Where to watch The Cranes Are Flying online

Storyline

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.

Released

1957-10-12
Revenue

n/a
Budget

n/a
Runtime

1hr 37m
Genre

Drama, Romance, War
Status

Released
Language

Pусский
8.3
Production

Mosfilm

Crew

Mikhail Kalatozov

Director

Viktor Rozov

Writer

Mikhail Kalatozov

Producer

Keywords:

world war ii siege lovers marriage of convenience battlefield wounded couple air raid anti war moscow, russia loveless marriage life during wartime heartache bomb shelter returning hero

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Cast

Tatyana Samoylova

Veronika

Aleksey Batalov

Boris Fyodorovich Borozdin

Vasili Merkuryev

Fyodor Ivanovich Borozdin

Aleksandr Shvorin

Mark Aleksandrovich Borozdin

Svetlana Kharitonova

Irina Fyodorovna Borozdina

Konstantin Kadochnikov

Volodya

Valentin Zubkov

Stepan

Antonina Bogdanova

Varvara Kapitanova, Boris and Irina's Grandmother

Boris Kokovkin

Nikolay Nikolayevich Chernov

Ekaterina Kupriyanova

Anna Mikhaylovna Lebedeva

Valentina Ananina

Lyuba

Valentina Vladimirova

Woman Soldier

Olga Dzisko

Dasha

Leonid Knyazev

Sachkov

Georgiy Kulikov

Anatoliy Aleksandrovich Kuzmin

Daniil Netrebin

Wounded Man

Aleksandr Popov

Borya

Irina Preis

Antonina Nikolayevna Monastyrskaya

Nikolay Smorchkov

Zakharov

Galina Stepanova

Veronika's Mother

Klarina Frolova-Vorontsova

Guest at Party

Georgiy Shamshurin

Aleksey, Veronika's Father

Leonid Alekseyev

Old Man (uncredited)

Valentina Berezutskaya

Lyusya, Snub-Nosed Girl on Wires (uncredited)

Maya Bulgakova

Greeter Woman on Station (uncredited)

Lidiya Vinogradova

Woman Soldier (uncredited)

Lidiya Genel-Ablova

Old Woman (uncredited)

Aleksandr Degtyar

Soldier with Child (uncredited)

Anatoliy Dudorov

Military Man (uncredited)

Tamara Evgeneva-Ivanova

Guest at Party (uncredited)

Ivan Zalesskiy

(uncredited)

Anna Zargitckaia

Palyukaitis (uncredited)

Maria Klyuchareva

Greeter Woman on Station (uncredited)

Yuri Komissarov

Wounded Man in Hospital (uncredited)

Aleksandr Kuznetsov

(uncredited)

Yevgeniya Lyzhina

(uncredited)

Alevtina Rumyantseva

Young Woman (uncredited)

Mikhail Semenikhin

Wounded Man in Hospital (uncredited)

Lyubov Sokolova

Woman Soldier (uncredited)

Lyubov Studneva

Stepan's Mother (uncredited)

Vasiliy Fushchich

Wounded Man in Hospital (uncredited)

Vasiliy Tsygankov

Soldier (uncredited)

Yevgeni Kudryashov

Guest at party (uncredited)

Videos and Photos

Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Cranes Are Flying

A Review by talisencrw 10

Written by talisencrw on 2016-05-11

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 t... read more

A Review by badelf 8

Written by badelf on 2023-05-14

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 ... read more

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-12-14

Just as "Veronika" (Tatyana Samoylova) and her boyfriend "Boris" (Aleksey Batalov) are arranging a rendezvous by the river, someone only goe... read more

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.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)

A Review by talisencrw

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 inte...

A Review by talisencrw 10

Written by talisencrw on 2016-05-11

A Review by badelf 8

Written by badelf on 2023-05-14

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....