lord_president Review of Taras Bulba

Taras Bulba (1962)

Fond childhood memories sometimes should stay that way

[7/10 · 12 March 2021]

I have always enjoyed this film but it's been a few years since I saw it and I've changed even if it hasn't. Maybe it's because I know more about the art of movies but this time things like the heavy use of matte paintings were obvious, the horses were American breeds and didn't look at all like Steppe ponies and in one scene near the end a guy has a bent spear that looks like it was made of kitchen foil. All of that doesn't matter much though but what did put me off this time was the treatment of horses (and cattle) in some scenes and I knocked off stars for that. The good bits are the scene where the old hetman is trampled and Yul Brynner declaiming all over the place like a big ham, the score which is stirring and at least one cast member was a voice actor in Bullwinkle and Rocky (always a plus).