Taras Bulba

Plot synopsis:
=== 1842 revised edition ===
Taras Bulba's two sons, Ostap and Andriy, return home from an Orthodox seminary in Kiev. Ostap is the more adventurous, whereas Andriy has deeply romantic feelings of an introvert. While in Kiev, he fell in love with a young Polish noble girl, the daughter of the Governor of Kowno, but after a couple of meetings (edging into her house and in church), he stopped seeing her when her family returned home. Taras Bulba gives his sons the opportunity to go to war. They reach the Cossack camp at the Zaporozhian Sich, where there is much merrymaking. Taras attempts to rouse the Cossacks to go into battle. He rallies them to replace the existing Hetman when the Hetman is reluctant to break the peace treaty.
They soon have the opportunity to fight the Poles, who rule all Ukraine west of the Dnieper River. The Poles, led by their ultra-Catholic king, are accused of atrocities against Orthodox Christians, in which they are aided by Jews. After killing many of the Jewish merchants at the Sich, the Cossacks set off on a campaign against the Poles. They besiege Dubno Castle where, surrounded by the Cossacks and short of supplies, the inhabitants begin to starve. One night a Tatar woman comes to Andriy and rouses him. He finds her face familiar and then recalls she is the servant of the Polish girl he was in love with. She advises him that all are starving inside the walls. He accompanies her through a secret passage starting in the marsh that goes into the monastery inside the city walls. Andriy brings loaves of bread with him for the starving girl and her mother. He is horrified by what he sees and in a fury of love, forsakes his heritage for the Polish girl.
Meanwhile, several companies of Polish soldiers march into Dubno to relieve the siege, and destroy a regiment of Cossacks. A number of battles ensue. Taras learns of his son's betrayal from Yankel the Jew, whom he saved earlier in the story. During one of the final battles, he sees Andriy riding in Polish garb from the castle and has his men draw him to the woods, where he takes him off his horse. Taras bitterly scolds his son, telling him "I gave you life, I will take it", and shoots him dead.
Taras and Ostap continue fighting the Poles. Ostap is captured while his father is knocked out. When Taras regains consciousness he learns that his son was taken prisoner by the Poles. Yankel agrees to take Taras to Warsaw, where Ostap is held captive, hiding Taras in a cartload of bricks. Once in Warsaw, a group of Jews help Yankel dress Taras as a German count. They go into the prison to see Ostap, but Taras unwittingly reveals himself as a Cossack, and only escapes by use of a great bribe. Instead, they attend the execution the following day. During the execution, Ostap does not make a single sound, even while being broken on the wheel, but, disheartened as he nears death, he calls aloud on his father, unaware of his presence. Taras answers him from the crowd, thus giving himself away, but manages to escape.
Taras returns home to find all of his old Cossack friends dead and younger Cossacks in their place. He goes to war again. The new Hetman wishes to make peace with the Poles, which Taras is strongly against, warning that the Poles are treacherous and will not honor their words. Failing to convince the Hetman, Taras takes his regiment away to continue the assault independently. As Taras predicted, once the new Hetman agrees to a truce, the Poles betray him and kill a number of Cossacks. Taras and his men continue to fight and are finally caught in a ruined fortress, where they battle until the last man is defeated.
Taras is nailed and tied to a tree and set aflame. Even in this state, he calls out to his men to continue the fight, claiming that a new Tsar is coming who will rule the earth. The story ends with Cossacks on the Dniester River recalling the great feats of Taras and his unwavering Cossack spirit.
=== Differences from 1835 edition ===
The original 1835 edition reflects the Ukrainian context of the story. In response to critics who called his The Government Inspector "anti-Russian", and under pressure from the Russian government that considered Taras Bulba too Ukrainian, Gogol decided to revise the book. The 1842 edition was expanded by three chapters and rewritten to include Russian nationalist themes in keeping with the official tsarist ideology at the time, as well as the author's changing political and aesthetic views (later manifested in Dead Souls and Selected Passages from Correspondence with his Friends). The changes included three new chapters and a new ending (in the 1835 edition, the protagonist is not burned at the stake by the Poles). The little-known original edition was only translated into Ukrainian and made available to the Ukrainian audience in 2005.

Tags: romantic

Review:
Bortko set out to make an apparent epic here, but sadly, missed an opportunity to tell a great story.
What Gogol did NOT include was the Russian polemic which slaps you in the face at every turn in this film.I agree with some of the other reviewers that casting and costuming were great!
Bogdan Stupka is always a pleasure to watch, and for a better version of these times, watch Hoffman's 1999 Polish epic "Ogniem i mieczem", in which Stupka plays Bogdan Khmelnitski.The patriotic speeches, both in the sich and during the battle death scenes, slowed the movie to a dead crawl (no pun intended!) and greatly detracted from the film's impact.
Endless speeches (particularly with a slit stomach) about the sacred Russian soil really have no place in a story about Polish/Ukrainian struggles, and only serve to underscore that the film's budget was heavily subsidized by the Russian government.
More endless repetition of the musical theme was the one negative in an otherwise flawless ensemble of actors and a compelling story.In summary, this film was watchable but mostly boring.
A mock on a great drama, as if it was in directors intentions to spit in Gogol's and viewers' faces.When the third dying person begins another tirade on how much he loves his country (which has no relation to what Gogol wrote and even never was true since cossacks have always been the free people) you start to expect American flag to wave on the background.I can't believe that this piece of dogsh..
It is quite often that this very question is attributed to contemporary Russian movie makers meaning whether they are still able to create genuine works of art.
I enjoyed how actors played though sure Bogdan Stupka makes an absolutely outstanding performance, but the whole actors' ensemble is very well doing.
And sure Bortko deserves praise for his solid work which reminded me about those soviet times when such masters as Gerasimov or Romm created their epics.This movie is about tremendously difficult choice between different values, between devotion to motherland (fatherland) and love for a woman, between traditional values of Russian people and values of west though in this movie we see how allegedly enlightened polish gentry (regarding itself as beings of higher order than cossacks ) executes cossacks in the most cruel way.Though I have to honestly admit that I don't know how fully this movie renders Nicolai Gogol' story.
The 2009 Russian-made adaptation of "Taras Bulba" yet again highlights the directing genius of Vladimir Bortko.
The film is beautifully crafted with spectacular costumes, truly epic battle scenes and a melodic score.The cast is hand-picked to suit the roles perfectly, with Vladimir Vdovichenkov (Brigada, Bumer) playing the patriotic Ostap.
However, the real show-stealer is Bogdan Stupka (Est - Ouest, Ogniem i Mieczem), who portrays the brave Cossack Colonel Taras Bulba.
A noteworthy mention also goes to the Russian cinema veteran Mikhail Boyarsky (D'Artanyan i tri Mushketyora, Gardemariny, Vperyod!), seen as Moisei Shilo, a well-respected Cossack and a seasoned warrior.The film remains true to Gogol's 1842 edition of the novel and to history.
The Cossack's repeated words of praise for the Russian Land and Orthodox Christianity can be found in the manuscript.
The Zaporizhian Cossacks were frequently involved in violent clashes with the Poles, which lasted well into the XVII century, until Ukraine requested Russian military assistance to finally defeat Poland and force it towards diplomacy.
Interestingly, the Cossacks considered themselves independent from any nation, be it Russia or Ukraine, and they did not recognise the sovereignty of either ruler.
Instead, they elected their own leaders and fought for their lands - the lands of the old Kievan Rus' that were united by Orthodoxy, and called Rus' for short.With the budget of 516 million Russian rubles, Bortko is able to re- create the feeling of the time, aided with mass numbers of actors to ensure the realism of battle.
Zaporizhian Sich was built as an accurate depiction of a Cossack settlement and the costumes used are reflective of the dress sense of the various factions.Surely the picture could be improved on a number of fronts.
This is a common problem to all film adaptations of previously written materials.Overall, Vladimir Bortko's "Taras Bulba" is a solid historical feature and a worthy adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's masterpiece.
In this specific case it has to show Russian crowd that Poland is Enemy and that Ukraine belongs to Russia.
But it's made so rudely and primitive that polish characters even win our sympathy against "kassaks".Second - budget of this film is enormous while independent cinema doesn't have ANY state support and has no small chance to develop.Third - Vladimir Bortko, director of "Taras Bulba" is one of that previously talented soviet artists who mutated under the new power and lost everything what they had for what we loved them (Bortko made "Heart of a Dog" in 1988 by Bulgakov's story).
Another brightest example of such a mutant - Nikita Mikhalkov, the main monster of "new Russian cinema".Fourth and last - work of every member of film crew is absolutely weak.
Awful editing, feeble script, fast-food directing, horrific two-melodies soundtrack made by extinct pop-star Igor Kornelyuk, hysterical special effects with blood made by Photoshop or Paint redactor, endless and cheerless battle scenes (under the rain with clear sky) and so on...This is not just a disappointment, this is a real condition of Russian cinematograph.
Taras Bulba the movie had very great deep meaning to it, very good actors, one of my favorite movies now.
But the fighting scenes were bad, guess they ran out money when they bought too many expensive actors and actually filmed the movie in Zaporozhia, Ukraine, unlike many Hollywood movies where they are filmed in a studio the whole time.My father called this movie Bumer 3, if you haven't watch those movies watch them, he called them this because they have very great meanings but are ruined because not enough money or modern use of directing is used in these movies.Overall this movie is great and I hope you see it..
The director did not know my opinion that on a genre will be better and has drowned all in blood.The big minus that if a trick master has been expelled from movie by director.
I was really looking forward to watch this movie but when I actually got to see it, I couldn't stand more than 15 min of this amateur level time waster- silly and unbelievable speeches, video, sound effects...
I fast forwarded to the battle scenes and it was just as bad- a bunch of people in pretty dresses running around, gunshot sounds taken straight out of old western movies, Polish hussars charges looked like a slow walk in a park..
the whole thing looked like a parody.If this movie was a college cinematography project, I would give it 7/10, but it wasn't, so I give 2/10 for nice dresses..
The director, in past maker of spectacular pages of lost history, is in this sad case only organiser of a Russian propaganda show.
I translated the movie into French and English subtitles to add on divx (they will be available soon on OS) and I got quickly bored by the seeming repetitiveness of several speeches.
Beingmarried to a Ukrainian lady, I'm also very much aware that Bortko had to kinda "steal" the true story and replace it by Russian propaganda.
My feeling is that this movie was sponsored by Russian public funds for the "nashy" and their followers..
Partly, this looks like a poor script as the lines follow just too closely the original text of Gogol.
Overall, this version of Taras Bulba seems just too much of an agitprop forthe new Cossack village creed of militant Russian patriotism and pride in martial traditions of the legendary steppe marauders which finds its natural outlet in heavy drinking and voting loyalty to Yedinaya Rossija..
this is a good and hard movie for humans who know Russian history.5.5 is the IQ of the stupid who don't know noting.you must read to know something .if this movie is made by Americans his note will be 10,but is not,is made by Russian.i read the novel and all Russian history and this movie is an great example for the MAN who don't know nothing.the main character is the example of old school hero and patriot not some pussy whit a gun,a father and men .the Russian history is made whit blood and steal not oil wars.my apologize if i was to rude but not all the great movies are made by Americans.i am from Romania and we to make great movie like:MICHAEL THE BRAVE,VLAD THE IMPAILER,MIRCEA,OSANDA.
This propaganda movie is a weapon in Russia's informational war against Ukraine and﻿ Ukraine's﻿ history...
Peter the First had stolen Kievan Rus' name (by renaming Moscovia to Russia in 1721) and now Putin is trying to steal Ukraine's history...1) Cossacks where UKRAINIANS.2) They spoke UKRAINIAN language.3) They did NOT fight for "Russia".4) They fought against occupants (including Moscow's occupants).In first edition of Mykola Gogol's "Taras Bulba" (1835) there where NO "Russia"-words, but everywhere﻿ where "Ukraine" instead.
"May they all know what brotherhood means on Russian soil." The true account of Taras Bulba (Stupka), a Ukraine Cossack who helped to defend his homeland from the Poles in the 16th century.
The movie opens with a "Braveheart" like speech, then we flash back to what got him in that position.
Love story, fighting, father/son tension, and the quest for freedom.
Much like as in "Saving Private Ryan" the movie is bookended by very intense fighting scenes.
There is so much in this movie and I could go on and on about the aspects of why I liked it, but it's best to just watch it and see for yourself.
Overall, a fantastic foreign movie that has some of the most intense battle scenes I have seen in a long time.
The film "Taras Bulba" distorts historical events, falsifies and discredits the Ukrainian national idea, and in general, is blatantly anti-Ukrainian, casts doubt on the very existence of the Ukrainian people.
I started watching the film and decided to know a bit more about it - so I looked up more information/history on subject.
I fast-forwarded to the end - watching some of the battles (which looked fine to me).
This laughably propagandistic movie from Russia is based upon one of the wars between the Poles and the Cossacks.
Along with the incredibly irritating Russian tendency to vocally translate other languages instead of using subtitles, this movie features bad melodramatic music and excessive dialogue, not to mention stock sound effects.
the entire story becomes an aggressive political speech.
and the delicate problem is to transform Ukraine in a part of Russia, to use special effects for ignore the senses of book, to destroy a noble idea for a not real decent result.
Seriously weak attempt to produce another Russian patriotic epic out of one of the most prominent pieces of Ukrainian literature.
Bogdan Stupka ('Taras Bulba') performance.
The movie can be a good reference for re-enactors of Zaporizka Sich and Rzech Pospolita of XVI century.Bad points: 1.
Patriotic speeches comprise over 50% of the total movie time.
Every single cossack having at least one line in the movie, had to proclaim a speech about the never-ending glory of orthodox faith and Russian land before dying.
Around the third speech/death sequence it gets really boring and you think 'will you please just shut up and die?' The word 'Russian' appears in every other sentence of the movie.
I mean, I know those are Russians who make the movie with the aid from the government.
Yet, reference to Ukraine is carefully avoided and quickly mentioned only twice in the entire movie.2.
Coupled with unimpressive execution of one-on-one duels and poorly organized mass scenes (you get the full screen of cossacks and Poles walking (not running!) chaotically without any apparent purpose or sense of direction, it creates seriously sad impression.3.
Younger son, Andriy (Petrenko) is not nearly as passionate as his father, Taras, (Bogdan Stupka).
Good equipment and story along with some characters, terrible special effects.
Book I remember vaguely, read it a long time ago, but I did like this movie, especially because of the excellent play by the main actor and the story about the Cossack lifestyle.
Novel is written in the high romantic era during the boom of nationalist feelings and its well represented on the screen (although I am not so sure was there so much Tsarists love with the Cossack when many of them were escaped surfs).
Cossack lifestyle is hard, based on war, plunder and raiding like Mongols or Vikings of ages past and this movie shows that life and consequences of living it - hatred by more "civilized" Poles and Turks or struggle with other nomadic raiders like Tatars.
Cossacks because of that fight against everyone, are suspicious to everyone (like Jews) and are only shown to trust those of their own Orthodox faith.
Actors that portrayed Cossacks are mostly good, especially Taras Bulba.
Final scene when Polish colonel when he spares his daughters son is also strong, you then see the glimpse of Taras Bulba if he was on the other side.
They are so weak that look like they were done for some small budget student movie, not a blockbuster financed by the Russian government.
It is clearly seen that this is a Russian propaganda movie, but a very weak one, the only time I was really moved was with the ominous Taras Bulba's last words when they were burning him alive, the rest of the Cossacks haven't managed to give that same feel.
Overall, good movie, but the ridiculous failure of the special effects reduces rating greatly..
Actually every character repeats the bloody sentence just before dying "So good to be dying for Russia and orthodox church"...
It actually reminds me soviet cinema where deadly wounded characters were giving speeches about the advantages of living in Soviet Union or something close to it in abstractness...Forgive me please being as chaotic and poor as "Taras Bulba" - it's my first time....
Riding in packs with disregard for life and limb, they were the Christian counterpart to the mounted Tartar hordes they often sparred with, like two Medieval motorcycle gangs.Unfortunately the film ultimately degenerates into an appalling propaganda piece with a slew of nobly dying Cossacks declaring their love for Mother Russia and angry heartfelt wishes that Russia and its brand of Orthodox Christianity will someday conquer the world.
If this was a Muslim film expressing the same type of sentiments people would be screaming for drones to take action on the filmmakers.Even creepier, several of the dying declarations and other venomous speeches target Poland - and although the Poles are the enemies of the Cossack horde in the film, the message is clearly intended to transcend the time period, with expressed wishes that "the Polacks" will be sorry someday.
In today's political climate, the film is undoubtedly a cry to arms for Putin's burgeoning reactionary groupies, who publicly dream of restoring Russia's Soviet era empire.The film spends way too much time on these propaganda points and far too little on story development.
The love story so critical to the storyline is choppy and unconvincing, with the Cossack traitor allowed to enter the Polish princess's boudoir and have his way with her while her family and retainers blithely ignore his entrance.
(The relationship in the Tony Curtis version of this story was much more ably developed.)If the movie ended about three-quarters of the way in, the bits of propaganda scattered throughout might pass for authentic dialog - as would the "hero" Taras' scorn for the Jewish merchant, portrayed as a groveling money grubber.
But just when you're sure the movie is over, the battle is extended and the litany of cornball dying words is unleashed...
to go on and on and on...With the recent events in the Ukraine over disputed territory, one can only wonder whose side the old independent Cossacks would take today.
I've seen three other films by Vladimir Bortko -- adaptations on "Heart of a Dog" and "The Master and Margarita" by Bulgakov and "The Idiot" by Dostoevsky.
Here he seems to have been given a much bigger budget, possibly a set of orders from the Russian government, and the short novel "Taras Bulba" by Gogol -- a piece of literature that didn't resonate with me nearly as much as the three aforementioned ones.
While I loved some of Gogol's other stories, "Taras Bulba" struck me as mostly overblown, thoughtless nationalism, which didn't sit well with me.
I didn't much care for this film either, so to be perfectly fair that could be because Bortko faithfully reproduced a book that I didn't love in the first place.
Maybe we will be and maybe we won't, but using that as an assumption to make the film work means it's rooted in pure nationalism and nothing more.
Even if we take it as given, there are few too many scenes of dying people who use their last breath to give a heartfelt speech about how the Cossack soul will never be vanquished.
The events of the plot seem entirely constructed to allow for more speeches about Cossack national spirit to be worked in, and as such are spread pretty thin.
The up side is that there are some very good performances, especially from Bogdan Stupka and Igor Petrenko.
I'm not an expert in the era of history on which Gogol based the source novel for this film, so I can't really address what has been brought up many times here -- the potential incongruity of the Cossacks mentioning Russia in their speeches and speaking Russian (as opposed to other characters, who speak Ukrainian with voice overs).
That might make it a good watch for if you're about to go and kill some Polish people with your trusty sword today and need inspiration, but it doesn't make it a good film.