The Cranes are Flying

    There is a sort of queasiness felt after watching an especially confusing movie: a movie that totters between stunning and terrible. Was it a work of genius or a terrible blend of components? Made in 1959, The Cranes are Flying is one such movie. Veronica(Tatiana Samoilova) and Boris(Aleksy Batalov), two young people from the late 1930s, are carefree lovers at the beginning of the film. When Boris reveals he has volunteered as a soldier in World War II, their utopia is shattered. Veronica waits patiently for him while he is gone, but she never receives word of him, neither by mouth nor by letter. Meanwhile, Boris' cousin, Mark(Aleksandr Shvorin) finds himself in love with Veronica and goes to a high level of desperation in order to receive her hand in marriage. Veronica is unmoved by his performances, but is eventually forced into marriage after he shames her by rape. At the end of the film, Veronica discovers through a friend of Boris' that her dear beau has died. It is at the arrival home of the surviving soldiers that Veronica is informed of these news. For the first time in the whole movie, the audience sees her cry. After her tears are spent, she selflessly gives flowers(from a bouqette she previously received) to people in the crowd around her, leaving the story on a hopeful note.
      As strange as the general storyline of the movie sounds, The Cranes are Flying still has a lot going for it. For one thing, the acting is five star. There is not one actor in the entire film who comes across as fake or one dimensional. Tatiana Samoilova, especially, goes above and beyond in playing the role of Veronica. From cheerful gallivanting with her Boris, to an almost surreal contained sorrow after he leaves, she able to accurately display the many facets of her part. She is, assuredly, a new favorite actress of mine.
     Another factor screaming yes for The Cranes are Flying, is the cinematography. Although a black and white film, it is still as clear as the crystal waters of Key West. furthermore dramatic lighting is used throughout the movie to cast varying moods on different scenes. For example, there is a scene in which Mark is playing thundering notes on the piano. In this scene, there is a substantial amount of shadowing and dark values used. Not only is the cinematography high quality in clarity and expressive in it's lighting, but it is also taken at very unique and visually intriguing angles. It is clear that not only the story, but also the visual representation of the story was taken seriously as an art form in the making of this movie.
     The only real turn off in the film, was also a major turn off. It was hard to even make it through the film, because of the blatant lack of joy throughout. I wouldn't say that this alone is enough reason not to watch it, especially since it can be good, every now and then, to recognize the bad in life, but I also wouldn't buy it or rate it top ten. Although melancholic, it was done in the best way possible for being so down.
     The Cranes are Flying is definitely worth seeing at least once. A magnified view of society during World War II and a love story at the same time, it does a good job of giving an insider's view of life then.  furthermore, the acting and cinematography enhances the story in just the right ways while keeping the viewer entertained. The only downer to this film, is that it literally is a downer. There is no comic relief and little joy to ease the strain created by the variables set up within the storyline. If one would like to be entertained, informed and confused at the same time, The Cranes are Flying is exactly the remedy.


Answers to the Questions:

Whose point(s) of view are we shown?
     We view the movie from Veronica's point of view and Boris' point of view. Most of the movie is through Veronica's eyes, but periodically, we transition to Boris. One example is when Boris dies. We, as the viewer, see his death and are aware of it long before Veronica becomes informed.

What have these people lost?(Materially or emotionally?)
     The people during and after World War II lose much both physically and emotionally. Veronica, for example, loses her family, her fiancé, and her home. Though these are physical losses, they are also accompanied by emotional losses. Veronica's heart aches for her parents and Boris and she feels out of place. Along with those emotional losses, Veronica loses her dignity and reputation when she marries Mark. At the beginning, she is a happy little sprite with all she could possibly want. By the end, she is forlorn and lost, but she has grown far more than she could have ever foreseen. She transitions from a girl to a woman.

What will they need to do/believe in order to rebuild?
     The people will need to believe in hope and believe in a bright future, but first and foremost, they will need to have God, the ultimate source of hope and stability. They will need to push their emotions to the side in order to work hard and rebuild. At the end of the film, this is demonstrated when Veronica recognizes the joy of others around her in the midst of her suffering.

Is this film more of a descriptive or prescriptive work? If the second, what "prescription" does the film give for their troubles, if any?
     The Cranes are Flying was more prescriptive then descriptive to me. It painted a picture of someone who had lost everything because of the war, yet continued to fight and continued to find hope. At this time, this was a message meant to inspire and strengthen those in recovery from the war's terrible theft.

Are the character's experiences a symbol or an allegory, or are they to represent the everyday "universal" experience for Russians?
     I think they were to represent how war affected everyday people. The movie depicts the effects of war rawly, something future generations and differing cultures can benefit from. When World War II is usually discussed, it is seen as a whole, like looking at a city from an aerial perspective. The Cranes are Flying zooms in and gives the vantage point of living in one of those houses in the city. Both perspectives are useful in order to truly understand World War II.

Knowing that this was set during WWII, but released a decade after it ended, what do you think the people behind the film wanted to say about the war? is this a war film? Why or why not?
     This film is a war film, but it is not your regular war film. It is a "behind the scenes" movie which takes you beyond the fighting and action and into the effects of the war on one individual. War is about individuals as much as it is about the masses. I think the people behind the film wanted future generations and those unaffected by the war to be able to observe and understand a primary part of World War II that textbooks could never teach them. They also wanted to send a message of selflessness to the world.