Background
Kalatozov, Mikhail was born on December 28, 1903 in Georgia, United States.
Kalatozov, Mikhail was born on December 28, 1903 in Georgia, United States.
Studied at the Leningrad Academy of Arts (Akademiia Iskusstvoznaniia).
Entered the film industry in Georgia in 1923. Worked as an editor, laboratory technician, assistant cameraman, and then cameraman. Worked as an assistant to N. Shengelaia and I. Perestiani on a number of feature films.
Director’s debut in 1928 with Ikh Tsarstvo. His best-known early film is Sol' Svanetii, 1930, followed by Gvozd’ v Sapoge, 1932. Took over as head of the Tbilisi Film Studio in 1936.
In the late 1930s-early 40s, made dull official films. During World War II, sent to the USA as a representative of the Committee of Cinematography. Returned to Moscow. Head of the Chief Directorate of the Production of Feature Films until 1948.
After his remarkable success with The Cranes Are Flying (Letiat Zhuravli), which received the main prize at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival, made a muchdiscussed film, The Letter That Was Never Sent, 1960. Commercially it was a flop, a cult film which was hardly understood by the mass audience. In 1964, with his cameraman of previous films, Sergei Urusevskii, made 1 Am Cuba (IaKuba) starring the poet, Evtushenko.
His last, moderately successful, film was the Soviet-Italian co-production, Krasnaia Palatka (The Red Tent), 1970.
Member, Communist Party, since 1939.
Member, Communist Party, since 1939.