cossack movies

[baritsu6]

howard, i have seen taras bulba [ yul brynner] , however i have a question. the bison khilt series should prove popular [ as lamb's works are indeed excellent], is it possible a push can be made to get a khilt movie done? historicals are aplenty now[ troy, alexander, the recent crusader movie, rob roy, four feathers] and of recent [ last of the mohicans, brave heart, the patriot] money making-----why not give khilt or any cossack movie a shot? also LAMB HAS HAD NUMEROUS SCREENPLAYS MADE INTO MOVIES ! samson and deliah, the crusades, the plainsman and many more---what do listmembers think about this?--ralph

ralph grasso

[MichaelEhart]

I would watch a cossak movie.
BUt the one thing that all of the money-makers on your list have in common is that they are at least familiar stories, or familiar cultures to the general american public. I am afraid that Cossaks would not have the necessesary set of built-in cutural recognition tags required to make it accessable to the general movie going public.
Pity, though.

"Oathbreaker" Mythica Vault
Host, 2005 Nebula Awards Live Chat, sff.net

[jonesha]

Hey Ralph,

Lamb did indeed write multiple screenplays--however, he always got paired with another writer and I am told he was never very happy with the end result. There are a number of unproduced screenplays in his archive I would LOVE to read, including one about Hannibal.

As to a Cossack movie. I actually have a film degree--for all the good it has ever done me--and I have a treatment penned for a Khlit the Cossack movie. The copyright holder has shopped it around a little, but nothing has ever happened with it. Chances are slim that anything ever WILL happen to it, but I'm sure chances would improve slightly once Lamb is readily available on bookstore shelves. I do plan to try and get the treatment out a little more once book 1 (containing the novella the story is based on) is available. I don't, however, hold out high hope. Perhaps I will have more clout if my work too is on the bookstore shelves, but that's probably not too big of a help either, really.

Best,
Howard

Editor-in-Chief
www.swordandsorcery.org
Flashing Swords E-Zine

[AndyBow]

Here's a painting by Ilya Repin titled "The Zaporozhye Cossacks Writing a Mocking Letter to the Turkish Sultan", (scroll down to the 4th painting)
http://www.veronicasart.com/Russian/Repin.htm . These guys looked like they just stepped out of a Lamb or REH tale! Maybe Khlit's in there somewhere!

This small group of independents took on the Polish empire, the Turks, and the Russians, whom they finally succumbed to.

I happen to have this painting as a cover to a Classical Music CD I have of the Russian composer Gliere, which contains his 1921 piece, "The Zaporozhy(e) Cossacks, Op.64".

Might be inspirational music for you, Howard, as you work on the Lamb/Khlit project. []

Speaking of which, another Russian composer, Ippolitov-Ivanov, wrote many pieces influenced by the music of the peoples just south of Russia, such as: Georgian March; Caucasian Sketches, especially Procession Of The Sardar; and Turkish March and Turkish Fragments. These pieces are on a CD ("Caucasian Sketches") from Naxos, if it's still in print. Even more Lamb music! []

Andy Beau,
columnist of Forgotten Stories of Fantastic Sword-fighters @
www.swordandsorcery.org

[Jay Stevol]

I love that painting! So perfectly captures my romantic ideas of the time with its larger-than-life characters, their vibrance literally bursting from the picture. How can someone not want to see a movie based on these guys? It makes you wonder just what this 'insulting letter' is that the Cossacks are sending to the Turkish Sultan?

Incidentally, the painting is also the cover to the 'Cossacks' video game.

BTW, thanks for the music recommendation, Andy. I enjoy rousing classical music and I'll be sure to check out the 'Caucasian Sketches' if I see it in the shops.

[AndyBow]

[b]quote:Originally posted by Jay Stevol

It makes you wonder just what this 'insulting letter' is that the Cossacks are sending to the Turkish Sultan? </blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Probably telling the Turkish Sultan to go sit on his raised sword!


BTW, "Cossack" means "free person" in Turkic, which explains a lot about their fierce independent attitude.


[b]quote:BTW, thanks for the music recommendation, Andy. I enjoy rousing classical music and I'll be sure to check out the 'Caucasian Sketches' if I see it in the shops.
</blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I'm also a big fan of rousing, thundering classical music. You probably already have some of Tchaikovsky's pieces: the full 16+ minutes 1812 Overature, with cannon; Marche Slave (Slavic March), etc. You might want to also check out a couple of compilations:

Battle Music (Naxos) -
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=music

Beethoven:Wellington's Victory Op. 9, Two Marches for Military Band
Linzt: Hungarian Attack March, Battle Of The Huns
Volkman: Richard III Overature
Tchaikovsky: The Battle of Poltava
etc.



Blood & Thunder (real title!) (Varese Sarabande)
http://www.moviemusic.com/soundtrack...loodandthunder (click the pic for enlargemant)
(could be Khlit on horseback!)
Has a piece from various swashbuckling historical action movies of the past:

Parade of the Charioteers (Ben Hur)
Conquest (Captain From Castile)
Raisuli Attacks (The Wind And The Lion)
Suite (The Ten Commandments)
The Ride Of The Cossacks (Taras Bulba)!!
etc.



I also have numerous soundtracks from swashbuckling historical and fantasy adventure movies made in the near and distant past.

Enjoy the music, Jay!



Andy Beau,
columnist of Forgotten Stories of Fantastic Sword-fighters @
www.swordandsorcery.org

[JMP]

I think it would be a blast to see a Cossack movie... particularly if Howard's name was somewhere on the credits, of course.

Most of the recent would-be successors to Gladiator seem to have lost money, as far as I can tell, which maybe doesn't bode well for the genre. Of course, most of them have been beached whales of movies, crushed by the weight of their own pretentions. Given a talented director, a deftly written script and actors who can put on historical costumes without affecting British accents (nothing against British actors-- it's the Kevin Costner effect I'm complaining about) and I think a historical drama could make money hand over fist.

Not that anyone from Hollywood is asking me what I think. I'm just a guy who goes to movies sometimes. (Not too often this year.)

JMP

James M. Pfundstein