The Cranes Are Flying (1957)

Veronica plans a rendezvous with her lover, Boris, at the bank of river, only for him to be drafted into World War II shortly thereafter.

Director:

Mikhail Kalatozov

Writers:

Viktor Rozov (play), Viktor Rozov (screenplay)

Stars:

Tatyana Samoylova, Aleksey Batalov, Vasiliy Merkurev

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tatyana Samoylova	...	Veronika (as T. Samoylova)
Aleksey Batalov	...	Boris Fyodorovich Borodin (as A. Batalov)
Vasiliy Merkurev	...	Fyodor Ivanovich Borozdin (as V. Merkuryev)
Aleksandr Shvorin	...	Mark Aleksandrovich Borozdin (as A. Shvorin)
Svetlana Kharitonova	...	Irina Fyodorovna Borozdina (as S. Kharitonova)
Konstantin Kadochnikov	...	Volodya (as K. Nikitin)
Valentin Zubkov	...	Stepan (as V. Zubkov)
Antonina Bogdanova	...	Varvara Kapitanova -babushka Borisa i Irina (as A. Bogdanova)
Boris Kokovkin	...	Nikolay Chernov (as B. Kokovkin)
Ekaterina Kupriyanova	...	Anna Mikhaylovna Lebedeva (as Ye. Kupriyanova)
Valentina Ananina	...	Lyuba (as V. Ananina)
Valentina Vladimirova	...	Soldatka (as V. Vladimirova)
Olga Dzisko	...	Dasha (as O. Dzisko)
Leonid Knyazev	...	Sachkov (as L. Knyazev)
Georgiy Kulikov	...	Anatoliy Kuzmin (as Yu. Kulikov)

Storyline

As the clouds of war spread over Russia during Germany's surprise invasion in 1941, the fervent young lovers, the sensitive Veronika and the stalwart Boris, are parted when the patriotic lad secretly volunteers for the war effort. During the following hard years, Veronika who serves her country as a wartime-nurse will lose communication with Boris, moreover, when a devastating air raid destroys her house and Boris' father takes her in to live with the family, unexpectedly, things will take a turn for the worse. Before long, the worried fiancée will find herself dealing not only with the dark thoughts of Boris' potential loss but also with the burden of an unwelcome decision. Once, the star-crossed lovers swore eternal devotion under a flock of flying cranes, still, a war is always cruel and eternally disastrous.

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Plot Keywords:

crane the bird | moscow russia | loveless marriage | missing in action | air raid shelter | 

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Taglines:

Distributed by Warner Bros. at the request of the U.S. Department of State in connection with the Cultural Exchange Agreement with the Soviet Union

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the film was released in the Soviet Union, it caused a sensation amongst audiences weaned on propaganda fare. For the first time, audiences were able to weep at the pain of losing millions of their population in the war. It was also the first time that subjects like draft dodging, war profiteering and the black market had been expressed on film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Boris: Wait, squirrel! Here. Put it on.

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Connections

Referenced in A Very Long Engagement (2004)

User Reviews

Masterpiece from Russia.

I would like to tell you just a few things before considering seeing this movie. If at one point or another you thought you've seen good camera work, be prepared to be amazed by this movie. For the record, this movie was made in 1957 in Russia, but the technique used here is probably something that we've seen much later in the western world...about 20 years later. The level of emotions through the film varies quite a lot: happiness -love-war- despair-joy, but in the end you remain with something quite unique: the joy of seeing one masterpiece of filmmaking. The young directors from our time should study more this kind of movies and maybe they will be able to create something similar..even though I think movies like this are very hard to come by... If you've seen "I am Cuba" , then this movie would appeal to you very much, but if not, be prepared for a unique experience. The Russian directors have something in common: very small budgets, great actors, and a joy of creating art...and yes, they are able to create more masterpieces than all the western world together. I am not a big fan of Russia, actually I hate everything that's communist, but the film making in that part of the world, manages to create such feelings that are hard to describe.

Enjoy it.

Details

Official Sites:

Mosfilm [rus]

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

21 March 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Cranes Are Flying

Filming Locations:

Mosfilm Studios, Moscow, Russia

Box Office

Gross USA:

$17,923

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$17,923

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mosfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1