Based on a play by V. Rusov, the Russian The Cranes are Flying is a love story set during the early years of World War II. Widowed by the war, Tatyana Samoylova reluctantly allows herself to be seduced by her late husbands cousin. Feeling nothing towards her seducer, she agrees to marry him, hoping that hell be a surrogate for her fallen husband. Several subsequent events (both joyous and melancholy) enable the heroine to rebuild her life, as well as restore her own sense of self-value. The unfortunate husband is played by Alexei Batalov. The Cranes Are Flying won several international awards, and was a notable success on the American art-house circuit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide