THE CRANES ARE FLYING
With 2020 being anything but normal, when I initially thought about having to write my top ten list earlier in the year, I had decided that I was going to include classic films that I had seen during the year, but with the caveat that titles could only by included if the first time I had seen the film was in 2020. However when the time finally came around to write my top ten, I realised that I had seen enough new films to fill out a full list without the use of classic films. However, I still wanted to mention the only film that I gave a perfect five stars to in all of 2020: Mikhail Kalatozov's 1957 masterpiece “The Cranes are Flying”.
As I mentioned earlier, the lack of new films being released in 2020 gave me the perfect opportunity to revisit old favourites and to explore more classic films regardless of their country of origin. The month of March saw “The Cranes Are Flying” released on blu ray, and although I did not immediately buy it, from just skimming reviews and looking at screenshots from the film, I had a feeling that it was a film that I would respond to. At this time, I was unaware of its critical standing amongst cinephiles, nor that it was considered a masterpiece by many. Eventually I decided to buy a copy and once the disc arrived, I immediately watched it. I was totally floored by this film! It was unlike anything I had ever seen before; it was like a visual poem. I was devastated by this powerful story of love and loss, while at the same time, I was exhilarated by the filmmaking level on display. After one viewing, there was no doubt in my mind that I had just watched a masterpiece of cinema and cinematic technique.
For those who are unaware of the plot of “The Cranes Are Flying”, it is about a young couple, Veronika and Boris, falling madly in love, on the cusp of World War II and Germany's invasion of Soviet Russia. The pair plan to meet up the following day, when war breaks and Boris volunteers in the war effort with immediate departure, giving the young pair no chance for a goodbye. Veronika also serves her country by becoming a nurse, looking after the wounded soldiers, whilst hoping for some news of her fiance. However no news is coming, and after an air raid that sees her home destroyed, Veronika's life becomes all the more harder. Her future father in law offers her a place to stay, but the weight of not knowing about Boris gets heavier as time goes on. Eventually she is forced into a decision that will alter her life forever......
You may be thinking to yourself that this sounds just like any number of war films, but you would be wrong. Yes, we have seen stories about lovers torn apart by war and just how hard life is during wartime many times before, but it is usually told from the point of view of the male. “The Cranes Are Flying” however is predominately about the experiences faced by the women left behind whilst the men go and fight, and the hardships this causes on them. It is such a powerful and eye-opening film, but it is also so, so beautiful. The opening scenes of the couple in love have such a lightness to them, with the world and future so bright for them both. This lightness is destroyed quickly by the heaviness that war brings with it.
The performance from Tatyana Samoylova as Veronika is what gives “The Cranes Are Flying” its emotional power. She is devastatingly good in this film, where she comes across as almost ethereal in the early, happy scenes, and just as heartbreaking towards the end when life is beating her down, but she refuses to give in to it. She is stunning in every scene she is in.
What makes “The Cranes Are Flying” so special is its cinematography from Sergey Urusevskiy which is some of the most beautiful and mind blowing that I have ever seen. I know this statement reeks of hyperbole but it is actually the truth. Some of the camera moves just have to be seen to be believed. One example is a long shot of Boris bounding up many floors via a staircase to meet Veronika, the whole time the camera is spiralling in the middle of the stairs keeping up with him. This shot is later mirrored when Veronika comes home after the air raid on her house. She flies up the stairs only to open the door to her apartment and find nothing left. I still wonder how they pulled this amazing shot off. The shot is repeated one other time in the film, but I refuse to destroy the moment it happens as it is significant within the film. The angles that Urusevskiy chooses to shoot from are so odd but all work at creating an atmosphere that helps the viewer understand the characters mental state in any moment. There is also a fantastic single shot when we briefly visit Boris on the front-line, as he saves a rookie's life from certain death. The end of this sequence gives way to the most perfect montage, but again, I cannot talk about this moment without ruining the film.
Personally, I am not sure I have done an adequate job in this brief section of conveying just how perfect and emotionally heartbreaking this film is, whilst at the same time being exhilarating from a technique point of view. All I can say is, if you have any inkling that you may enjoy this film, just go and see it. It is a stunning achievement on every level. It is an out and out masterpiece, and one that I am sure will penetrate your soul. There is just so much going on in the film, but it all seems so simple at the same time. That is its genius. It looks delicate whilst showing the hardships these poor women go through. I adore this film so much, and it was the only film I gave a perfect five stars to in all of 2020. Please just see it! (As a side note, the very next film I watched after this was Marcel Carne's brilliant “Port of Shadows”, so I was having some kind of week in cinema that week).
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