An ARK-FILM Production
This picture was produced with the support of the Ministry of culture of the Russian Federation
Before the battle, I want to tell you, friends, about our comradeship.
There are comrades everywhere, in other countries,
but comrades such as in Russia,
there are none, nowhere.
Loving like the Russian soul, not through reason, but through what God has given us, and which is in us,
loving like that, nobody can.
I know, there are infamous bastards on our soil.
All they think about is stacking up grain, hay and raising herds of horses.
They bring along, the Devil knows which kinds of barbarian customs.
They despise their own language.
They even refuse to speak it among themselves.
They sell their offspring like goods on the cattle market !
And the favour of a foreign king, who is not even a king but a Polish tycoon,
whose yellow boots are crushing their own faces, matters more to them than any kind of fellowship !
But even in the lowest of bastards, whoever he may be, brothers, there lies a bit of the Russian soul,
when he wakes up someday, hits the ground with his fists, takes his head in his hands...
curses aloud his despicable life, ready to redeem himself and to endure torments to atone for his shame.
Let thel all know what comradeship means on Russian soil.
And if it comes down to that, if we have to die, none of them will ever avoid the same death.
None !
They don't have the balls, it's in their nature.
Attack !
Bogdan Stupka
Based on the novel by GOGOL
TARAS BULBA
Starring
Igor Petrenko Vladimir Vdovitchenkov
Original Music Igor Kornelyuk
Image Dimitri Mass
Executive Producer Alexander Potemkin
Producers Anton Znatopolskiy Ruben Dishdishyan
Directed by Vladimir Bortko
Welcome.
How was the journey ?
Excellent.
Turn around, son !
Turn around !
It's funny, what you're wearing.
It looks like a pope's cassock, uh !
Such long dresses !
And if I push one of you,
will I see him tumble to the ground,
entangled in the folds ?
Don't laugh at us, father.
Ooh ! He's so cute !
Ha !
Why don't you laugh ?
Although you're my father, if you laugh,
I guarantee you, I will hit you.
What ? Your father ?!
Even though you're my father.
If I get offended, I do not consider or respect any man.
And how can you fight ?
With your fists ?
Ha ?
So be it.
All right, come on.
Come on !
Come with your fists.
Come on !
Good, son.
Well done, sonny.
Frankly, that's good.
Have you gone crazy, old fart ! The children are back.
One long year without seeing them, and all he thinks of, is boxing them !
But he was the one wanted to fight !
And not so bad, honestly.
He'll make a good Cossack !
Welcome, my son !
Shall we hug ?
Good, my son.
Always hit the way you hit me. Don't fear anyone.
And you, snot-nose, what are you doing there, swinging your arms ?
Why, unworthy son, won't you come and hug me ?
Such a foolish idea to have your kids fighting their own father !
Yeah...and I hear this coming from a highbrow !
Don't listen to your mother, my son.
She's a woman, and knows nothing.
Who's your family ?
Your future, is these plains, and a good horse.
That...is your family.
Do you see this sword ?
That...is your mother.
I'm sending you off to Zaporozhye next week.
That is where knowledge can be found.
There only, spirits are being shaped.
Only there.
I'm afraid, my sons, that the Archimandrite
has not passed the taste for vodka to you.
Why not concede, my sons, that you have been
whipped with birch sticks, on the back,
and on any other place that makes you a Cossack ?
It's no use, father, to remember the past.
What is done, is done.
He's only trying to provoke you.
Just let these pagans talk,
they satisfy themselves to know what a Cossack saber is.
Good, son !
Frankly.
If it is like this, I shall go with you.
Indeed !
What the hell can I expect here ?
Sowing buckwheat, taking care of the household ?
Keeping the sheep, the pigs ?
Or chatting with my wife ?
Damn !
I am a Cossack !
And I don't want to !
Is there not a war ?
And I shall go with you to Zaporozhye.
and da-da-da-da, have fun !
What kind of enemy can we confront by staying here ?
What's the use of having a house ?
What's the use of all this ?
Dmitro, I will entrust you to take care of my properties, you hear me ?
As long as I'll be in Syetch, fighting with the regiment.
Don't forget to give them the best oats you can find.
Monaka, Orlika, Buyana.
Bulba was horribly stubborn.
He was one of those characters...
who could only be found in the depths on the sixteenth century,
and who, being born Cossacks,
were provided with the reckless and savage mores of the Russian nature.
He was a phenomenal example of Russian force,
driven from the entrails of the people, as well as from many inequities.
Here.
Let's go !
Let go !
All right, let's go !
My beloved sons, what's waiting for you ?
What are you to become ?
Who will lead you ?
In which battle will you lose your heads to the Tatars ?
And I won't even know where to find your mutilated bodies.
Right, sons, all is ready.
Why wait any longer ?
Now, following the Christian tradition,
we have to all sit down.
Mother, bless your children.
Pray God to fight bravely,
to always act honestly,
and to always protect faith in Christ.
Or else,
better disappear,
than think differently.
May the mother of God bless you.
My sons, do not forget your mother.
Children...
Syetch, our mother.
Here is Syetch.
This is the nest where they all come from, proud and strong as lions !
This is where the Cossacks are spreading throughout Ukraine.
Anyone who comes here, abandons behind him what he used to be.
He'll happily spend time in the company of others like him.
He won't have parents, or family, or home,
only undying insouciance and infinite skies.
This is Syetch.
Hey, musicians, play faster !
Don't be mad, Thomas, vodka is orthodox for Christians !
Take off your coat. See how much it weighs !
I can't.
And why ?
I can't, I could even sell it just to get a means to drink more.
Have fun, Vassil ! I redeemed you.
Now, you don't owe anyone anything.
Hail, Kirdyaga !
And I can see you didn't come alone, but with your sons.
He killed a comrade...like a dog. Just like that, dead drunk.
He's a shame for all Cossacks.
And if he hadn't been a Cossack ?
But only a simple man ?
A Polack ?
Wouldn't that be a shame, then ?
If it were so, only the Polacks would mourn.
Nobody's mourning us.
But there are laws.
A court ? Roman law ?
Here prevails the law of our soil.
What if we were born in another country ?
I don't know.
I remember, when we were kids, we were walking with you on the road,
and you were skipping around, crying,
because the sun was heating the dust and burning your feet.
I took you in my arms,
and walked again, and I had the feeling that it wasn't the dust at all,
but the soil itself that was warming my feet.
My soil.
It's just like Latin, at the seminary. It's not for me.
Veni, vidi,... What comes after that ?
Vici. I came, I saw, I won.
Won ? No, not us.
Not with this soil under our feet.
There she is.
Where ?
Over there, first row. Next to her father.
Hey you, bastards, how dare you go to church ?
What did you say ?
A real son of Taras, huh guys ?
And you, what can you do ?
Or maybe you can't do anything ? Huh ?
So be it.
He will stand here.
And I shall shoot.
But why would you want to do that, Shilo ?
Because he had already his turn.
We'll see whether he's courageous.
Yuk !
Where are you going to, Taras ?
Hi, father.
Hi.
Back to Syetch ?
Do you believe in Christ ?
I do.
Hail to you, Koshevoy (*) (*) Supreme chief of the Cossacks
Hello, Taras.
And do you believe in the Holy Trinity ?
I do, father.
Sit down.
And now, cross yourself.
Good. You can go now.
And you know to which hut...
Thank you, father.
So, Koshevoy...
It's time for the Cossacks to have fun.
There's no place to have fun.
How so, no place ?
We can go to the Turks, or to the Tatars.
We can't go to the Turks nor to the Tatars.
How so, we can't go ?
We promised the sultan...peace.
You, you are the sultan...
this devil of a Turk,
brother to the demon and... Lucifer's secretary in person !
But what the hell can you do, knight,
when you can't even kill a hedgehog,
because your butt is naked ?
We do not fear your armies.
On ground and sea, we will fight you...
you, Babylonian spitmeat !
Gelding of Jerusalem !
And now, we have to finish,
for we don't know how to count
and we don't have a calendar.
But if this day is ours, it is yours too.
Kiss...
from where you are, kiss us right here !
All right, send this letter to the sultan.
We can't send the letter to the sultan.
And why is that so ?
Koshevoy won't allow it.
How so, won't allow it ?
He wants peace with the sultan.
That dog !
What do you want, sirs ?
- Give back the staff ! - Give back the staff, son of a bitch !
We don't want you anymore ! Go away !
Give back the staff !
- Give back the staff ! - Go away !
Who do you choose now as Koshevoy ?
Choose Kukubenko !
No, not Kukubenko ! He's too young !
He's still got milk on the lip !
Let Shilo be the chief ! Yes, Shilo ! Shilo !
Fuck Shilo !
A guy who steals from hiw own is not a Cossack, son of a bitch !
Like a Tatar !
Shout for Kirdyaga.
Kirdyaga ! Kirdyaga !
Yes, Kirdyaga ! Kirdyaga !
Kirdyaga !
Take the staff !
Kirdyaga ! Take it !
Let there be vodka for all !
What news ?
Disastrous !
All this Cossack power, in vain !
There is no war !
Our sergents are growing mossy,
and their eyes are getting fleshy !
Allow me, chief, to say a word ?
Speak.
What is the news ?
The news is catastrophic.
Catastrophic ?
Colonel, you don't have a regiment any more.
And you don't have a farm, or horses, any more.
No servants any more.
The Polacks destroyed everything.
And your wife, Taras... they killed her.
Even maimed, we tried to save her.
But we couldn't.
And allow me, sirs,
to say another word.
Speak ! Speak.
Speak, dog ! Don't hide anything !
I want to ask you something.
Have you heard...
what's going on over the whole kingdom ?
And what's going on ?
Tell us what's going on, son of a bitch !
We were born and baptized
but they don't give a damn !
We live in a time
where even the sacred churches
are not ours any more !
How so, not ours ?
Why, not ours ?
They are renting them to innkeepers !
What ? What do you mean ? Christian churches ?
And if we don't pay the rent in advance,
they won't allow us to attend mass !
That is the kind of time we are living in Ukraine !
Listen up, for I have not said everything yet.
Today, priests are traveling across Ukraine in carts.
The problem is not that they are traveling in carts,
it's that the carts are not drawn by horses...
...but by good orthodox Christians !
That is the kind of time we are living in Ukraine !
And you, you are here, in Zaporozhye,
you are having fun and you don't hear what's going on in the world.
Shut up, shut up !
And what have you been doing ?
Didn't you have your swords with you, or what ?
How could you ever allow such mischief to even happen ?
Oh yes, I would like to see you, facing fifty thousand Polacks.
It's not a secret that even
among us there are dogs,
who are turning away from faith.
And your Ghetman, and your colonels, what have they done ?
What our colonels have done ?
They have done what they had to, to defend God, and you, and us.
Right now, the Ghetman is in Warsaw, boiled in a copper cauldron !
The heads and hands of the colonels
have been shown to the population, on fairgrounds !
That is what our colonels have done !
What ?! Priests carried in carts drawn by good orthodox Christians ?!
How can we tolerate on Russian soil
that damned infidels practice such tortures ?!
And what they have done to the Ghetman and the colonels !
We won't allow it ! We won't allow it !
Let's go and strangle the strangers !
Let's go and drown them in the Dnieper !
But it's not us, it's not us renting, it's not the Jews !
It's the Ukrainians, but not us, not the Jews !
I did nothing, I did nothing !
Master, protect me, I did nothing.
Masters such as you, sirs, there are none better in the world !
So courageous, so brave, so good, no, never anywhere ! Never !
But it's not us, it's not us renting, it's not the Jews !
Those who do that, we should spit on them !
Pfuh-pfuh-pfuh-pfuh ! And throw them in hell !
I knew your brother, the late Dorosh,
I lent him 800 crowns when he wanted to buy...
Enough, come here.
Don't move !
Wait !
You knew my brother ?
Yes.
In truth I did. He was a generous man.
What's your name ?
Yankel.
Very well.
Step away, brave fighters.
And you, go away.
Don't push me to sin.
The council of elders has decided
to go to Poland !
Make them pay for their misdeeds,
in tears and death !
They denigrated our faith !
What is the decision of Zaporozhye's independent army ?
Agreed ! Agreed !
God bless you !
Farewell, Syetch, mother.
The Lord be with you.
Moron ! Do you want to get shot like a sparrow ?
I'm not talking to anyone. This is my own cart.
I'm carrying everything the Cossacks may need,
and at a price so low that no Jew would be able to match.
Honestly, yes, by God, yes !
Ah ! You are a smart one !
Soon, the whole of south-western Poland became prey to the terror.
Everywhere shouts could be heard : "Cossacks ! The Cossacks are coming !"
All that could be saved, was carried off.
All were fleeing, alone or in groups, in total panic.
What do you think ?
Your Highness, they are as many as grasshoppers.
Are they really that many ?
Rabble ! Cattle !
Rebel slaves !
Maybe not all of them.
You don't know them.
Are you afraid ?
I'm not afraid of anything, my daughter.
I'm just worried about you.
But believe me, we will disband them.
And punish them severely.
They are coming !
Attack !
Be ready !
More wood.
Be ready !
They're so many.
At my command ! Be ready !
Darling, you have to go.
We will have to fight.
This is no place for you. Go.
Attaque !
Obey !
Fire ! Fire at will !
Fire !
Pistol !
Aida...
...in the storm !!
Almost there !
Your hand !
Andriy, Andriy, hold on !
Sound retreat ! No use in wasting our forces.
This is nothing, brothers, we are beating a retreat,
but let me turn into a barbarian and not a good Christian,
if we allow a single one to stay alive in that city !
Let them starve to death, those dogs !
We will besiege the city
and not even a mouse will pass through !
Help me undress then you may dispose.
All right, mistress.
- Good night. - Good night.
What's going on, mistress ?
Nothing, I dropped my comb.
Did you see me ?
Yes.
Nobody has ever seen me like this.
Go away !
Tell me, who are you ?
I think I saw you before.
Yes, in Kiev.
In Kiev ?
You're a Tatar ! You're the servant...
- to the Voyvod's daughter ! (*) (*) Duke
Hush !
So tell me, how is she ? Is she still alive ?
She's here, in the city.
In the city ?
And why is she in this city ?
Because the old master is here too.
He's Voyvod of the city of Dubna.
Is she married ?
Well, answer me !
She has eaten nothing all day.
Why ?
There's no bread anymore.
People are eating dust.
She said ! go ask the knight,
if he remembers me, to come see me,
and if not, to give bread for my mother.
He too has a mother. He might be willing to help us.
The Polacks killed my mother.
But how did you manage to come here ?
How did you do ?
The underground passage.
There is a passage ?
Yes.
Come with me.
For God's sake, bread...
Now.
Stay here, close to the cart.
No, sit down. Everyone sleeps. Nobody will see you.
I'm going, now.
Keep your sodding...
Let's go.
Andriy !
You're with a woman ! It's much better that way.
Women waiting at home, it's no good. It's no good.
Come on.
Hurry, hurry up.
Because of the famine, we have eaten everything : horses, dogs, cats.
You wouldn't even find a mouse.
How do they intend to defend the city ?
The Voyvod was ready to surrender, but we heard yesterday morning
that a colonel is arriving from Warsaw, with reinforcements.
May God reward you.
Me, I'm just a weak woman.
Easy, don't eat too fast.
You haven't eaten for so long that bread would be like poison to you !
Princess...
What do you want ?
What do you need ?
Your wish is my command.
Ask me what you want, even if it's the most impossible thing in the world, and I'll do it.
Command me to do what no man can do, and I'll do it.
Why are you so sad ?
Fate is so cruel. My life was but excess and abundance,
and all this for what ?
Dying a death that not even the poorest in the kingdom will suffer ?
And never knowing the love that I've always been dreaming of ?
Holy Virgin, forgive my sins.
You will not.
You won't die, you won't die.
On my family, I swear it. You will not die.
And if it comes that neither force nor prayer can prevent our death,
then we shall die together.
But I'll die first.
For being without you is being dead already.
Do not lie, knight.
Not to yourself, no to me.
I know that you may not love me.
You talk of fathers, comrades, motherland...
And to you, we are the enemy.
And what is a father ?
Comrades ?
Motherland ?
Nobody dictates what I should believe.
Nobody. Nobody !
Who said that Ukraine is my motherland ?
Who offered it to me as a motherland ?
Motherland is what our soul is longing for,
what's most precious in the world to it.
Here is my motherland.
You are my motherland.
And I shall hold this motherland in my heart.
I shall hold it as long as I live.
And nobody, even a Cossack, will ever take it away from me.
For such a motherland,
I'd give everything,
I'd sell everything,
I'd break everything.
Did you see Andriy ?
No.
- Maybe he's been captures. - No, not Andriy.
But he's not among the dead.
Have another look at all of them !
See, brothers, what happened last night !
All these dead drunk morons !
Not surprising that half are dead, and the other half captured !
What a shame in front of our enemy !
Allow me, chief ?
Your reproaches are not truly justified.
Cossacks would be to blame and would deserve death
should they be drunk while marching, fighting or working.
But we were sitting idle,
taking walks here and there in front of the city.
Did we not behave as Christians through fast and abstinence ?
But if we don't have anything to do, why couldn't we be drinking ?
Bulba's eldest son has spoken well !
And this is not a sin !
And we are going to show them now
what it means to attack defenseless people.
They have been hitting hard before, but we'll hurt them so deeply that they won't get over it.
Master ! Colonel !
Master colonel !
I've been in the city.
Did the enemy take you there ?
When I heard the noise, when the Cossacks started to shoot,
I ran toward the city gate, just when the Polish troops were coming in.
A the head of the troops was Lieutenant Galyandowicz.
He's been owing me one hundred crowns for three years.
I followed him to get my money back, and I entered in the city.
What, you ? Entered in the city ? And you wanted to get back your debt ?
And he didn't hang you as a dog ?!
Yes ! He wanted to !
He put a rope around my neck, but I begged him,
and I promised I'd lend him more money.
And since the Lieutenant doesn't have a single penny in his pocket,
he can't sit at the Diet (*). (*) Polish parliament.
And what have you been doing in the city ? Did you see our men ?
Of course ! Itska, and Samuel, and Rafael...
To hell with them ! I'm talking about Cossacks !
Uh-uh, Cossacks...
I saw...
master Andriy.
You saw him ?
Andriy ?
But how ?
And where did you see him ?
In a basement ?
In a pit ?
Dishonoured ?
Chained ?
No, who would dare chain master Andriy ?
This majestic...
knight ?
God knows I hadn't recognized him...
with his golden epaulets, his golden cuffs,
his golden hat...as a matter of fact, everything was golden.
And a golden belt, gold everywhere.
And the Voyvod gave him a horse.
A horse worth two hundred crowns alone.
That's it.
But why would he wear such a disguise ?
He passed over.
Passed where ?
He's passed over to their side.
He's one of them now.
You're lying, bastard !
And why would I lie to you ?
I know a Jew can get hanged from a tree
like a dog, should he lie to a master.
Then, if it was him, you think, did he deny his motherland, his faith ?
No, no, no, I never said he did !
I only said that he passed over to their side.
You lie, damn Jew !
Such a thing is unthinkable in a Christian country !
You lie, dog !
Let grass not grow on my threshold,
and let spit on my father's grave,
and on my mother's, and my father's father's, if I lie !
If the master allows, I can even explain why he passed over.
Why ?!
The Voyvod's daughter is beautiful.
Great God, a true beauty !
It's because of her, if he passed over.
I questioned the Tatar chambermaid.
There will a a marriage, as soon as the Cossacks are defeated.
Master Andriy promised to defeat the Cossacks.
Why didn't you kill him on the spot, son of a bitch ?
Why kill him ? Because of what he's done ?
He's better over there. That's why he passed over.
You...
You saw him ? The same face ?
In truth, the same face.
He came toward me, recognized me and said : Yankel...
What did he say ?
Tell my father. Tell my brother.
Tell the Cossacks. Tell it in Zaporozhye, tell them all.
That from now on...
My father is not my father any more.
My brother is not my brother, my comrade is not a comrade any more.
And that I shall fight them all ! I shall fight them all !
Go away before I kill you, damn Jew.
Alert ! Alert !
What's the matter ?
My brothers, God be praised !
I thought I'd never find you.
I've been riding this horse for five days.
What happened ?
Tatars. Syetch, ablaze.
People, all killed, or enslaved.
I alone could escape.
Well, brother,
maybe we'll meet again, or maybe not.
Forgive me, brother.
God forgive you.
And to the next time.
God forgive.
For the third time, forgive.
God forgive.
Are they leaving ?
I don't understand. What does that mean ?
Only half of them.
It means that only half of them remain.
Half the Cossacks are gone.
The other half remain.
Sirs, this is our only chance.
Tomorrow, we'll crush and overcome them.
A toast to that ! Vivat ! Vivat ! Vivat !
I appreciate you, friends,
not because you chose me as your chief,
not in honour of our comrades still over there,
not because this minute will never come back.
A noble cause is waiting for us, and will demand
from us sweat and higher virtues !
So let's drink, comrades, particularly for
the holy orthodox faith !
Let there finally be a time...
when it will spread in the world,
and there will be...
only one single and holy faith !
To faith !
And by the same way, let's drink to Syetch !
To Syetch !
May the city grow in beauty and power with every passing year !
To Syetch ! To Syetch !
And finally, comrades, the last toast.
Comrades !
To all Christians in the world !
To Christians ! To Christians !
Cossacks think deeply.
Like eagles, they contemplate their baleful destiny from above.
The fields will be covered with their white bones,
generously drenched in their Cossack blood.
But none of them will be forgotten.
And the Cossacks' glory will live for ever.
A bard's prophetizing soul will chant their praises aloud.
And all those who will be born later will remember them.
Because a strong word reaches far away, as the clock's powerful rumble,
in which many lords have melted their precious silver,
so it may resound far across, in towns and villages,
calling everyone to the holy prayer.
Attack !
Forward !
Do not yield !
Don't let them break through our ranks.
Concentrate fire on them !
Hey, your weapons are really worth a lot !
I killed seven Poles but I haven't seen such a weapon yet.
Filthy dog !
Vivat !
Take this !
Come on !
The colonel has been killed, do you hear, brothers ?!
The colonel is dead ! Dimitrovitch is dead !
And why aren't you a colonel ?
No, really ?
Kukubenko, colonel !
With me !
Come on !
Our victory, comrade !
No, this is not a victory yet.
Yours. Yours, damned son.
You're slaying yours.
Hey Cossacks, draw him toward the woods, draw him there for me !
And what are we going to do now ?
So, sonny, you've been helping the Polacks ?
Selling yourself like that !
Selling your faith !
Selling your...
Get down !
Get off that horse !
Stop and don't move !
I fathered you...
and I shall kill you.
And you were such a good Cossack.
Strong, and proud.
Noble...
A strong arm in the battle.
Lost...
Lost, shamefully.
Why, mangy dog ?
We are in trouble, chief !
Everybody's looking for you !
The enemy has got some backup forces.
But the Cossacks won't die if they don't see you before their very eyes !
They want you to come and see them before it's time to die.
So, comrades, your cartridges are full ?
The Cossacks' army is still powerful ?
The Cossacks will never surrender ?
Our cartridges are full, chief !
And we haven't lost our power !
And we will never surrender !
I'm leaving this world without regret.
God gives the same death to all.
May Russia remain glorious until the end of centuries.
May Russia get rid of its enemies for ever, and rejoice.
And the young soul flies away.
Angels covered it under their wings and took it to the skies.
There it will be well.
"Sit down to my right, Kukubenko," the Lord will say.
"You haven't changed comradeship."
"You have not been disgraced. You have defended and preserved my Church."
So, comrades, your cartridges are full ?
The Cossacks' army is still powerful ?
The Cossacks will never surrender ?
Our cartridges are full, chief !
And we haven't lost our power !
And we will never surrender !
One of the most valiant Cossack chiefs.
He took part in numerous expeditions, the most glorious until the Anatolian coasts.
They gathered large wealth and somptuous objects.
And the bards will chant their praise long after their death.
It seems, comrades,
that this is a good death.
I killed seven with the saber, and nine with the dagger.
May Russia blossom for ever.
Cossack Mossiy Shilo was strong.
More than once he commanded at sea, and he went through numerous trials.
He might have been Koshevoy, but he was of a particular type of Cossacks.
He used to drink and spend without telling, and he owed everyone money in Syetch.
Besides, he was a notorious thief : one night, he stole a harness and sold it to an innkeeper.
For such a shameful act, he was tied to a post,
next to a club, so that anyone could punish him.
But not a single Cossack took the club to Shilo, for all could remember his high deeds.
So was the Cossack Mossiy Shilo.
Farewell, brothers, comrades.
May Russia remain for ever the pillar of orthodox faith.
May Russia be its honor !
And the Cossacks are fighting.
But already Zadorozhniy is dead, and Koshevoy is dead.
Then Pysarenko's dead, then another, and then a third Pysarenko dies too.
But the Cossacks are fighting to the end of their forces.
I thank God for allowing me to die before your eyes, comrades.
May our followers live better than we did.
And may our beloved Russia remain the Lord's favourite.
So, brothers ?
Your cartridges are full ?
Your swords are not dull ?
Your power is intact ?
Did the Cossacks surrender ?
Our swords are still sharp !
And the Cossacks are still fighting.
Fire !
Ostap, hold on !
Good, son, good !
Bastard !
I'm with you, Ostap !
Father !
Hey, Ostap, Ostap...
The Cossacks have crossed the river.
Soon, Asia Minor will acknowledge them, their shaven heads, their long toupees...
It will see the turbans of muslim inhabitants
spread like countless flowers on fields engorged with blood.
It will see the Cossacks' baggy black trousers, and their muscled arms waving black whips.
And the pleasure they'll take in sailing again.
They will sail against turkish ships, despite the miniscule size of their own boats.
One third of them will be lost at sea, but the others will gather again
and they'll reach the Dnieper's mouth, loaded with dozens of barrels full of Turkish gold.
My son, Ostap,
my...
Listen up, Yankel, I saved your life,
it's your turn, now.
Do me a favour.
If it's a favour I can do, why not ?
Don't say a word.
Take me to Warsaw.
To Warsaw ?
But why Warsaw ?
Take me...
to Warsaw. I have never been there and I must see him one last time and tell him one word.
Tell him a word ?
To Ostap,
my son.
If the master doesn't know yet...
He knows.
My head is worth two thousand crowns.
I'll give you five thousand.
Two thousand now,
and the rest when we're back.
I guess the man whose money it was before, did not live more than an hour.
I'd have preferred not to have to ask.
I could have found the road to Warsaw by myself.
But I don't have any time to lose.
So prepare your cart and take me there !
And the master thinks it's enough to say : "Yah Sivka, let's go" ?
And the master thinks that nobody will search for him ?
Well, I'll hide if I have to.
In an empty barrel, or what ?
Why, an empty barrel ? Anybody would think
that the barrel's not empty, but full of vodka.
Let them think so, then.
Yes, and at the first check, they will drill a hole in the barrel,
they'll see that nothing is flowing and they will say...
A Jew never carries an empty barrel.
That's a bit true, isn't it ?
They will seize the Jew, tie him down, take his money and throw him in jail.
Because all that goes wrong is the Jew's fault.
Because everybody takes the Jew for a dog !
Because everybody thinks : he's not a man.
I am Jew.
But you'll take me,
won't you, please ?
WARSAW
Colonel, we're already in Warsaw.
What ?
Did you succeed ?
My poor master, it is not possible nowadays.
Absolutely, impossible.
A people so mean that they spit on everybody's head.
That's what Mordichai says.
Mordichai did what nobody else did.
But God did not allow it.
Tomorrow, they'll all be executed.
Come then.
I can't.
We need it.
I need it.
There, Miss, with all those instruments, is the executioner.
He knows his affair very well.
When he starts breaking bones, it's a curse for the Cossack if he's still alive.
And when he has to cut a head, he won't drink, or eat, or even sing.
Because, Miss, that could have him lose his head too.
Death !
God, let all those who are not heretics,
or mean, suffer
like true Christians !
For none of us has uttered a single word !
Good, son...
Good, son, good...
Father, where are you ?
Can you hear me ?
I hear you, my son !
I hear you !
Aida !
This is for you, damned Polacks, in memory of Ostap.
Help her.
Help her, old fool !
Why don't you do anything ?
She's been suffering for three days !
Sirs, please excuse me.
Let's continue.
Cossacks under the orders of Ostrenitsiy,
have defeated the royal army general Nikolai Potosky.
The only way to safeguard our forces and our honour,
even though the Cossack leaders led by Taras Bulba do not wish that.
Enough, mister Kosnievsky.
We must try and gather the forces of all Poland.
Lord, the danger stalking us is terrible.
Because they are not people.
Pray excuse me.
What is it ?
The princess died.
And the child ?
Alive.
It's a boy.
Sir, a small Bulba detachment near the river !
They are in the Dniester's rocks.
We'll be there in the morning !
Forward, at a gallop !
They're many.
On horse !
To the river !
Aida !
To the Dniester !
I have to quit tobacco.
I don't want to end up in the hands of those damned...
...Polacks !
Ah, old age...
Burn !
In front of everyone, burn !
Where to ? Which way ?
Take a left and then, jump in the water !
Otherwise, you're finished !
Thank you, father !
Shut up !
Farewell, comrades !
Come back here next spring.
And have fun !
What ? Surprised, Polacks ?
Wait, the time will come when you know what the Russian orthodox faith means.
Close or far, now, people feel it !
There will be a time soon when all will surround...
their king, the Tsar !
And there will be no power in the world that he won't be able to tame !
Under the light shed by those people, and their power,
is there anywhere a force able to break the Russian soul ?
Subtitles by Intermodal (2009)