Taras Bulba - Gogol and Cossacks

Posted by Kerry Kubilius Oct 9, 2006

The 1962 movie Taras Bulba, while not exactly true to Gogol's novella by the same name, is a cinematic feat. Taras Bulba, played by Yul Brynner, is a Cossack leader who gathers forces to fight the Poles who have betrayed a land deal with the Cossacks. Impessive scenes of Cossack fighters riding across the Russian steppes (scenes that were actually filmed in Argentina) are some of the best from old Hollywood productions, decades before convincing computer animated graphics. While Taras Bulba is good for familiarizing yourself with one of Gogol's lesser-known tales, these wide-screen events make the movie even more worthwhile.