The Cranes Are Flying

The Cranes Are Flying is a 1957 WW2 film from the Soviet Union. It won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. A film about war, sadness, suffering and sacrifice, this is one of the saddest movies I've ever seen. It's deeply affecting. I wonder that it isn't better known.

You can watch it at Youtube, but embedding is disabled.

from Wikipedia:

Fyodor Ivanovich is a doctor who lives with his son, Boris; his daughter, Irina; his mother; and his nephew, Mark. The film centers on Boris's girlfriend, Veronika, during World War II.The character of Veronica represents Soviet women in the context of the aftermath of the aforementioned war.

The call to war sounds, and the country responds with great patriotic fervor. Boris volunteers to defend his homeland from the attackers, much to Veronika's sadness.

DVD Talk says,

The Cranes are Flying will knock you off your feet. It's an emotional tale of love, war, separation and loss told with breathtaking cinematic precision. The performances are pretty nigh unforgettable, especially that of the lead actress. It's a lot of people's favorite Russian movie...

TimeOut says, "There is much to admire". The book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die includes this film, specifically holding up the cinematographer for praise. TCM has an overview. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 94%.