'' The Cranes Are Flying '' ( , translit . '' Letyat zhuravli '' ) is a 1957 Soviet film about World War II . It depicts the cruelty of war and the damage suffered to the Soviet psyche as a result of World War II ( known in the Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War ) . It was directed at Mosfilm by the Georgian-born Soviet director Mikhail Kalatozov in 1957 and stars Aleksey Batalov and Tatiana Samoilova . It was adapted by Viktor Rozov from his play . It won the '' Palme d'Or '' at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival , the only Soviet film to win that award , although '' The Turning Point '' ( 1946 ) was one of eleven films awarded that year 's Grand Prix , the predecessor of the '' Palme d'Or ''
1958 Cannes Film Festival
1958 Cannes Film Festival
The Cranes Are Flying