For my final paper, I researched the soldier's psyche and how it was represented in the two films of Larisa Shepitko's The Ascent and Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. I had, originally, chosen The Ascent, simply, because I love the film and because it does a fantastic job of showing Russian warfare in WWII; After re-watching it for this paper, I was pleasantly surprised by the other connections it had to Apocalypse Now. While the ascent in Shepitko's film is hopeful, I liked the idea of an ascent into madness that Coppola's film showcases. I use "ascend" instead of "descend" because there is a truth discovered at the end of the film that is only revealed to the soldiers because of their madness; and also because of the more literal use of them travelling up-river into madness. There is also some great ties to religious undertones in both films. We have a Christ/martyr role in The Ascent and a taking over the role of god by killing a god in Apocalypse Now. Anyways, I totally recommend Shepitko's film; it's really awesome and I'll provide you with a clip below; it's in Russian with no subtitles, but the visual power is what is at the forefront here.
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