Taras Bulba

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Taras Bulba

Released Dec 19, 1962

2h 2m

Action

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2 Reviews

68%

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500+ Ratings

The tale of a Cossack chief who has sworn to be the eternal enemy of the treacherous Poles. So, when his son falls for a beautiful Pole who has saved his life, the father is faced with the dilemma of whether to kill his own flesh and blood as a traitor. This film reinforced the Brynner stereotype as king of the Asiatic wide open spaces.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

For every scene in which Brynner lifts the picture, there is an equivalent one where Curtis drags it down. They effectively cancel each other out, so that all that is left is a relatively mediocre horse-and-sword adventure.

Rated: 4/10

Jul 6, 2025

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

It seems to be in genre form when showing hordes of Cossack horsemen flying across the steppes to do battle.

Rated: C+

Feb 19, 2008

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Mike W

It was a major effort to get together all of the horsemen/horses featured in the movie, and also was very impressive. I actually watched this in a theater when it was first released. The most vivid part that I remembered on the rewatch were the jumps over the canyon.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/29/24

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Michael N

Excellent 👌 Classic Yul Brynner film. Not completely tied to the original Ukrainian folklore but most of the film is true to the original! Time for a Hollywood remake!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/13/23

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donald d

Very dated movie, does not come off well in these days. The type of spectacle movie people liked in 1962 is so different than now. The acting was more like a children's movie, than a true war movie. I saw it in 1962 and that was enough.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Frances H

I just loved this film when I first saw it on the big screen in Pittsburgh when I was 12 and my parents took my sister and I to see it. Then I was in love with Tony. Curtis, but the real star is Yul Bryner, who played this kind of role with panache and gusto just making this film, along with all of the Cossacks and the scenes of their revelry and horsemanship. The scene of the Cossacks riding to battle with more and more horsemen joining them along the way was so memorable. Although now it is not quite as good as I remembered it, I still enjoyed seeing the whole film again for the first time since I was 12!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/22/20

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Audience Member

Cassocks and Polish. Who could ask for more? Historical knowledges helps

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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ashley h

Taras Bulba is a decent film. It is about Taras who has settled into comfortable farm life after years of adventures and swashbuckling with his cossack companions. Tony Curtis and Yul Brynner give good performances. The screenplay is a little slow in places. J. Lee Thompson did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the adventure and drama.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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J. Lee Thompson

Director

Tony Curtis

Andrei Bulba

Yul Brynner

Taras Bulba

Christine Kaufmann

Natalia Dubrov

Sam Wanamaker

Filipenko

Brad Dexter

Shilo

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Synopsis

The tale of a Cossack chief who has sworn to be the eternal enemy of the treacherous Poles. So, when his son falls for a beautiful Pole who has saved his life, the father is faced with the dilemma of whether to kill his own flesh and blood as a traitor. This film reinforced the Brynner stereotype as king of the Asiatic wide open spaces.

Director: J. Lee Thompson
Producer: Harold Hecht
Screenwriter: Waldo Salt, Karl Tunberg
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: Avala Film, Harold Hecht Productions
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 19, 1962, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Runtime: 2h 2m

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