The Cranes Are Flying (1957): Cast, Box Office & Plot
The Cranes Are Flying is a 1957 romantic drama directed by Mikhail Kalatozov, starring Aleksey Batalov as Boris, Tatyana Samoylova and Aleksandr Degtyar. It runs 1 hour 37 minutes and earned $32,549 worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 37m (97 min)
- Director
- Mikhail Kalatozov
- Original language
-
Russian - Studio
- Mosfilm
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is The Cranes Are Flying About?
The premise of The Cranes Are Flying without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A tender romance begins as Veronika and Boris meet in Moscow before World II. Walking by the river they watch cranes and promise to meet before Boris goes to the front. He never returns; Veronika endures wartime hardships, writes letters and, after her home is bombed, takes refuge with Boris’s family, where a cousin’s motives threaten her happiness.
The Cranes Are Flying Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- true love
- sacrifice
- patriotism
- guilt
- crane the bird
- death of parents
- rape victim
- war orphan
- moscow russia
- loveless marriage
- missing in action
- air raid shelter
+38 more Show fewer
- world war two
- red army
- great patriotic war
- redemption
- meaning of life
- love letter
- anti war
- tank
- playing piano
- birthday gift
- hand held camera
- flock of storks
- endearing nickname
- outbreak of war
- crying woman
- death of soldier
- death of loved one
- fantasy sequence
- flower bouquet
- harmonica player
- factory worker
- nipples visible through clothing
- stuffed squirrel
- subway
- bombed building
- arranged marriage
- war nurse
- army soldier
- namesake
- troop train
- forced kiss
- waiting for the mail
- attempted suicide
- historical drama
- tragic romance
- political drama
- love
- loneliness
The Cranes Are Flying Cast & Characters
Aleksey Batalov leads the cast as Boris, with Tatyana Samoylova as Veronika and Aleksandr Degtyar as Soldier with Child (uncredited). Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov; 44 actors are credited in all.
- Director Mikhail Kalatozov
- Aleksey Batalov as Boris
- Tatyana Samoylova as Veronika
- Aleksandr Degtyar as Soldier with Child (uncredited)
- Nikolay Smorchkov as Zakharov
Also Starring in The Cranes Are Flying
· 40 more- Aleksandr Shvorin Mark
- Valentin Zubkov Stepan
- Konstantin Kadochnikov Volodya
- Vasili Merkuryev Fyodor Ivanovich
- Svetlana Kharitonova Irina
- Yevgeni Kudryashov Guest at party (uncredited)
- Lyubov Sokolova Woman Soldier (uncredited)
- Valentina Berezutskaya Lyusya, Snub-Nosed Girl on Wires (uncredited)
- Valentina Ananina Lyuba
- Maya Bulgakova Greeter Woman on Station (uncredited)
- Aleksandr Kuznetsov
- Valentina Vladimirova Woman Soldier
- Alevtina Rumyantseva Young Woman (uncredited)
- Daniil Netrebin Wounded Man
- Georgiy Kulikov Anatoliy Aleksandrovich Kuzmin
- Leonid Knyazev Sachkov
Show all 44 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Boris Kokovkin Chernov
- Aleksandr Popov Borya
- Vasiliy Tsygankov Soldier (uncredited)
- Anna Zarzhitskaya Palyukaitis (uncredited)
- Antonina Bogdanova Grandmother
- Mikhail Semenikhin Wounded Man in Hospital (uncredited)
- Anatoliy Dudorov Military Man (uncredited)
- Galina Stepanova Veronika's Mother
- Maria Klyuchareva Greeter Woman on Station (uncredited)
- Klarina Frolova-Vorontsova Guest at Party
- Georgiy Shamshurin Aleksey, Veronika's Father
- Vasiliy Fushchich Wounded Man in Hospital (uncredited)
- Irina Preis Antonina Nikolayevna Monastyrskaya
- Anatoli Chebotaryov
- Ekaterina Kupriyanova Anna Mikhaylovna
- Olga Dzisko Dasha
- Leonid Alekseyev Old Man (uncredited)
- Lidiya Vinogradova Woman Soldier (uncredited)
- Lidiya Genel-Ablova Old Woman (uncredited)
- Tamara Evgeneva-Ivanova Guest at Party (uncredited)
- Yuri Komissarov Wounded Man in Hospital (uncredited)
- Lyubov Studneva Stepan's Mother (uncredited)
- Ivan Zalesskiy
- Yevgeniya Lyzhina
The Cranes Are Flying Plot Summary
What happens in The Cranes Are Flying from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In “What’s After the Movie,” the story begins in the early hours of June 22, 1941, in Moscow, as Veronika and her boyfriend, Aleksey Batalov, watch the cranes soar over the city during sunrise. They quickly sneak back into their family apartments, unaware that just hours later, their lives will be dramatically changed forever. The devastating news arrives soon after when Boris’s cousin, Nikolay Smorchkov, wakes him with the horrifying announcement that Nazi Germany has launched a surprise invasion of the Soviet Union.
Full summary
The whole story of The Cranes Are Flying, scene by scene
The Cranes Are Flying Box Office
The Cranes Are Flying grossed $32,549 worldwide. $17,923 came from the US and Canada and $14,626 (45%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$32.5K
- US & Canada
- $17.9K
- International
- $14.6K
The Cranes Are Flying Videos
2 videos: 2 clips.
- Clip Film Trailer: Letyat zhuravli / The Cranes Are Flying
How Well Do You Know The Cranes Are Flying?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
On what date does the movie begin in Moscow?
Seen The Cranes Are Flying?
Movies Like The Cranes Are Flying
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including War-Time Romance, Ballad of a Soldier and Sunflower.
The Cranes Are Flying FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, post-credit scenes and language of The Cranes Are Flying, each answered in a sentence.
How long is The Cranes Are Flying?
The Cranes Are Flying runs 1 hour 37 minutes (97 minutes).
When was The Cranes Are Flying released?
The Cranes Are Flying was released on October 12, 1957.
Who directed The Cranes Are Flying?
The Cranes Are Flying was directed by Mikhail Kalatozov.
More films by Mikhail Kalatozov Who is in the cast of The Cranes Are Flying?
The Cranes Are Flying stars Aleksey Batalov as Boris, Tatyana Samoylova as Veronika and Aleksandr Degtyar as Soldier with Child (uncredited), among 44 credited actors.
How much did The Cranes Are Flying make at the box office?
The Cranes Are Flying grossed $32,549 worldwide ($17,923 domestic, $14,626 international).
Does The Cranes Are Flying have a post-credit scene?
No. The Cranes Are Flying has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is The Cranes Are Flying in?
The original language of The Cranes Are Flying is Russian.
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