Ukraine, 16th century. While the Poles dominate the Cossack steppes, Andrei, son of Taras Bulba, a Cossack leader, must choose between his love for his family and his folk and his passion for a Polish woman.
Production
Argentina standing in for Ukraine with 10,000 extras and zero shame.
Acting
Yul Brynner commits so hard he transcends the material.
Costume
Cossack hats big enough to have their own weather systems.
Director
J. Lee Thompson
Tony Curtis
Andrei Bulba
Yul Brynner
Taras Bulba
Christine Kaufmann
Natalia Dubrov
Sam Wanamaker
Filipenko
Brad Dexter
Shilo
Guy Rolfe
Prince Grigory
Perry Lopez
Ostap Bulba
George Macready
The Governor
Ilka Windish
Sofia Bulba
Vladimir Sokoloff
Stepan Kanevsky
Abraham Sofaer
The Abbot
Mickey Finn
Korzh
Richard Rust
Captain Alex
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Gogol's original 1835 story was Ukrainian nationalist literature; this Hollywood version somehow made it about American individualism instead. The Soviet Union banned it for being too Polish, Poland banned it for being too Ukrainian. Nobody was happy.
Tony Curtis and Christine Kaufmann fell in love on set, causing scandal—she was seventeen, he was twice her age and still married to Janet Leigh. Their marriage lasted five years. The film's 'flesh and fire' tagline took on unintended meanings.
US
