known actors whose past roles would not overshadow their characters in the film. Because of this, she had to turn down Andrei Myagkov, who very much wanted to star in the film. The same fate befell Nikolai Gubenko. Vladimir Vysotsky also did not pass the audition, eager to play the Fisherman.
- Gostyukhin recalled that he had become so immersed in the role of Rybak that even the makeup bruise did not fade from his face for three weeks. After filming the movie, the actor struggled for a long time to recover, trying to become himself again rather than his character, and even refused to act in Larisa Shepitko's next film despite her persistent requests.
- Filming, which began on January 6, 1974, on Larisa Shepitko’s birthday (according to other sources – filming began on January 5), took place in the vicinity of the city of Murom. The first scenes filmed were outdoor scenes – among fields, forests, and ravines – despite the forty-degree frosts. According to Boris Plotnikov, the frost and pristine snow were essential conditions stipulated by Vasily Bykov. This approach was approved by Shepitko, who said that the actors had to “feel winter with every cell” to more authentically embody their characters. The filming process was planned so that the performers of the main roles began with the simplest episodes in psychological and acting terms, which allowed them to gradually immerse themselves in their roles.
- The last completed film in the directing career of Larisa Shepitko. Three years after the film's release, Shepitko died in a car accident while filming "Farewell to Matera." The cameraman of "The Ascent," Vladimir Chukhnоv, also died in the same car accident.
- Vasil Bykov highly valued Larisa Shepitko and once even admitted that if he had met her sooner, he might have written "Sotnikov" differently.
- From the moment she read the novella 'Sotnikov,' it took Larisa Shepitko four years to prepare, obtain permission from the authorities, and begin filming the movie.
- Shepitko decided to cast unknown or little-known actors, whose previous roles would not overshadow their characters in the film. Because of this, she had to turn down Andrey Myagkov, who was very eager to appear in the movie. Nikolai Gubenko suffered the same fate. Vladimir Vysotsky, who longed to play the Fisherman, also failed the selection process.
- Boris Plotnikov and Vladimir Gostyukhin played their first major roles in the film.
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Auditions in India
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