The cranes are flying

In this perceptive and accessible guide to The Cranes are Flying, by Mikhail Kalatozov, Josephine Woll discusses the film´s themes, characterisation and its cinematic language, notably Sergei Urusevsky´s startingly original visual design and camerawork. She reveals the film´s place in its historical and particular domestic context and discusses both its international critical reception and how viewers both when it was released and since have responsed to this remarkable, innovate film.