
1957 · drama · war · romance
Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov1h 37m1957
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.
Our read: The Cranes Are Flying (1957) reads as a sombre, steady, grounded drama · war · romance entry — measured in intensity, mid-stakes in scope, measured in temperature, nihilistic in outlook, with a strong directorial signature.
Sombre, steady, measured drama / war, grounded in texture. Nihilistic, mid-stakes, measured.
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Criterion Channel
Fandango At HomeAvailability in the US · via JustWatch




Each axis is scored by hand, not from votes or genre averages. The bar uses the film's own colours.
“You want breathtaking Soviet wartime romance with revolutionary camera work.”
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