Criterion Collection Releases Larisa Shepitko's 'Wings' and 'The Ascent' on DVD

The Criterion Collection released Larisa Shepitko's films 'Wings' (1966) and 'The Ascent' (1977) on DVD in 2008. Shepitko, born in 1938, studied under Alexander Dovzhenko and Mikhail Chiuareli after beginning film studies in 1955. Her career ended with her death in a car accident shortly after turning 40. 'Wings' follows Petrukhina, a former female pilot turned school headmistress, exploring her psychological disconnect in postwar civilian life. 'The Ascent', shot in snow-covered Belarus with a score by Alfred Schnittke, centers on soldiers Sotnikov and Rybak during World War II, delving into themes of martyrdom and betrayal. Shepitko's work is part of a generation of Soviet 'children-of-war' directors, including Andrei Tarkovsky, Aleksei German, and Elem Klimov, who addressed war's lingering trauma. The review contextualizes Shepitko within Soviet film industry reforms under Grigori Chukhrai in the late 1950s and 1960s, which included audience research and genre rehabilitation. Susan Sontag praised 'The Ascent' in 2002 as the most affecting war film she knew. The films exemplify an auteurist approach amid shifting Soviet cinematic norms.