The Cranes Are Flying

"The compelling story of a girl's impassioned search for happiness."

1957 1h 37m RU

🙌

7.9

BANGER

🔥

96%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

8.3

IMDB

★7.9TMDB · 476🍅96%Rotten Tomatoes●76Metacritic★8.3IMDB · 22,051

DramaRomanceWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“The compelling story of a girl's impassioned search for happiness.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Tatyana Samoylova
Veronika
Aleksey Batalov
Boris
Vasili Merkuryev
Fyodor Ivanovich
Aleksandr Shvorin
Mark
Svetlana Kharitonova
Irina
Konstantin Kadochnikov
Volodya
Valentin Zubkov
Stepan
Antonina Bogdanova
Grandmother

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mikhail Kalatozov
Writers: Viktor Rozov
Languages: Russian
Countries: Soviet Union

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

69 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov, shot by Sergei Urusevsky. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mieczysław Weinberg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mariya Timofeyeva shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Tatyana Samoylova and Aleksey Batalov and Vasili Merkuryev carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The compelling story of a girl's impassioned search for happiness.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0050634 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mikhail Kalatozov directs. Sergei Urusevsky behind the camera. Mieczysław Weinberg scores. Mariya Timofeyeva cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Soviet Union. Dialogue in Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

169 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov, shot by Sergei Urusevsky. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Mieczysław Weinberg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Mariya Timofeyeva shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Tatyana Samoylova and Aleksey Batalov and Vasili Merkuryev carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The compelling story of a girl's impassioned search for happiness.".
7IMDB entry: tt0050634 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 16 themes, including "world war ii", "siege", "lovers", "marriage of convenience".
9Released under 47 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Sergei Urusevsky
Original score: Mieczysław Weinberg
Editing: Mariya Timofeyeva
Production design: Yevgeni Svidetelev
Costume design: Lidiya Naumova
Makeup / hair: Olga Struntsova
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Status: Released
Original language: RU
Certification (US): 14
IMDB: The Cranes Are Flying (1957)
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 76/100
IMDB rating: 8.3/10 · 22,051 votes
MPAA: Not Rated
US box office: $17,923

Awards

Nominated for 2 BAFTA 4 wins & 3 nominations total

Palme d'Or

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Mikhail Kalatozov

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-05-11
★ 10/10
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 the perspective of the people on the sidelines as well. Don't think for a moment they can't be just as shellshocked as the soldiers-in-arms themselves...
badelf2023-05-14
★ 8/10
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.
CinemaSerf2024-12-14
★ 7/10
Just as "Veronika" (Tatyana Samoylova) and her boyfriend "Boris" (Aleksey Batalov) are arranging a rendezvous by the river, someone only goes and starts a war! That puts a major spanner in the works for this loving couple as he promptly volunteers for the Soviet army to repel the encroaching Nazi army. With her signing up to be a nurse and him on the front line, it's hard for them to stay in touch and that's when, with the bombs flying and the tongues wagging, confusion and misunderstandings set in that cause no end of strife for this young woman struggling to deal with the increasing conflict - physical and emotional - in her life. Those issues become even more poignant for "Veronika" when she is the victim of the unwanted attentions of his cousin "Mark" (Aleksandr Shvorin) which leads to a marriage that few understand the reasons for and that can only further demoralise "Boris" should he ever find out that his true love has deserted him to his fate. It's a flock of cranes that symbolise their affection at the start of the film, and it's that very consistency that they hope will see them through their lives - regardless of what goes on between peoples with bombs and bullets. Is that just a naive pipe dream, though, or is there really any hope when so much conspires against them? The effort here from Samoylova is both strong and touching, especially as the film enters is much darker and more desperate second phase. The camera loves her face, her eyes and her facial expressions and she uses that tool to convey an whole gamut of emotions effectively. Shvorin also delivers well as his character introduces a little of the manipulative and the cowardly bully to a scenario that extols the virtues of family and community but not in a perfect fashion. People adapt to circumstances in individual ways. The photography has an observational intensity to it that at times makes you feel like you ought not to be watching at all, particularly in the hospital where "Uncle Fyodor" (Vasily Merkurev) is constantly dealing with casualties amongst both his patients and his staff! It's a very human story of wartime, and set amidst the snowy wastes and ruins tells that powerfully and quite compellingly.