Eye Filmmuseum Releases Two Films by Mikhail Kalatozov

Eye Filmmuseum presents a nationwide release of two digitally restored films by Georgian-born filmmaker Mikhail Kalatozov (1903–1973). Known for their inventive cinematography and daring narratives, Letyat zhuravli [The Cranes Are Flying] (1957) and Neotpravlennoye pismo [The Letter Never Sent] (1960) offer a glimpse into the Soviet Union’s Thaw period – a brief era of artistic and political liberalisation under Nikita Khrushchev. Kalatozov’s works, praised for their emotional depth and visual ingenuity, capture a unique perspective on Soviet life. The Cranes Are Flying, a tale of love and loss during World War II, and The Letter Never Sent, a survival story of geologists in the Siberian wilderness, showcase Kalatozov’s keen sense for storytelling and the groundbreaking camerawork of Sergei Urusevsky. Both films will be screened in Dutch cinemas starting 9 January and will also be available on Eye Film Player.

The release is part of the Eye Classics and Restored & Unseen series, which features rarely shown films from the Soviet Union, including works by Tarkovsky, Iosseliani, and Muratova.