Taras Bulba. Franz Waxman

The Cossacks of Eastern Europe join the Poles to rid the Turks from the Steps of Europe. In return for their aid, the Poles agree to give control of the Steps to the Cossacks. After the battle, however, the Poles back out of their agreement and force the Cossacks into the hills. Taras Bulba (Yul Brynner), a Cossack Colonel, raises his son, Andrei Bulba (Tony Curtis) to learn the ways of the Poles so he can one day defeat them in battle. In his learning process, however, Andrei falls in love with Natalia Dubrov (Christine Kaufmann), the daughter of a Polish Nobleman. This twist causes Andrei Bulba to choose between the love of the Cossacks, and the love of a woman, and causes Taras Bulba to choose between the love of his son, and the love of the Cossacks.

Taras Bulba did have was an absolutely brilliant score by the great Franz Waxman. From the rousing main title, to the astonishing almost twelve-minute finale with the magnificent "The battle of Dubno", Waxman’s Taras Bulba is filled with one glorious cue after another, and features one of his most beautiful and incandescent melodies in “The Wishing Star” – every time that theme makes an appearance in the score is utterly magical. The great Bernard Herrmann called Taras Bulba “The score of a lifetime.” And indeed it is – one of the greatest action/adventure scores ever written by one of the greatest film composers who ever lived.