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.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.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.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 nominations total
- Servant
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to director J. Lee Thompson, in an interview in Yul Brynner: The Man Who Was King (1995), there was a misunderstanding with the hundreds of Argentine gauchos playing horsemen . They were told that horsemen who fell off their horse during an attack scene would be paid extra--but only those who were directed to do so. When the scene was shot, two-thirds of them fell off their horses and expected the extra pay. Upon being told they were not going to be paid extra, they threatened to strike. Yul Brynner then took steak dinners out to their encampment that evening and spent hours entertaining them. Impressed by this, the gauchos returned to work the next day.
- GoofsThe Cossack's "scalp-lock" is not on the back but the front! Only the old Cossack is the one that has it correctly.
- Quotes
Taras: My son, why? Why?
Andrei Bulba: I did what I had to do.
Taras: From the day I plunged you in the river to give you life, I loved you as I loved the steppes. You were my pride! I gave you life. It is on me to take it away from you.
- Crazy creditsThanks to the army of the Argentine Republic.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Time Tunnel: Attack of the Barbarians (1967)
As to the picture, I really enjoyed it -also because I lived in Salta a couple of years and the landscape is very familiar to me- but I think a real classical epic could have come out of Nicolai Gogol's famous novel with a more elaborated script (as a reviewer correctly stated here).
J. Lee Thompson's product seems sort of "cheap" and lacks spectacle (except for some real good battle scenes) although I admit if has some very good moments. A somehow impressive one is when the big doors of the sieged city open slowly and André (Curtis) appears in a frontal close shot wearing a Polish armor and helmet for he will make a run for food too feed the starving citizens inside in a clear treason to his country and father for the love of a woman. Also the final dark atmosphere Thompson achieves when Taras (Yul Brynner) confronts his favourite son after a treason he can't possibly understand and even less when André just explains "I did what I had to do".
Brynner's performance though a little overacted is good enough and he fills the role of Taras easily. Tony Curtis makes a great effort and gets some good moments as André though he clearly lacks the appropriate "physic du rol". The rest of the cast gives a good support, among them Sam Wanamaker, Brad Dexter, Guy Rolfe and George MacReady. German actress Kristine Kauffman shows her beauty.
All in all "Taras Bulba" comes out as an entertaining and amusing film in its genre and a decent intent on Gogol's book, but no much more than that.
- ragosaal
- Oct 13, 2006
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $7,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 2 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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