Taras Bulba - the movie

The release of new historical drama movie "Taras Bulba" in this April is appointed in Russia to celebrate Gogol's 200 anniversary. Welcome to movie theaters.

With some good Polish actors.

Certainly. Taras Bulba without polish actors is like a coffe without coffein.

To be honest, I know the guy`s name but now I can`t associate him with anything without googling.

So, what did he do?

He is a character in one of Gogol's stories. He has two sons. They were Cossacks who went to fight Polish noblemen. One of the sons is in love with a Polish girl.

I can't remember the whole story. You might be better Googling it pawian. ;)

Oh, I see! A Russian author wrote a book/story/play about an Ukrainian hero who fights against Poles.
:):):):):):):):):)

Did Gogol imitate Sienkiewicz or it was the other way round? :):):)

That's the one! ;)


Brak komentarza (which probably doesn't mean "no comment". ;)

Cool I want to see this movie, I saw the trailer to it looked like cool battle scene!

Let's hope it's a good movie and not like the one staring Tony Kurtis and Yul Brynner.
I cringed a bit back in the 60's when I saw it.

Gogol was Ukrainian and he wrote a national epic, as it was the style at that time.
Gogol, just like Sienkiewicz didn't stick to historical facts;)

That's what I was thinking too...seems like they tried to make it too "hollywood" then. We'll see what this version brings...

Gogol was ukrainian now thats interesting Im sure he wasnt
As for historical facts - there nothing historical about Gogols story on the other hand
Sienkiewicz in general knows about history.
You cannot compare them they;re world apart.

yes, he was to my knowledge but I will ask my Ukrainian literature prof at uni to confirm that, if you are interested to find out for sure:)

please do

He was probably Russian only by selfidentification... as for his genetic nationality... I don't know. Some consider him even Polish. The last name sounds Ukranian for me and I think he's of Ukranian origins.

Pawy I promise that it won't be waste of time, if you read some of his stories. The way he writes seemed at first a bit plain (you won't notice it though, unless you read in the original - in Russian), but he's a genious. His position of one of the best prosaist in Russia is well-earned.

I read Rewizor - Inspector General. Funny play. But also a sad satire on Russian power system.

As for Gogol`s national idetification, I think calling him a Ukrainian author would be the same as calling Mickiewicz Belarussian - that is, nonsense. Gogol belongs to Russian literature.

But we can say he was of Ukrainian origin not to hurt our Ukrainian friends. :):):)

he was and you not hurting anybody:))))))))0 Besides, Bulba is about Kossacks, so I am not even sure why anybody would question his roots.

Actually, Cossaks were neither Russian nor Ukrainians purely. It was a strange mix of fugitive peasants of various nationalities, but in first turn they were russians, nevertheless. Fugitive peasants and robbers, they were a real problem not only for Poles and Turks, but for Russians as well.

[quote=ConstantineK]
Actually, Cossaks were neither Russian nor Ukrainians purely. It was a strange mix of fugitive peasants of various nationalities, but in first turn they were russians, nevertheless. Fugitive peasants and robbers, they were a real problem not only for Poles and Turks, but for Russians as well.

well, he was Ukrainian, Ukrainian Cossaks - how is that sound?

Is that true?
There seems to be different versions...


Could it be that because they weren't so taken with the upcoming Stalinism/Bolshevism that they got a bad name by the new rulers?

What exactly? Well...wait I think I could 100% share none of what was quoted. :)


To put it more clear they were sometimes a problem for Russian government as they didn't want bolsheviks to come to power.

BB, if you want to know more about who cossacks were, I suggest you reading Der stille Don. It has four volumes but it's undoubtedly worth reading. The story is about hard times cossacks had under the "red infection"... and it on the whole rather blackens bolshevism in Russia so that I have no idea on how it went thorugh censorship at that times.


I suspect bad name was given by Konst's mind. They don't really have bad name in Russia. They're much more respected than bolsheviks. I'm telling you that not as a descendant of Don cossack...

You didn't understand my statements. I didn't mean the turmoils of Russian civil war in 20 century. I want to repeat that Cossaks were most rebellious and troublesome pseudo-nation.

It had nothing in common either with Russians or Ukrainians, except religion may be. They were a artificial mixture of fugitives, that is why all Cossaks territories laid in most distant and inaccessible parts (Dnepr, Don, Yaik or Ural). They had caused many problems and disturbances to Russian goverment in those times. Just remember Razin's and Pugachev's uprisings! Who they were? Certainly they were Cossaks! But unlike Poles, Russian goverment eventually found the way to apply Cossak's desire to fight. I can't say that Russian gov was genius, just it had vast unexplored territories. In this connection you should recollect Yermak Timofeevich and Semen Dezhnev, certainly they were Cossaks too. Eventually Russian gov managed to calm down the Cossak's spirit directing it against Turkish possessions in Caucasia.

I hope this will not be another piece of propaganda, like the Russian production, 1612, was.
How many of you are planning to see it in theatres?

You hope in vain, I am afraid. I don`t think Russians are so unwise as to invest millions into a major film production and not make it a piece of propaganda. If Hollywood does it continually, why Russians shouldn`t ....? :):):):)

I have read the book, so I will not want to see it. I would just not be that interested;)

Not bad. I would just add "great ass-kickers"


Who cares?! All of us came from Mars anyway.

I would only love to see it with no money spent. In other words I'll either download it or wait for it showing on TV as I did in case of 1612 (which I found just a very silly film).

I think all historical films that have been recently produced more or less propagandistic. Countries mostly produce them for internal use. :))

Alexander, you don't believe that we defeated Poles in 1612 by means of magic, is it possible?

I wish you stayed there.


I am waiting for Konotop battle movie, it will be called "1657". I'll go.

The teaser



It resembles the 1612 film. But there are more " moments." :):):)

Bogdan Stupka plays Taras Bulba. (he played Bogdan Chmielnicki in Polish production With Fire and Sword).

Polish actress Magdalena Mielcarz has a major part too.

Interesting thing: Taras Bulba first appeared on the screen in 1962 by Hollywood with Yul Brynner:

Polish soldiers wear funny helmets, like firefighters or gladiators. :):):):) Cheap propaganda. :):):):):)