Time: 95 Minutes
Age Rating: PG
Cast:
Tatiana Samoilova as Veronika
Aleksey Batalov as Boris
Vasili Merkuryev as Fyodor Ivanovich
Aleksandr Shvorin as Mark
Director: Mikhail Kalatozov

I went into The Cranes are Flying through my local film society not knowing anything about it beforehand, so I was really taken off guard by how outstanding it turned out to be.

The Cranes are Flying is a powerful and honest anti war movie, depicting the lives of the common people during a war and showing the effects on them. It’s devastating, sombre and we see the loneliness and sadness as we experience the emotional turmoil of its main character.

The acting on the whole is believable and raw. Tatiana Samoilova is outstanding in the lead role; expressive, subtle and emotionally powerful, she conveys so much.

Mikhail Kalatozov’s direction is phenomenal. The black and white cinematography is tremendous and the visuals are so well composed and compelling. The long takes are great, and the shots taking place in crowds are particularly amazing, with fittingly erratic and handheld camerawork and are appropriately claustrophobic.

The Cranes are Flying is a powerful and captivating anti war film, phenomenally directed and with an amazing performance from Tatyana Samoylova.