THE thing I remember most about Taras Bulba was Yul Brynner. I have seldom come across anyone who could be bald-headed and still be physically awesome.

Taras Bulba which hit the screens in 1962 wasn't one of Brynner's greatest screen hits but it left an indelible mark on a little boy's mind for the rest of his growing years.

I recall telling a friend on leaving the cinema after the show, "I want to be just like Yul Brynner, bald, well-muscled and undeniably rugged."

Back in those days, the word "cool" hadn't surfaced yet. My friend didn't hesitate with his reply, "for you my friend, it's physically incorrect and socially impolite."

 I took that as a "no". As far as I know, there was only one Hollywood actor who could get away with being bald, and be good at it, and it was Yul Brynner.

Even Terry Savalas as Kojak didn't attain the bald status that was exclusively reserved for Brynner with audiences worldwide.

The tale of Taras Bulba was about the Polish revolutionaries against the Cossacks in the 16th century.

Taras Bulba was the leader of the Cossacks and he has the demeanour of Genghis Khan. In fact, he could pass off as the great Khan himself.

The terrain on which the battles take place is Ukraine, long before the Bolsheviks and the Communists came into the picture. It was wild country with lots of blood-thirsty warriors who kill for a living.

For those of us living in the East, Taras Bulba is for all intent and purposes a barbarian.

Who knows what "barbarian" means. As long as the chap looks like a savage and has a menacing look and moutache like Yul Brynner, then by golly, a barbarian he is!

There are three characters whose characters got stuck in my mind like legs in quicksand, and they are Yul Brynner, Tony Curtis and Christine Kaufmann.

 Brynner was 42 years old when he became "Taras Bulba" and what a magnificent figure of a man he was.

Tony Curtis was 37 years old at that time and he could have passed off as 27. Curtis always had the luck of looking younger than he was at the height of his acting career.

Christine Kaufmann, the sweet girl who acted as a Polish damsel whom Andrei Bulba fell in love with. Their love affair gave the plot that extra edge.

Kaufmann was 17 years old when she starred in Taras Bulba. She has that angelic face that is not easily forgotten. When the lights, camera and action were shut off, the on-screen love affair shifted to real life.

Tony Curtis really fell in love with Christine Kaufmann, and they were married the following year (1963).

The marriage produced two daughters, Alexandra (born 1964) and Allegra (1966). Two years after Allegra was born, their marriage came to an end.

Curtis continued with his acting, so did Kaufmann who had stopped hers temporarily while she was married to Curtis.

Pity that marriage didn't last because I became a small time fan of Christine Kaufmann after I saw her in Taras Bulba. Not many actresses can speak German, French and English like her.

For those of us, that includes the rest of us Asians as well, who are almost totally in the dark about European history, Taras Bulba sheds a little light on a very small chapter of its illustrious history.

But if you can the chance, just watch it for the spectacular battle scenes.

For me, Brynner was almost the ultimate Cossack warrior. Like I say, that guy is one true barbarian. This movie collected an Oscar nomination for Best Music Score which it did not win. Too bad. Still, it is a fun movie.