Taras Bulba (1962)

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Nikolai Gogol (novel)
Waldo Salt (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

19 December 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

A Love Story of Flesh And Fire!

Plot:

A "Romeo and Juliet" story that takes place in the late 16c. Ukraine. Taras has settled into comfortable...

Plot Keywords:

Cossack | Battle | Ukraine | The Turks | Poland

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Tony Curtis	...	Andrei Bulba
Yul Brynner	...	Taras Bulba
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
Ron Weyand	...	Tymoshevsky
Vitina Marcus	...	Gypsy princess
Christine Kaufmann	...	Natalia Dubrov
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ellen Davalos	...	Zina (uncredited)
Paul Frees	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Marvin Goux	...	Brother Bartholomew (uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	(uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	...	Dolotov (uncredited)
Syl Lamont	...	Kimon Kandor (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	...	(uncredited)
Martine Milner	...	Redheaded girl (uncredited)
Jack Raine	...	Mayor (uncredited)

Directed by
J. Lee Thompson

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Nikolai Gogol		novel
Waldo Salt		writer
Karl Tunberg		writer

Produced by
Harold Hecht	....	producer
Sandy Whitelaw	....	associate producer (as Alexander Whitelaw)

Original Music by
Franz Waxman

Cinematography by
Joseph MacDonald

Film Editing by
Folmar Blangsted		(as Folmar Blanksted)
Gene Milford
William Reynolds
Eda Warren

Art Direction by
Edward Carrere

Set Decoration by
William F. Calvert		(as William Calvert)

Costume Design by
Norma Koch

Makeup Department
Emile LaVigne	....	makeup artist (as Emile Lavigne)
Frank McCoy	....	makeup artist
Daniel C. Striepeke	....	makeup artist (as Daniel Striepeke)

Production Management
Gilbert Kurland	....	executive production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cliff Lyons	....	second unit director
Tom Shaw	....	assistant director
David Silver	....	assistant director: second unit (as Dave Silver)
Lynn Guthrie	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Terry Morse Jr.	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Stanley Cooley	....	sound mixer (as Stan Cooley)
Don Hall	....	sound effects editor (as Don Hall Jr.)
James Richard	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Howard A. Anderson	....	special photographic effects
Butler-Glouner	....	additional photographic effects
Russell Lawson	....	additional photographic effects (as Russ Lawson)
Barney Wolff	....	special effects (uncredited)
Fred Wolff	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Joe Gray	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)
Danny Liska	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunts (uncredited)
Kermit Maynard	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill M. Ryusaki	....	stunts (uncredited)
Henry Wills	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Duke Callaghan	....	camera operator (as Duke Callahan)
Ernst Haas	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Marv Newton	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eric Seelig	....	costume supervisor
Robert Fuca	....	assistant set costumer (uncredited)

Music Department
Leon Birnbaum	....	music editor
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator

Other crew
John Franco	....	script supervisor
Andrei Tolstoy	....	technical advisor (as Andrey Tolstoy)

Production Companies

• Avala Film
• Harold Hecht Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1962) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1965) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• United Artists (1962) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Opção (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes
• Pacific Title  main titles
• Samuel Goldwyn Sound Department  sound recording

Also Known As:

Taras Bulba (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Kosakken Taras Bulba (Denmark) [da]
Taras Bulba (Finland) [fi]
Taras Bulba (France) [fr]
Taras Bulba (Spain) [es]
Taras Bulba (Brazil) [pt]
Taras il magnifico (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

122 min | 124 min (TCM print)

Country:

Yugoslavia | USA

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track | Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:U | West Germany:12 (nf) | USA:Approved (PCA #20294) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Disney Ranch, Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company:

Avala Film

Trivia:

Tony Curtis met Austrian actress Christine Kaufmann on the set of this film and later married her.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the brothers are sitting by the river observing Natalia on the opposite bank, in the front shot they are close together and the rear shot they are apart. Then the front shot reveals them close together again.

Quotes:

[to his turncoat son]
Taras Bulba: I gave you life. It is on ME to take it away.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Rebel Son (1938)

Abundance of mass scenes

This was one of the first movies I've ever seen; and as a child I was deeply impressed by both the story and the spectacular horse riding. Nowadays these mass scenes, of which you'll see an abundance of like in no other film, would be generated in a computer. Back then they were made possible by the Argentinian cavalry. Though the film lacks the extra touch that would put it on a par with "Love and War", Yul Brynner is outstanding and inimitable. The story bears the stamp of the inevitable catastrophe of a Russian drama, but it hasn't been worked out by the script writers as it should have been.