Taras Bulba (1962)

Better than I remmember it

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......that's fun in the old Steppes of Russia!

August 6, 2008

Garbage

The movie is good, but this DVD was taken from a well used VSH tape. The video quality is poor. The audio is worse. I am glad that I didn't buy it and rented it instead. Wait for the restoration. That is if the film is available to restore. August 1, 2008

Good Old-fashioned Schmaltzy Fun

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. June 4, 2008

The Ride to Dubno

The best part of the film comes early on, in the sequence (and supporting score) "The Ride to Dubno." The building music and imagery of the Cossacks riding in from all directions to join the central figure of Taras Bulba serves to transform the screen from an intimate and rather forlorn depiction of a father and his sons leaving their homestead to the sight and sound of an unstoppable horde of savage light cavalry sweeping across the steppes. The price of the DVD is justified by that sequence alone.
-- May 25, 2008

Stick with Darkwing Duck

After being taken in by other reviews, I was disappointed to find this a very thin plot and rather poorly executed drama. I couldn't much care for the downtrodden Cossacks or allegedly dastardly Poles... Stick with the same named character "Taurus Bulba"... from the Darkwing Duck Cartoon Darkwing Duck, Volume 1!
May 12, 2008

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