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The Cranes Are Flying Poster

The Cranes Are Flying

Not Rated
Movie
1957
1h 37m
Russian
Drama, Romance, War
Veronika and Boris come together in Moscow shortly before World War II. Walking along the river, they watch cranes fly overhead, and promise to rendezvous before Boris leaves to fight. Boris misses the meeting and is off to the front lines, while Veronika waits patiently, sending letters faithfully. After her house is bombed, Veronika moves in with Boris' family, into the company of a cousin with his own intentions.
Rating
WATCHMODE
8.1
IMDB
The Cranes Are Flying (1957) on IMDb
CRITIC SCORE
91

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Aleksey Batalov
Boris Fyodorovich Borozdin
Vasili Merkuryev
Fyodor Ivanovich Borozdin
Aleksandr Shvorin
Mark Aleksandrovich Borozdin
Svetlana Kharitonova
Irina Fyodorovna Borozdina
Antonina Bogdanova
Varvara Kapitanova, Boris and Irina...
Boris Kokovkin
Nikolay Nikolayevich Chernov
Ekaterina Kupriyanova
Anna Mikhaylovna Lebedeva
Georgiy Kulikov
Anatoliy Aleksandrovich Kuzmin
Daniil Netrebin
Wounded Man
Irina Preis
Antonina Nikolayevna Monastyrskaya
Galina Stepanova
Veronika's Mother
Georgiy Shamshurin
Aleksey, Veronika's Father
Leonid Alekseyev
Old Man (uncredited)
Valentina Berezutskaya
Lyusya, Snub-Nosed Girl on Wires (u...
Maya Bulgakova
Greeter Woman on Station (uncredite...
Directed By: Mikhail Kalatozov
Written By: Viktor Rozov

Featured Comments/Tips

soonertbone says...
5 months ago
Wow, how did I never hear of this movie before? Absolutely stunning cinematography. There are shots that will live on in my memory forever. A character's run up the stairs is by turns exhilarating one minute and absolutely devastating when replayed a second time. There's a handheld shot inside a bus that turns into a crane shot a moment later? It's all just gorgeous, and then there's the central melodrama of it all--I loved it.
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Maarten Delfgou says...
3 years ago
The original title of the film is Letyat Zhuravli.
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nutmac says...
3 years ago
One of the earliest anti-war productions from Russia is a technically triumph, filled with intricately choreographed long continuous shots and jaw dropping lighting and cinematography by **Sergey Urusevsky••. The story by **Viktor Rozov** is cliched by today's standard, but it wisely avoids being overly sentimental. Although Director **Mikhail Kalatozov** focuses more of psychological sufferings of war, not poverty and violence. **Tatiana Samoilova** plays Veronika, a perky and charismatic fiancé of would-be drafted Boris (played by **Aleksey Batalov••). Tatiana totally sells otherwise predictable story. The story is ultimately pro Russia, showing USSR in as positive light as possible.
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Burtonious25 says...
12 years ago
A great example of the early "Soviet thaw," but still plenty of Soviet nationalism remains. A true Soviet classic, permeated with symbolism.
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Featured User Reviews

badelf
one year ago
Everything in this movie is technically perfect. In spite of that, the idea that a woman must pick the best man available really dates this movie for me.
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talisencrw
6 years ago
This was an equally outstanding and heartbreaking film. I haven't watched a lot of Soviet cinema, but from what I have seen thus far, it's terrific. It makes me want to investigate their oeuvre ever more diligently. Essential if you're interested either in Soviet films or war films in general, from More
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000

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