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The Cranes Are Flying, 1957
Boris (Aleksey Batalov) and Veronika (Tatyana Samoylova) are young, very much in love, and clearly on the way to a very happy marriage. But when WW2 rolls around, Boris decides to enlist and Veronika is left behind. Not having even had a chance to say goodbye to Boris, Veronika deals with the horrors of war and uncertainty, all as she hopes and waits for Boris to return.
So, like, not to give away the ol' ballot or anything, but might this be one of the best movies I have ever seen? I think maybe the answer is yes. While I was watching the movie, I kept thinking that I wouldn't actually have anything to say about it, because I was experiencing it so much on a purely emotional level. How do you put into words "trying not to cry while standing on my living room rug" in a way that is anything close to a review?
But after the end of the film, I actually find that I have many things worth mentioning.
To begin with, I love movies that portray complicated emotional dynamics with an eye to empathy for the different characters. While Boris and Veronika evoke the most sympathy and deep emotion, the actions of the other characters are also understandable. It is hard to see Boris's family turn on Veronika when
, but their emotions are totally understandable.
And from a technical/visual point of view, I thought that this was just stunning. From the bookends of Veronika at the parade grounds, to the sequence where she runs through the fiery aftermath of a bombing raid, there were so many memorable and striking sequences. The scene where
. In moments like that one, the film layers horror on horror.
For a film that only runs about 90 minutes, this is one of the most all-inclusive "war is hell" films I've ever seen. Again, though Boris and Veronika mainly take center stage, one of my favorite sequences is when Veronika goes to see Boris off at the grounds and the camera passes through the crowd of people saying goodbye: a middle-aged husband leaving his wife; a stunned young woman holding an infant as she kisses her young husband goodbye; a man holding his child while his own parents leans against him. It doesn't matter who it is, the burden of war is heavy on those who leave and on those who stay behind. War has a way of fracturing the lives of everyone involved--those who serve and those who are left behind.
If I had one tiny nitpick, it would maybe be that
I'm going to say something really shallow now, so hold onto your monocles, film buffs. I had always thought because of the title and the poster that this film wouldn't really be for me. What a lovely way to find out I was wrong.
Boris (Aleksey Batalov) and Veronika (Tatyana Samoylova) are young, very much in love, and clearly on the way to a very happy marriage. But when WW2 rolls around, Boris decides to enlist and Veronika is left behind. Not having even had a chance to say goodbye to Boris, Veronika deals with the horrors of war and uncertainty, all as she hopes and waits for Boris to return.
So, like, not to give away the ol' ballot or anything, but might this be one of the best movies I have ever seen? I think maybe the answer is yes. While I was watching the movie, I kept thinking that I wouldn't actually have anything to say about it, because I was experiencing it so much on a purely emotional level. How do you put into words "trying not to cry while standing on my living room rug" in a way that is anything close to a review?
But after the end of the film, I actually find that I have many things worth mentioning.
To begin with, I love movies that portray complicated emotional dynamics with an eye to empathy for the different characters. While Boris and Veronika evoke the most sympathy and deep emotion, the actions of the other characters are also understandable. It is hard to see Boris's family turn on Veronika when
And from a technical/visual point of view, I thought that this was just stunning. From the bookends of Veronika at the parade grounds, to the sequence where she runs through the fiery aftermath of a bombing raid, there were so many memorable and striking sequences. The scene where
WARNING: spoilers below
Mark declares his love and then sexually assaults a stunned Veronika during the bombing raid was so intense on every level.
For a film that only runs about 90 minutes, this is one of the most all-inclusive "war is hell" films I've ever seen. Again, though Boris and Veronika mainly take center stage, one of my favorite sequences is when Veronika goes to see Boris off at the grounds and the camera passes through the crowd of people saying goodbye: a middle-aged husband leaving his wife; a stunned young woman holding an infant as she kisses her young husband goodbye; a man holding his child while his own parents leans against him. It doesn't matter who it is, the burden of war is heavy on those who leave and on those who stay behind. War has a way of fracturing the lives of everyone involved--those who serve and those who are left behind.
If I had one tiny nitpick, it would maybe be that
WARNING: spoilers below
Mark is maybe too convenient of a bad guy. And by that I simply mean that he gives the film its villain, when the only villain it really needed was the war itself. Mark is ultimately excoriated for his cowardice and not, you know, the rape that he committed against a young woman whose parents had just been killed. It is the one element of the film that I am still thinking over. I do realize that he is an important catalyst for the major events in the film. Just still pondering it.
I'm going to say something really shallow now, so hold onto your monocles, film buffs. I had always thought because of the title and the poster that this film wouldn't really be for me. What a lovely way to find out I was wrong.