The Cranes Are Flying
Directed by MIKHAIL KALATOZOV
Starring TATYANA SAMOYLOVA ALEKSEY BATALOV VASILIY MERKUREV
1957
Released 13 APRIL
Blu-ray
It’s become a cliché of film criticism to reference the dour, intellectually imposing work, from 1957, predates the work of Tarkovsky, but instead harks back to the fizzing montages and crackling energy of silent era pioneers such as Sergei Eisenstein and Alexander Dovzhenko. This lapel-shaking wartime tragedy overflows with athletic tracking shots as characters dash through crowds or dart alongside steam trains. Immaculate, pristinely judged framing sees characters emphasised and de-emphasised through the use of light and shadow. The film is over half-a-century old, and even had it been made using modern, lightweight equipment, there are still shots that baffle the brain – how were they able to do that?
