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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Letyat zhuravli" or "The Cranes Are Flying")
Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov
Soviet
Union 1957
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. *** Veronika and Boris come together in Moscow shortly before World War II. Walking along the river, they watch cranes fly overhead, and promise to rendezvous before Boris leaves to fight. Boris misses the meeting and is off to the front lines, while Veronika waits patiently, sending letters faithfully. After her house is bombed, Veronika moves in with Boris' family, into the company of a cousin with his own intentions. |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: October 12th, 1957
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Review: Criterion - Region 'A' / 'B' - Blu-ray
RusCiCo Screen captures Courtesy of Ashirg!
Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: Coming out from Criterion, on Blu-ray, in the UK on April 13th, 2020: Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Criterion - Region 'A' / 'B' - Blu-ray | |
Runtime | 1:36:50.513 | |
Video |
1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,386,061,491 bytes Feature: 28,859,283,456 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.61 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Blu-ray: |
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Audio |
LPCM Audio Russian 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit |
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Subtitles | English, None | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion
1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,386,061,491 bytes Feature: 28,859,283,456 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.61 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
• New interview with scholar Ian Christie on why the film is a landmark
of Soviet cinema (18:40)
Chapters 14 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (March 2020): Criterion have transferred Mikhail Kalatozov's The Cranes are Flying to Blu-ray. It is rendered via a "New 2K digital restoration". The Criterion DVD came out way back in 2002 - it had about 1 5.5 Mbps bitrate. This new 1080P has almost 7X that and the HD presentation is gorgeous. Of course, kudos to the emotive cinematography of Sergey Urusevskiy (I Am Cuba, Letter Never Sent). There may be a shade more information on the side edges and a bit less on the top and bottom as compared to the Criterion DVD. The higher resolution improves upon every facet of the early SD image(s); detail, depth and, obviously, contrast. It, frequently, looks breathtaking on Blu-ray. NOTE: We have added 39 more large resolution Indicator Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original Russian language. Dialogue is clean and there are some war-related effects plus and amazing score by Moisey Vaynberg (aka 'Mieczysław Weinberg') - from Wikipedia "his music has been increasingly described as "some of the most individual and compelling music of the twentieth century". Weinberg's output was extensive, encompassing 26 symphonies, 17 string quartets, nearly 30 sonatas for various instruments, 7 operas, and numerous film scores.". It supports the film demonstratively in the uncompressed transfer. It's another significant part of the viewing experience. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' / 'B' Blu-ray. The Criterion Blu-ray includes a new, 19-minute, interview with scholar Ian Christie on why the film is considered such a landmark. Filmed by Criterion in September 2019, Christie explains the delicate sociopolitical context in which The Cranes Are Flying was released and how it represents such a turning point in Soviet cinema. There is an 11-minute audio interview with director Mikhail Kalatozov. It is from an interview with the director that was conducted by film critic Gideon Bachmann in July 1961, at the second Moscow International Film Festival. Hurricane Kalatozov, is a 1 1/4-hour documentary from 2009 on the Georgian director’s complex relationship with the Soviet government. Directed by Patrick Cazals, this illuminates the inventiveness of Kalatozov's films to, often, circumvent the demands of the communist government. Included is a 19-minute segment from a 2008 program on Sergei Urusevsky about the film’s cinematography, featuring original storyboards and an interview with actor Alexei Batalov . It features the cinematographer's drawings for The Cranes Are Flying, along with interviews with his daughter, Inga Urusevskaya. There is the 2001 interview with filmmaker Claude Lelouch on the film’s French premiere at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. In this brief interview of less than 5-minutes Lelouch recalls visiting Moscow during the filming of The Cranes Are Flying and his instrumental role in getting the film to play at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. The package contains a liner notes booklet with an essay by critic Chris Fujiwara. The Cranes are Flying is an absolute masterpiece and Mikhail Kalatozov's film was far overdue to reach Blu-ray status. Nice to have the new extras and this is 'must-own' territory and has our absolute highest recommendation! |
Menus / Extras
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle Sample - Criterion - Region 'A' / 'B' - Blu-ray
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1)
RusCiCo - Region
0 - NTSC
TOP 3) Criterion - Region 'A' / 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
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Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: Coming out from Criterion, on Blu-ray, in the UK on April 13th, 2020: Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Criterion - Region 'A' / 'B' - Blu-ray |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |