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:

The Grand Prize Winner - Cannes International Film Festival

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the most notable features of the film is cinematographer Sergey Urusevskiy's then ground-breaking use of hand-held cameras. He had learned how to film like this when he was a military cameraman during the war.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978)

User Reviews

The Wages of War

This film really grew on me. It tells the story of a young man who goes off to war, filled with desire to become a hero and defend mother Russia. He leaves behind a young woman who adores him but is never able to tell him. What happens here is what happens so often. She gives up hope of ever seeing him and ends up married to a man who has had designs on her and whom she actually hates.. What's worse, he rapes her in a building that is being bombed by German aircraft. The "glory" of war is shown for what it is: the human tendency to kill its children while the decision makers sit an pontificate. This is so poignant, so human, and it gives us no winners. By the way, the camera is the star of this movie. The battle scenes take us plodding through the mud, facing death at every turn. It carries us through the masses as they see their heroes off to battle. It shows us graphically the obstructions thrown up by war as they diminish the human condition.

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