The Cranes Are Flying 1957 123movies

Watch: Летят журавли 1957 123movies, Full Movie Online – As the clouds of war spread over Russia during Germany’s surprise invasion in 1941, the fervent young lovers, the sensitive Veronika and the stalwart Boris, are parted when the patriotic lad secretly volunteers for the war effort. During the following hard years, Veronika who serves her country as a wartime-nurse will lose communication with Boris, moreover, when a devastating air raid destroys her house and Boris’ father takes her in to live with the family, unexpectedly, things will take a turn for the worse. Before long, the worried fiancée will find herself dealing not only with the dark thoughts of Boris’ potential loss but also with the burden of an unwelcome decision. Once, the star-crossed lovers swore eternal devotion under a flock of flying cranes, still, a war is always cruel and eternally disastrous..
Plot: 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.
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Ratings:

	8.3/10 Votes: 17,815
	96% | RottenTomatoes
	N/A | MetaCritic
	N/A Votes: 265 Popularity: 15.063 | TMDB

Reviews:

Powerful story of the effect of war.
Sometimes you see a film and it knocks you for six. Sometimes those films are unknown to most people. The Cranes Are Flying is one of those films. Made in Soviet Russia in 1957, the films starts with the romance of Veronika and Boris, a romance that is rudely interrupted when he volunteers to go to the front during WWII. After the lose of her own family, Boris’ family invite her to live with them, only for his brother who found exemption from fighting ‘forcing’ her into marriage. The family are forced to move to Siberia to escape the onslaught of the Germans and it is here Veronika learns the fate of her real love.

The film’s main plot, the love story, is tragic, but the film as a whole is as tragic in it’s depiction of war and the immense effect it has on people. Through fine performances the cast bring another episode of war to life, with drama, joy, despair and hope. Director Mikhail Kalatozov achieves something else, a masterpiece of film making. The film contains some of the most remarkable camera work you’ll likely to see in a pre-CGI film world. One of the early scenes where Boris runs up flights of stairs as the camera pans and follows in one take is a hint of things to come. That scene is mirrored when Veronika returns to her family apartment to find it bombed and runs up the same stairwell, that hangs among the ruins and fire. There are fine tracking shots, such as where Veronica runs along the dispatch area or when she runs along the train track. Another stand out scene is where Veronica is ‘trapped’ by the brother during an air raid, the noise loud, the camera angles obscure, the lighting jarred and ominous, it’s a powerful moment, among many throughout the film.

The audience learns the fate of Boris way before Veronica, who tries to hang onto hope that he will return. Her love grows ever more when she discovers the note he left in the toy squirrel. The powerful end scenes, when the truth is revealed are stunningly effective, full of emotion and the horror of what war can create in people.

War films are often too busy concentrating on the battles itself, but occasionally a film will explore the real battle, the one that humanity has to endure on a personal level.

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I am always waiting … The Cranes are Flying
Director Mikhail Kalatozov’s film The Cranes are Flying (Letyat zhuravli) is a glorious piece of cinema. From the screenplay by Viktor Rozov, based on his own play, Kalatozov shows us a vision of the heroism of war and the suffering by those left at home. Inundated with countless war movies showing us the frontlines and the carnage, the topic itself becomes tedious and avoidable. However, this Russian gem shows how the tale of hardship can be told in a different way; by telling us, straight from a soldier’s mouth how war is hated by all, that they hope those who died did so for a cause that will allow for peace and the end of fighting, we see a new vision of WWII. We have young men volunteering to wage war for peace, to keep their families and loved ones safe at home rather than draftees fighting a battle they don’t believe in. With so much hatred towards our current situation in the Middle East, and how people are dying for no reason, against their will, it’s nice to see a film that shows just how selfless and heroic these soldiers are, as well as those awaiting their return.

Communist Russia shows how involved all were in the war. While Boris may have volunteered to go to the frontlines, his father is head doctor of a hospital aiding in the mending of soldiers injured and his sister is helping him there as well as his girl Veronika, doing all she can to keep her mind off the fact that no letter has arrived from her love. An entire city comes out to send the boys off in celebration. Even the factory that Boris and his friend Stepan work for send representatives over with gifts of gratitude. Whether this is all a glorified look into Russia at the outset of WWII or not, I don’t know. There are no protests or badmouthing of these boys risking their lives for a country, it is all praise and thanks. Some in America could learn a lesson from this because whether you agree with the war at hand or not, protesting and wreaking havoc in its name only sullies what these men and women are sacrificing each and everyday.

The acting is top-notch throughout, but some deserve singling out. I really enjoyed Antonina Bogdanova in a small role as Boris’ grandmother. She is the one family member he can trust and her sadness at his leaving is very evident on her face and through her body language. Vasili Merkuryev, as the patriarch Fyodor Ivanovich, brings what is perhaps the best performance. As spoken at the end, about fathers needing to choke back hidden tears, Merkuryev epitomizes those sentiments. He puts on a tough exterior, especially cracking jokes and riding his son hard when he finds out about his volunteering just hours before he must leave. But when Boris exits to go to the assembly station we see the true pain of the man, seated in sorrow at the table. He loves his son dearly and although he may not be able to show it to him, his actions throughout the film express it to the audience. Aleksey Batalov is effective as Boris, a happy-go-lucky young man, and idealist, doing what he believes is right, and Aleksandr Shvorin is good as the villainous Mark, staying home due to his talented piano skills, or maybe just to steal his cousin’s love. That love, played by Tatyana Samojlova, really draws the audience in to her grief, dejection, and slim glimmer of hope. The true star of the film, she must go through many emotions on a journey where she does lose her way, needing to steer back on course, hoping that she did so soon enough for Boris’ return.

Besides the realism to the story, as well as being unafraid to use tragedy to get the theme across, I also loved the visual style of the film. Sergei Urusevsky’s cinematography is amazing, especially when considering the movie was shot in fullscreen. It is one thing to create stunning compositions in a widescreen panorama; it is completely different to do so in a square frame. Right from the beginning we get a beautiful static shot of a winding walkway along water, a bridge in the background at the top, as our two lovers skip their way up the screen and into the distance. There are multiple instances of the camera being behind barriers yet still allowing for the action to be seen, creating unique spatial depth and interest at all times. Sharp angles are utilized, as well as careful blocking to allow for overhead shots and exaggerated juxtapositions of characters in frame together.

The real feats, however, are those instances of the long shot. Used well towards the end to follow Veronika through the mass of returning soldiers, it is magnificent earlier on as she roams through those saying goodbye to their loved ones while she searches for Boris, her own farewell needing to be said. The planning for this shot must have been extensive because while she weaves in and out of people, the camera focuses on couples kisses, people yelling to one another, and more, all purposely in frame at specific moments while the camera moves through. Everyone needed to hit his mark precisely and it leads to a brilliant piece of cinema. It’s just one part of an overall masterpiece of tone and style; The Cranes are Flying shows how successful placement and mise en scène can be in showing the audience what it needs in as simple a way as possible. Composition and professionalism from the actors and crew can work wonders, adding something that huge setpieces and special effects can never do.

Other Information:

Original Language ru
Runtime 1 hr 35 min (95 min)
Budget 0
Revenue 0
Status Released
Rated Not Rated
Genre Drama, Romance, War
Director Mikhail Kalatozov
Writer Viktor Rozov
Actors Tatyana Samoylova, Aleksey Batalov, Vasiliy Merkurev
Country Soviet Union
Awards Nominated for 2 BAFTA 6 wins & 4 nominations total
Production Company N/A
Website N/A

Technical Information:

Sound Mix Mono
Aspect Ratio 1.37 : 1
Camera N/A
Laboratory Mosfilm, Moscow, Soviet Union
Film Length 2,565 m (Sweden)
Negative Format 35 mm
Cinematographic Process Spherical
Printed Film Format DCP (2K), 35 mm