The Cranes are Flying (1957) Criterion 1080p BluRay x265 HEVC AAC-SARTRE

This landmark film by the virtuosic Mikhail Kalatozov was heralded as a revelation in the post-Stalin Soviet Union and the international cinema community alike. It tells the story of Veronica (Tatiana Samoilova) and Boris (Alexei Batalov), a couple who are blissfully in love until World War II tears them apart. With Boris at the front, Veronica must try to ward off spiritual numbness and defend herself from the increasingly forceful advances of her beau’s draft-dodging cousin. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival, The Cranes Are Flying is a superbly crafted drama with impassioned performances and viscerally emotional, gravity-defying cinematography by Kalatozov’s regular collaborator Sergei Urusevsky.

Extras

• Ian Christie - In this new program, critic Ian Christie discusses the socio-political environment in which The Cranes are Flying emerged, the film's style and success, and the life and career of its creator, Mikhail Kalatozov. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 720p).

• Mikhail Kalatozov - In this archival interview, director Mikhail Kalatozov discusses his fondness of 'poetic cinema', his creative imagination and the goals he set for himself while shooting films, and some of the key qualities that defined Soviet cinema after the end of the war. The interview was conducted by critic Gideon Bachmann at the Moscow International Film Festival in July, 1961. In Russian and English, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (12 min, 720p).

• Portrait of Sergei Urusevsky - Presented here is an excerpt from an archival documentary on Sergei Urusevsky which features the cinematographer's drawings for The Cranes Are Flying, along with interviews with his daughter, Irina Urusevskaya, and actor Alexei Batalov. The documentary was produced in 2008. In Russian, with optional English subtitles. (19 min, 720p).

• The Road to Cannes - In this archival program, Claude Lelouch recalls his first trip to Moscow in the early 1950s where he witnessed the shooting of The Cranes Are Flying, which inspired him to become a director. The program features archival footage that Lelouch was allowed to shoot in Moscow, footage from the famous stairway sequence from The Cranes Are Flying, as well as footage from the Cannes Film Festival where the film won the Palme d'Or Award. In Russian, with optional English subtitles. (5 min, 720p).

• Hurricane Kalatozov - This documentary film takes a closer look at Mikhail Kalatozov's legacy and his relationship with the Soviet government. It was directed by Patrick Cazals in 2009. In Russian, English, Spanish, and French, with printed English subtitles. (74 min, 720p).