An adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's 1835 novel, centred on Taras Bulba, a Cossack leader whose figure gives the story its shape. The film keeps the premise of the original work and sets its conflict within Cossack communities, with a cast led by Harry Baur, Jean-Pierre Aumont and Danielle Darrieux.

How it was made

Directed by Alexis Granowsky, with a screenplay by Pierre Benoit, a score by Paul Dessau and cinematography by Jean Bachelet. Much of the production team were White émigrés who had left Russia after the revolution, which gave the project first-hand familiarity with that world. The sets were designed by Lucien Aguettand and Andrej Andrejew, and the costumes by Georges Annenkov.

Reception and legacy

The available sources do not give detailed information on its critical or commercial reception. Its most visible legacy is the British version that Alexander Korda pursued after buying the rights, The Rebel Son (1938), which also starred Harry Baur. That second production shows how much interest the story attracted outside France.

Trivia

A team of émigrés

Many of the production's staff were White émigrés who had left Russia after the revolution.

British remake

Alexander Korda bought the rights and remade the film in Britain as The Rebel Son (1938), with Harry Baur in the lead role.

Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.