The Cranes Are Flying

Mikhail Kalatozov

Soviet Union

1957

95 minutes

Black and White

1.33:1

Russian

Watch Film for $5

146

Synopsis

Veronica and Boris are blissfully in love, until the eruption of World War II tears them apart. Boris is sent to the front lines…and then communication stops. Meanwhile, Veronica tries to ward off spiritual numbness while Boris’s draft-dodging cousin makes increasingly forceful overtures. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival, The Cranes Are Flying is a superbly crafted drama, bolstered by stunning cinematography and impassioned performances.

Cast

VeronikaTatyana Samojlova
BorisAleksey Batalov
Fyodor IvanovichVasili Merkuryev
MarkAleksandr Shvorin
IrinaSvetlana Kharitonova

Credits

DirectorMikhail Kalatozov
ScreenplayViktor Rosov
ProducerMikhail Kalatozov
MusicMoisey Vaynberg
CinematographySergei Urusevsky
EditingMariya Timofeyeva
Production DesignYevgeni Svidetelev

Disc Features

  • New digital transfer
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • Optimal image quality; RSDL dual-layer edition

From the Current

The Cranes Are Flying

by Chris Fujiwara Apr 29, 2002

The Soviet Union lost some ten percent of its prewar population in World War II. For years, Soviet cinema was able to represent this traumatic loss only within strict limits, in terms . . .

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Available Editions

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DVD

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