Customer Reviews

Cranes Are Flying [VHS]

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
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This is one of my favorite movies. It's quality is typical of what I have come to expect of a Criterion reconstruction. Something along the lines of HDTV black and white. It's that good. The story itself is situated at the begining of Russia's Great Patriotic War (WWII). The story covers every inch of human behaviour including happiness, love, sorrow, deceit, manipulation, and heroism against all odds. The last quarter of the movie is a stunning surprise, as it builds to an ending scene that is nothing less than a grand tribute to the best of what makes us human. Even hardcore war movie fans (like me) can expect blurred vision at the end of this film. Not sappy at all, this film will strike a chord with viewers of any country, and most generations. It is not a single view disk.

I don't even know if it has an English language soundtrack, as the tonality of the Russian soundtrack combined with the very well produced English subtitles offers a great connection to the film even for non Russian speaking people. Buy this disk, you wil enjoy it over and over.

I'm pleased to see "Letyat zhuravlii" available in video, and with subtitles. This is a classic Soviet film, set during the Patriotic War. It begins with the cranes flying over Moscow, and for Veronika and Boris, the stolen evening hours are idyllic. Suddenly their plans are shattered by War. When Boris goes to the front, his fiancee cherishes his farewell gift and vows to await his return. Meanwhile, Boris' cousin, Mark, who has bribed his way to a deferment, schemes to win her heart. War reaches Moscow, and Veronika's parents perish in an air raid. She takes refuge with her fiance's family, loyally resisting the treacherous advances of Mark. Anxiously she awaits letters from the front, which never come. At last, under a barrage of bombing, Veronika is overwhelmed by grief and terror, and succumbs to the cousin's wiles. At the same time, on the frontlines, alone, Boris succumbs to his wounds. Veronika, unaware of Boris' death, weds Mark but remains haunted by guilt. She flees her arrogant, abusive husband to serve as a nurse in a military hospital. When War ends, she has convinced herself that Boris will return with the cranes to Moscow. "Cranes are Flying" is a simple, tragic story, filmed artistically for its time, but without cinematic subtlety. The geometric V-formation of the flying cranes, for instance, is repeated throughout the entire film. The repetative imagery of marching feet, hurrying toward eachother but never meeting, symbolizes the futility of the protagonists' love. The scene of Boris' death is melodramatically drawn out, his final dying thoughts only of his beloved. I'm not sure of the filmmaker's intent here, but honestly, I feel only relief that the likable Boris is spared the hurt of Veronika's betrayal. Despite some cliche' and distraction, "Cranes are Flying" is a worthwhile film. The final scene is powerful; the viewer will not be left dry-eyed. Recommended for anyone who cares about the human tragedy of war.

I've never been a huge fan of soviet cinema until I saw this great movie a few months ago. Sure Eisenstein is a great director and he made wonderful classics but this is probably the first russian movie that I can identify with the characters since the Eisenstein movies and a few others that I've seen like Earth (Alexander Dovzhenko, 1930) are very political and showing me a culture and a way of life that is interesting and informative but that I can't identify with. This movie tells a simple story about a young couple (Veronika and Boris) that is separated because Boris as to go to war. I think I love this movie so much because it is so open and so full of humanity. It is also very poetic particulary when Boris is at the front and he dreams about his girl back home. But the thing that I admire the most is the superior cinematography, the camera angles are stunning and the close-ups (very close) are almost disturbing because you feel that you are spying on them or following them anywhere they go. Also, great scenes with hand held cameras and used wisely not just to use it but at chosen moments to accentuate dramatic scenes or to show chaos during this time of war. It amaze me that a great reference for cinematography like that is not use or missuse in movies today. If you can, try to catch the movie I am Cuba with the same great director and the same wonderful cinematography, the story is political but unlike early russian movies of Eisenstein and such, the characters are warmer and you can identify with them.

This is one of those few Russian films that truly has to be seen to be believed. Words simply do not do it justice. The story is simple enough. Boris and Veronika are in love with each other but when war breaks Boris volunteers for the fighting, leaving her to the care of his deceitful cousin. Now, the film itself was made during the 'Soviet Thaw' when film makers were given a bit more freedom with which to work, and it shows in the realism of The Cranes are Flying. There is no glorification of war here as it is shown for what it is, a brutal event that seperates loved ones and inevitably leads to death and sorrow for most. There is very little, if any, political propaganda to sift through and the camerawork is absolutely next level. Perhaps the only thing better than the cinematography in this movie are the performances. In fact, it could be said that the only thing more beautiful than Tatyana Samoilova herself, is the performance she gives. An incredible portrayal of a love that triumphs against all odds.

It does not surprise me that this short (91 minutes) B/W movie that was made 50 years ago in the Soviet Union during the short period called "ottepel'" or "the thaw", has gained so much love and admiration among the movie lovers over the world. It is sublime and beautifully filmed. Some scenes feel like there were made way ahead of their time. Sergei Urusevsky's camera work and creative discoveries were included in the text books and widely imitated. The film tells the moving and timeless story of love destroyed by merciless war but eternally alive in the memory of a young woman. It is also the film about loyalty, memories, ability to live on when it seems there is nothing to live for; it is about forgiveness, and about hope. The film received (absolutely deservingly) the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival and Tatiana Samoilova was chosen as a recipient of a special award at Cannes for playing Veronika, the young girl happily in love with the best man in the world in the beginning of the movie. After separation with her beloved who went to the front, the loss of her family in the bomb ride, and the marriage to the man she never loved and only wished he never existed, she turned to the shadow of herself, she became dead inside. Her long journey to redemption, to finally accepting death of her beloved and to learning how to live with it, is a fascinating and heartbreaking one and it simply won't leave any viewer indifferent.

For me, the movie is very personal and dear because I was born and grew up in the city where its characters lived and were so happy in the beginning. I walked the same streets, squares, and bridges over the Moskva River. Every family in the former Soviet Union had lost at least one but often more than one family member to a combat or to the concentration camp or to the ghetto or to hunger, cold, and illnesses during WWII and my family is not exception. My mother and grandmother knew the horrors of war and never healing pain of losses not just from the movies and the books. "Cranes are Flying" speaks to me clearly and honestly and touches me very deeply. It is a masterpiece of movie making but it is a part of my life - my background, my memory, and my past.

Kalatozov captures a time of beauty in his retrospective look at the relationship between a war-bound young man and the woman left behind. The use of black and white, as well as the use of several hyper-reality dream sequences set a mood of uncertainty and hope. One especially poignant scene is when the young woman loses consciousness during an air raid, while Boris's cousin plays the piano, attempting to win her love. The window breaks and he carries her over the broken glass, a Russian symbol of broken promises.
The Cranes Are Flying (Mikhail Kalatozov, 1957) shows the agony and the waste of human life that was caused because of World War II, as seen through the eyes of a young woman home without her fiancé, who had volunteered for the war, and was killed while fighting on the front lines. This film would not have been possible when Stalin was alive, for it shows the sadness and the anguish experienced by those left at home without loved ones. There was nothing heroic about Boris's death, as he was shot by a sniper and spent his last moments writhing in a bog. This cannot be seen as uplifting according to wartime Stalinist cinema, for it does not show the glory and the pride that every soldier is supposed to feel when fighting for Russia. It shows the truth, blatantly writing in draft dodgers, the realities of air raids, and the difficulty of keeping contact with loved ones. This was a breakthrough film, for it signals the rising awareness of the Soviet filmgoer, and his or her ability to handle a dose of the truth, even if it is in retrospective form. This acceptance of the truth is closely related to the increase in communist self-confidence. It is almost as if the Soviets realize that they are indeed Communist to the core, and do not need to justify it by eliminating all interior creativity or new ideas that may someday appear to threaten the socialist regime.

CRANES is known to most film students as the first major post-Stalin success of the Soviet film industry -- but the picture's vastly more enjoyable than that dry statistic would suggest. Lyrical and rhapsodic, this film benefits greatly from a director, cameraman and actors who don't shy away from the extravagant gesture, the romantic moment, or the juice inherent in melodrama. Viewers will be swept away by a poignant love story and its operatic manner of telling, from a joyful, playful opening to the bittersweet conclusion. The screenplay's also a fascinating mix of the romantic and cynical -- what a breath of fresh air this film must have seemed to audiences in its original release, with their memories of the suffering hidden behind the recent war's heroic facade. This DVD transfer's exceptionally good, even for Criterion -- CRANES wears its age lightly here, the film looks new-minted. If you're unfamiliar with this classic, don't hesitate to snatch it up.

I've always been, and probably (hopefully) will always be an emotional person. Lately (in light of some major personal revelations) I've been an even bigger emotional wreck than usual, so it's no surprise that I bawled like a baby during the final `flower' scene in `Letyat Zhuravli'. While the ending scene's manipulative sentiment may tug at every person's heartstrings (it better), the film as a whole is far from a clichéd emotional melodrama. `Letyat Zhuravli' is a tender, honest and beautifully tragic tribute to love, war and love during war.

The film centers around a young and impressionable woman named Veronika. Smitten with her fiancé (maybe not officially, but they cannot deny the inevitable) Boris, Veronika can't stop imagining the eternal love they will share as a family. What she is unaware of though is that Boris has volunteered to fight in the war, a war that will tear her dreams to shreds. With Boris missing in action and presumed dead Veronika feels almost forced into a marriage to Boris's draft-dodging cousin Mark, who has been pawning over Veronika even before Boris's departure. Despite the cold shoulder by some in Boris's family, Veronika presses forward, holding firm to the belief that her love will eventually return to her.

But will he?

I want to just say right now that Tatyana Samojlova is a revelation here as the wilted Veronika. Her handling of this lost soul is astounding. She easily maneuvers her character through harrowing sequences of pure loneliness and isolation and then into enraged hysterics that never once feel forced or overtly dramatized. She gives a natural and moving performance, breathing a life into this all too familiar woman. I also want to single out Vasili Merkuryev, who plays Fyodor, Boris's father. His strong and grounded paternal performance is a beautifully controlled example of unwavering love, even in the face of trials to once faith. That final scene, the one that just kills me, is made all the more heartwarming (and breaking) by his presence.

This film carries with it a strong political statement, yet like powerful films such as `Dead Man Walking', `Scener ur ett Aktenskap' and `4 Luni, 3 Saptamani si 2 Zile', `Letyat Zhuravli' refuses to gives us an easy answer to the questions posed. War is a touchy subject, for there is rarely a middle ground. You are either a supporter or not. I personally (watch this get me a slew of negative votes) find the idea of war repulsive and do not support it in any way, shape or form. That doesn't stop me from appreciating the stance that this beautiful film encourages us to take. We see both sides of the spectrum and are left with the ability to either take a side or just ponder the ambiguities, which for me is the more richly rewarding course. With strong talk of heroics (which is a needed attribute to completely adore the film) yet ample examples of the obvious downside, `Letyat Zhuravli' gives us an honest portrayal of war.

It is just up to each and every viewer to decide how he or she perceives this film's purpose.

the cranes are flying is a love story first and foremost. two young people in the deepest of love are torn apart by war, a national tragedy felt by everyone in all walks of life throughout the land. this is only one such story, told with a deep insight into what it's like to say goodbye to a spouse or son or daughter and watch them march away into the midst of death. the emotion is powerful, the scenes and photography are ahead of its time and the actors, particularly Tatyana Samojlova, are raw and flawless.
any historian will tell you that Russia suffered more than any other nation as a result of the war. the final scene is particularly touching, and its important to realize here that this film was made with a special dedication to the Soviet people in mind, that the people who first saw this film were actually the ones who went through it, who suffered and fought, bled and shed tears and said goodbye, and whose lives where changed irrevocably. so it's a love story, love for soldiers, husbands, brothers, sons, a country who stood up for itself and lived to tell the amazing, touching story.

Made in the post-Stalin years, Kalatazov's tragic, visually poetic "Cranes" concerns a timeless theme--lovers separated by war-- explored through a grim, heartbreaking series of events. The gorgeous, moon-faced Samojlova gives a touching performance as the beleaguered young war widow fighting against dispiriting circumstances, ably supported by a talented supporting cast. Kalatazov's mobile camerawork and swooping crane shots lend "Cranes" an exhilarating visual feel to match the hurtling passion of its ill-starred protagonists, introducing techniques he used again for his other masterwork, "I Am Cuba." Though it immerses us in despair, "Cranes" ends where it began, with a triumphant renewal of spirit.