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ACTOR
Bogdan StupkaIgor PetrenkoVladimir VdovichenkovMagdalena Mielcarz
DIRECTOR
Vladimir Bortko
SYNOPSICS
Taras Bulba (2009) is a Russian,Ukrainian,Polish movie. Vladimir Bortko has directed this movie. Bogdan Stupka,Igor Petrenko,Vladimir Vdovichenkov,Magdalena Mielcarz are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2009. Taras Bulba (2009) is considered one of the best Action,Drama,History,War movie in India and around the world.
Set in the 16th century, this is a story about Ukraine's Cossack warriors and their campaign to defend their lands from the advancing Polish armies.
Taras Bulba (2009) Trailers
Same Actors
Taras Bulba (2009) Reviews
Seriously weak attempt to produce another Russian patriotic epic out of one of the most prominent pieces of Ukrainian literature
I'd like to start off with what is good in this movie, for the list will be infinitely shorter than what is bad. Good points: 1. Bogdan Stupka ('Taras Bulba') performance. His presence in the movie is the only excuse to see the movie in the first place. 2. Attention to detail in costumes and observing cossack traditions. 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. I mean, it is OK once. It can be touching. However, in Taras Bulba there are 5 or 6 nearly identical speeches within 5 minutes span. 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. I bet, anyone from outside USSR will return from the theater with the firm belief those were Russians fighting Poles. But hey, the entire thing actually happens in Ukraine! Yet, reference to Ukraine is carefully avoided and quickly mentioned only twice in the entire movie. 2. Battle scenes. The movie attempts at Braveheart realism with close-ups of wounds. Which would have been OK, if they haven't shown close-ups for nearly EACH SINGLE CUT AND PIERCE in the movie. 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. Performance of the younger cast. Vdovichenkov is no longer a criminal from 'the Bumer' (the BMW) but his line 'Ty chto skazal?!' (What have you just said?) was performed in the XVI century church in the same manner as previously at the criminals' meeting in 1990s. Younger son, Andriy (Petrenko) is not nearly as passionate as his father, Taras, (Bogdan Stupka). Yeah, I betray my motherland and my father, because I love you. No big deal. 4. Soundtrack is as awful as in Bortko's Master and Margarita.
Good equipment and story along with some characters, terrible special effects
Saw this movie just yesterday and I remembered the book I read in high school. 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. By the end of the movie you really become one with him and start to understand him and his struggle against the world while he is losing more and more. Poles are well done, they have every right to hate the Cossacks with them constantly raiding their towns. 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. Greatest flaw in this movie are special effects, rain that falls from clear sky, "wounds" in some cases along with soundtrack that could have been done a lot better when I see how much was invested in this movie. 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.
Nice try, but frankly, missed the mark for an epic
Bortko set out to make an apparent epic here, but sadly, missed an opportunity to tell a great story. I researched Gogol before watching this film; the essence of the story is covered in the film's plot. 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! Fabulous actors, wonderful faces, but a sodden, leaden, boring script deprived them of a chance to display their true talent. 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. As others have noted, this is truly a Ukrainian story, not a Russian one. Ukraine was mentioned only twice in the movie (I counted). 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. At a time when the East and West need to work together to solve this world's problems, western xenophobia seems highly counterproductive. Such films only widen the divide and hurt us all as creatures of this planet. One note about the score: nice idea again, but endlessly repetitious. I recognized in the main theme a variation of a famous Ukrainian carol "Novo radist stala", which I have sung many times, but it was extremely overdone. A little variation would have been nice. The repetitive score reminded me of another score for Bortko's "The Idiot", a wonderful Russian serial based on the Dostoevsky novel (2003). 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. Some of the horrendously violent scenes made me cross myself. Not a total waste of two hours; however, it left me feeling that it could have been so much better with a little more effort and less propaganda.
Awful awwwwful!!
Absolute crap! 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.. is made by director of the classic "Sobachye Serdtse". I don't want to believe!
We have powder still in our flasks? - Yes,sure we do.
"Do we have powder still in our flasks?" asks Taras his comrades during a violent battle. 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. And for me this movie gives an affirmative answer, at least in relation of Vladimir Bortko. I watched this film yesterday and I am still impressed with it. I enjoyed how actors played though sure Bogdan Stupka makes an absolutely outstanding performance, but the whole actors' ensemble is very well doing. Also I found cinematography very interesting. 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. Anyway I found the movie very interesting by itself not even in relation to the original source.