The Ascent
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.
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Cast
38 people
Boris Plotnikov
Sotnikov
Known for
Heart of a Dog
The Cold Summer of 1953
Vladimir Gostyukhin
Rybak
Known for
Red Ghost
Close to Eden
Anatoliy Solonitsyn
Portnov, Collaborationist Interrogator
Known for
Andrei Rublev
Stalker
Lyudmila Polyakova
Avginya Demchikha, the Mother
Known for
Bimmer
High Security Vacation
Viktoriya Goldentul
Basya Meyer, the Girl
No other roles listed
Sergei Yakovlev
Petr Sych, Village Elder
Also in
Shadows Disappear at Noon
Investigator by Profession
Mariya Vinogradova
Village Elder's Wife
Known for
Three from Prostokvashino
Hedgehog in the Fog
Mykola Sektymenko
Stas Gomenyuk, Collaborationist Policeman
Also in
One-Two, Soldiers Were Going...
Born of Revolution
Leonid Yukhin
Partisan Commander
Also in
Bum
Happy-Go-Lucky
Aleksandr Zvenigorskiy
German Officer
Also in
Little Tragedies
Dead Souls
Vladimir Rudyy
German Officer with Black Glasses
Also in
The Dawns Here Are Quiet
Conscience
Anatoli Chebotaryov
German Officer with Glasses
Also in
Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears
Forest Ballad
Larisa Shepitko Director · Yuri Klepikov Writer Vasili Bykov Author
United States release December 22, 1978 · Produced in Russia, Russia · Languages German, Russian
Production
Mosfilm
Production · Studio
Russia · Russia
Produced in
Languages
Original title
Восхождение
Original language
Russian
Spoken on screen
German · Russian
Release dates
Russia · April 2, 1977
Theatrical
United States · December 22, 1978
Theatrical · New York City, New York
United States
October 1, 1977 · Premiere · Chicago International Film Festival
May 14, 1978 · Premiere · Seattle International Film Festival
Brazil
September 12, 2026 · Limited theatrical · IMS Paulista ("O Cinema de Larisa Shepitko," 4K Restoration)
Canada
September 15, 1977 · Premiere · Toronto International Film Festival
France
November 23, 1977 · Premiere · Paris Film Festival
March 19, 1980 · Theatrical
March 8, 2024 · Premiere · Paris Russian Film Festival
May 29, 2024 · Theatrical · Re-release (Restored 4K Version)
Germany
June 1, 1977 · Premiere · Berlin International Film Festival
October 28, 1977 · Theatrical · East Germany
July 18, 1978 · TV · West Germany
Portugal
November 16, 1977 · Premiere · Festival Internacional de Cinema de Santarém
January 25, 1978 · Premiere · Lisboa, Semana do Cinema Soviético
March 15, 1978 · Premiere · Porto, Semana do Cinema Soviético
October 26, 1979 · Theatrical
February 28, 1982 · Limited theatrical · Porto, Cineclube do Porto
October 20, 1984 · Theatrical · Re-release
May 13, 2016 · Theatrical · Re-release
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Some details come from TheTVDB.