Comments on: The Cranes Are Flying – Narrative and its Implications http://aloysia.wordpress.com/2008/03/21/the-cranes-are-flying-narrative-and-its-implications/ Apple Juice and Cigarettes Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:49:08 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Michael Tim http://aloysia.wordpress.com/2008/03/21/the-cranes-are-flying-narrative-and-its-implications/#comment-75 Michael Tim Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:13:34 +0000 http://aloysia.wordpress.com/?p=58#comment-75 I love your site! _____________________ Experiencing a slow PC recently? <a href="http://tinyurl.com/makemypcfaster" rel="nofollow">Fix it now!</a> I love your site!

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]]> By: Vanwall http://aloysia.wordpress.com/2008/03/21/the-cranes-are-flying-narrative-and-its-implications/#comment-73 Vanwall Wed, 04 Jun 2008 05:22:38 +0000 http://aloysia.wordpress.com/?p=58#comment-73 Excellent analysis! The aspect of foreshadowing is cleverly used, as well - when Boris and Veronica are hanging the black-out blanket in her bedroom, she discusses her wedding dress and pushes Boris's chin so he sees her grandparent's wedding picture on the wall - when Boris imagines their wedding as he is dying, they are dressed exactly as in the picture; in that same last dream, Boris's father is carrying the "medicinal" alcohol bottle he poured from when Boris was hastily leaving for the war - Boris was remembering the exact last thing his father, Fyodor Ivanovich, offered him. In addition, during the crowd scene where Veronica and Boris are desperately seeking each other to say goodbye before he leaves, many of the couples in the crowd there are once again in the last scenes at the train station, where Veronica hands some of them flowers after she learns of Boris's death. The use of stairs and multiple levels starts practically at the beginning and is used to advance the storyline - when a set of stairs appears, you can expect something important to happen - even in little gestures, such as when Fyodor Ivanovich stops Veronica as she hurries upstairs, so she can hear about the terrible betrayal by Mark. Much of the meaning of this film resonates with Russian viewers in ways we probably can't fathom, especially those who lived through the war - I was told by my Russian language teacher in high school that the colloquialisms and slang were a revelation for everyone back then, and she was amazed that a Soviet-made film had them at all. She was also impressed with the element of questioning that seemed to run throughout the film - one was encouraged to shut up and not question anything during that period, and the film often questioned even the littlest things, many by visual treatment rather than a direct statement. I'm not so sure the ending is strictly a communist ideal - nationalist, certainly, and more of a Mother Russia finale, I think. Excellent analysis! The aspect of foreshadowing is cleverly used, as well – when Boris and Veronica are hanging the black-out blanket in her bedroom, she discusses her wedding dress and pushes Boris’s chin so he sees her grandparent’s wedding picture on the wall – when Boris imagines their wedding as he is dying, they are dressed exactly as in the picture; in that same last dream, Boris’s father is carrying the “medicinal” alcohol bottle he poured from when Boris was hastily leaving for the war – Boris was remembering the exact last thing his father, Fyodor Ivanovich, offered him. In addition, during the crowd scene where Veronica and Boris are desperately seeking each other to say goodbye before he leaves, many of the couples in the crowd there are once again in the last scenes at the train station, where Veronica hands some of them flowers after she learns of Boris’s death.

The use of stairs and multiple levels starts practically at the beginning and is used to advance the storyline – when a set of stairs appears, you can expect something important to happen – even in little gestures, such as when Fyodor Ivanovich stops Veronica as she hurries upstairs, so she can hear about the terrible betrayal by Mark.

Much of the meaning of this film resonates with Russian viewers in ways we probably can’t fathom, especially those who lived through the war – I was told by my Russian language teacher in high school that the colloquialisms and slang were a revelation for everyone back then, and she was amazed that a Soviet-made film had them at all. She was also impressed with the element of questioning that seemed to run throughout the film – one was encouraged to shut up and not question anything during that period, and the film often questioned even the littlest things, many by visual treatment rather than a direct statement.

I’m not so sure the ending is strictly a communist ideal – nationalist, certainly, and more of a Mother Russia finale, I think.

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