Taras Bulba (1962)

In the 16th-century Ukraine, the Polish overlords and Ukrainian cossacks fight for control of the land but frequent Turkish invasions force them to unite against the common Turkish foe.

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Waldo Salt (screenplay), Karl Tunberg (screenplay)

Stars:

Tony Curtis, Yul Brynner, Christine Kaufmann

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tony Curtis	...	Andrei Bulba
Yul Brynner	...	Taras Bulba
Christine Kaufmann	...	Natalia Dubrov
Sam Wanamaker	...	Filipenko
Brad Dexter	...	Shilo
Guy Rolfe	...	Prince Grigory
Perry Lopez	...	Ostap Bulba
George Macready	...	Governor
Ilka Windish	...	Sofia Bulba
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Old Stepan
Vladimir Irman	...	Grisha Kubenko
Daniel Ocko	...	Ivan Mykola
Abraham Sofaer	...	Abbot
Mickey Finn	...	Korzh
Richard Rust	...	Capt. Alex

Storyline

A "Romeo and Juliet" story that takes place in the late 16 c. Ukraine. Taras has settled into comfortable farm life after years of adventures and swashbuckling with his cossack companions. Though not wealthy, he is able to send his son Andrii away to a Polish school. At this time the Poles are overlords of Ukraine and the origin of the cossacks is struggle of the Ukrainian serfs to free themselves and their land of Polish domination. Toward this end Taras hopes that his son will be educated in the ways of the enemy. Instead, Andrii falls in love with the daughter of a Polish nobleman, setting the stage for a clash between love, family honor, and a struggle for national identity.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | two word title | taras bulba character | cranberry | 16th century | 

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Taglines:

A Love Story of Flesh And Fire!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Yul Brynner was so committed to his part, he wanted the film to be shot in sequence to make his performance more true. This did not happen.

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Goofs

Lighting in some scenes changes depending upon the angle of photography e.g the scene with the brothers and Natalya by the river (the sunlight and shadows vary), the scene where the brothers return home (the Cossack watching the fight is in bright light in close shots and shaded when he is the background to the action).

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Quotes

Natalia Dubrov: I love you, Andrei, I will always love you. You know that. I love you. But I can't let you fight against your own people. I can't do it. You're a Cossack, Andrei.
Andrei Bulba: I'm a man before I'm a Cossack.
Natalia Dubrov: Don't let them use me.
[they kiss]

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Crazy Credits

Thanks to the army of the Argentine Republic.

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Connections

Remade as Taras Bulba (2009)

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Soundtracks

The Wishing Star
Music by Franz Waxman
Lyrics by Mack David

User Reviews

Music

I agree with most of the posts. However, one area that does not get attention is the soundtrack to the movie. When the Cossacks gather and ride to the Polish city to fight, the music is truly great. Having seen the movie over 40 years ago I can still hear the music of the ride to Dubnoi over and over in my head. I find it intoxicating!! Yul Brenner is made for the part of Tarus. I could never see Tony Curtis as a Ukrainian prince and his looks do not fit the part. He is however a Hungarian of Eastern European descent. This is a fun movie that has a great score, cinematography, and some interesting scenes and performances. The Yul Brenner song is laughable though.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

Yugoslavia USA

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

19 December 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Taras Bulba

Filming Locations:

Salta, Argentina

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avala Film, Harold Hecht Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min 124 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Mono (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1