The Cranes are Flying

(Letjat zhuravli)
by Mikheil Kalatozishvili
Soviet Union 1957

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DVD Comparison

Criterion Region 0- NTSC vs. RusCiCo R0 - NTSC

R2 Screen captures Courtesy of Ashirg

DVD Box Covers

  

 

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Distribution Criterion
Region 0 encoded  		RusCiCo
Region 0 (NTSC)
Runtime 1:35:42 min 1:31:06 min
Video 1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.64 mb/s
NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s		 1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 6.23
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
Bitrate:

Criterion

Bitrate:

RusCiCo

Audio Russian (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)

Russian Dolby Digital 5.1
English Dolby Digital 5.1
French Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles English, None English, Russian, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Hebrew, Swedish, Arabic. Dutch, Japanese, Chinese
Features Studio: Home Vision Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: March 21, 1960
DVD Release Date: April 30, 2002
Run Time: 94 minutes
Production Company: Home Vision Entertainment
Package Type: Amaray Case

Aspect Ratio(s):

Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1

Discographic Information:
DVD Encoding: All Regions
Layers: Dual
Available Audio Tracks: Russian (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Available subtitles: English

Edition Details:
• All Regions
• Black & White
• New digital transfer
• Full-screen format

Studio: Mosfilm
Theatrical Release Date: March 21, 1960
DVD Release Date: June, 2001
Run Time: 91 minutes
Production Company: RusCiCo
Package Type: Keep Case

Aspect Ratio(s):

Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1

Discographic Information:
DVD Encoding: All Regions
Layers: Dual
Available Audio Tracks: Russian Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Available subtitles: English, Russian, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Hebrew, Swedish, Arabic. Dutch, Japanese, Chinese

Special Features:
- cast interviews - Alexei Batalov (11 mins), Tatiana Saimolova (19 mins)
- wartime propaganda - "Chronicles" - (7 minutes) wartime propaganda film. 'November 7 1941 - The Parade in Red Square'.
- multiple trailers
- filmographies - director Mikhail Kalatozov, writer Victor Rozov, cameraman Sergei Urusevsky, composer Moisey Vainberg and actors Alexei Batalov, Tatiana Samoilova, Valentin Zubkov, Alexander Shvorin, Vassily Merkuriev and Svetlana Kharitonova
- stills gallery ( 9 black and white from the film, one color poster ). Selectable as thumbnails.

DVD Release Date: April 30, 2002
Amaray Case
Chapters: 20		 DVD Release Date: June, 2001
Keep Case
Chapters: 16
Comments: The Criterion image, as you can plainly see by the captures below is vastly superior to the RusCiCo. It reminded me of the beautiful Hitchcock Black and White films that Criterion have put out. Pure blacks, sharp details, zero edge enhancement. Amazing quality. But everything else goes RusCiCo's way from there. 5.1 remix from a mono original is better than the Criterion 2.0. It doesn't come into play much except in some battle sequences with occasional explosions from the sub-woofer. RusCiCo has some very interesting extras on their DVD... and there are no extras on the Criterion. If you are a huge enough fan of this film, my advice would be to get both discs.

Note: "Contrary to the claim made on the RusCiCo DVD box, the Tatiana Saimolova piece has nothing to say about The Cranes Are Flying film.


DVD Menu
(Criterion left, RusCiCo right)

 

Titles

(Criterion left, RusCiCo right)

(Criterion left, RusCiCo right)


(Criterion left, RusCiCo right)


(Criterion left, RusCiCo right)

(Criterion top, RusCiCo bottom)

Report Card:

Image:

Criterion 

Sound:

 RusCiCo
Extras: RusCiCo
Menu: RusCiCo

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