Rotten
It's exactly what you'd expect: tepid, artsy, and grayish.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
The Cranes Are Flying
The compelling story of a girl's impassioned search for happiness.
1957 · 1h 37m · Not Rated
Drama, Romance, War
Directed by
Mikhail Kalatozov
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The Cranes Are Flying
Overview
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.
Director and cast
- Mikhail Kalatozov Director
- Tatyana Samoylova as Veronika
- Aleksey Batalov as Boris
- Vasili Merkuryev as Fyodor Ivanovich
- Aleksandr Shvorin as Mark
- Svetlana Kharitonova as Irina
- Konstantin Kadochnikov as Volodya
- Valentin Zubkov as Stepan
- Antonina Bogdanova as Grandmother
- Boris Kokovkin as Chernov
- Ekaterina Kupriyanova as Anna Mikhaylovna
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
96%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Thanks to Mr. Kalatozov's direction and the excellent performance Tatyana Samoilova gives as the girl, one absorbs a tremendous feeling of sympathy from this film -- a feeling that has no awareness of geographical or political bounds.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Fresh
A key post-war effort, both for its cinematic audacity and for its frank, moving depiction of families and lovers torn apart by violence.
Scott Tobias, AV Club
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