Taras Bulba
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Movie Reviews of Taras Bulba
Movie Review: Good Old-fashioned Schmaltzy Fun
Summary: 4 Stars
A great old movie, lot's of historical inaccuracies, but fun none the less. A source for many great comments to use joking with friends.Movie Review: Better than I remember it
Summary: 3 Stars
Saw "Taras Bulba" a couple of times upon its initial release, and remember a.)a tv documentary about the making of the film and b.)a photo-story book, which was loaded with black and white frame blow-ups and captions.
All in all, it's a lot of fun to watch. Utterly cliche-ridden and unshamedly so, the action is carried by the dynamic presence of Yul Brynner and Franz Waxman's brilliant score, which make even the obligatory
exotic-dancers-around-the-camp-fire scenes tolerable.
And, of course, there are the battles scenes, which are astounding in their sheer size and scope, and all accomplished years before computerized gimmickry! (I am assuming that the walled city of Dubno was built for the film somewhere in the Argentinian pampas); the violent and frenetic battle scene where the Poles retreat into the city is
worth the price of the film alone! (But it pains me to watch the relentless horse-trippings---this film MUST have set a record).
In ways Taras Bulba resembles "The Pride and the Passion" of 1957; both were based on literary works, both were filmed on location in foreign countries, both featured scenes of amazing spectacle along with casts of
big-named stars, some of whom may have been slightly miscast (ie: Tony Curtis and Frank Sinatra), and both films were IMMEASURABLY enhanced by their terrific musical scores.
If you can endure the "CHEESE"-factor, Taras Bulba is really very enjoyable. Brynner at his best, the all-too rare, superb villainy of Guy Rolfe, wonderful old Vladimir Sokoloff's last role, Paul Frees's robust voice-dubbing, (unfortunaely, George MacReady is totally wasted in a brief role), a beautiful Polish Christmas Carol sung by a superb studio men's chorus, etc etc.
Too bad about the army of dummies used in the film's big climatic battle.
Scores of floppy, rubbery, disjointed soldiers and horses hurtle off a cliff into a ravine, bouncing every which way as they slam against the rocks; I recall the audience howling with glee when I first saw the film in the theater. Oh well...ya can't beat the fun in the old Steppes of Russia!
Movie Review: Cossacks vs. Poles
Summary: 3 Stars
Taras Bulba is the entertaining, 1962 film adaption of Nikolai Gogol's short novel. The film is based on the revolts of the Zaporozhian Cossacks against their Polish overlords, which began in the early 17th century.
Yul Brynner is simply outstanding as the Cossack hetman. He was born for the part. Tony Curtis is a bit stiff as the son who turns against his father and his people for a Polish damsel. A Ukrainian Cossack with a Brooklyn accent? Ridiculous. German actress, Christine Kaufmann, plays the love interest, Polish noblewoman, Natalia Dubrov. What a beautiful girl! In real life, 37-year-old Curtis divorced actress Janet Leigh to marry his 17-year-old co-star.
Director J. Lee Thompson does a decent job on this film, one of those Hollywood blockbuster historical epics of the late-50's and early 60's. The scene where Brynner breaks into song is a bit annoying but par for the course for Hollywood films at that time. Another scene, where Curtis and a rival Cossack jump their horses over a narrow chasm in an equestrian duel, is an absolute hoot.
This movie was one of my favorites growing up in the 60's. I wouldn't miss it whenever it came on television. But, being Polish American, I was bit annoyed that the Poles were cast as the bad guys.
Like most films based on historical events, Taras Bulba takes some liberties. The Ukrainian conquerers enter the Polish city of Dubno at the end of the movie promising a reign of magnanimity and liberty for all. However, history records that the Zaporozhian Cossacks slaughtered 100,000 Jews during the most famous of the revolts, the Chmielnicki Uprising, which began in 1648. A number of Jews worked as agents of the Polish magnates and were deeply resented by the Ukrainian peasantry.
For the Polish perspective on the Chmielnicki Uprising, read "With Fire and Sword" by Henryk Sienkiewicz or see the same-titled Polish film, available on DVD and starring drop-dead gorgeous Polish actress, Izabella Scorupco.
Movie Review: Strange Misfire of an Epic
Summary: 3 Stars
This is an unexplored area of history (and geography!) in Hollywood cinema. Unfortunately, this movie leaves it just as obscure as it ever was. While Brynner is excellent in the title role (at least with what script he was given), Tony Curtis was woefully miscast.
While I don't know much about the Cossacks, one has to imagine that theirs was a tremendously different culture that what most viewers would recognize. This is left more or less undeveloped by the script, except to make sure we know that those Cossacks, they boozed it up a lot.
The love story between Curtis and the Polish girl is just sort of silly: love at first sight, etc., etc. The very odd soft-focus glaucoma-effect photography doesn't help. In fact, it comes across as laughable now.
The action pieces are unsatisfactory as well. I will say that there are probably as many horses used in this picture as in any movie I've ever seen, so that's quite a spectacle. But just many (MANY) minutes of horses and their riders tearing across the landscape does not an exciting action scene make.
This story could probably be retold by a director not afraid to explore a stangely different culture, and with a more complete vision of how to tell an exciting story. I'm giving it 3 stars simply because of Brynner and the fact that the effort was put forth.
Movie Review: Great DVD release
Summary: 3 Stars
This was one of my favorite movies when I was eight years old. The theme of a son rebelling against his father was compelling to me even at that tender age. I thought Tony Curtis was very cool, and Christine Kaufmann was gorgeous.
As an adult, this film is more than a bit silly in places (particularly the strangely inappropriate musical interludes) and Tony Curtis is hardly convincing as a Cossack, but while the dialogue is often corny and the acting largely sub-par, it succeeds as spectacle, especially in the Ride to Dubno. The theme of Nikolai Gogol's story is still a strong one, although this is hardly a straightforward adaptation of the book. (Gogol's story begins with Andrei's return from Kiev, about 45 minutes into the movie. Also in the book, Andrei and Natalia never meet in person. He falls in love with her when he sees her on the battlements.)
The DVD is a superb anamorphic widescreen transfer with bold, vivid colors and a crisp, sharp picture. Fans of this film will be very pleased that a quality transfer has been made available at last.