A wonderfully evocative film, swiftly paced and vivid like its subject. It is only a pity that it could not be lengthened to include the Mongols' savage incursion into Persia and the (terrifying for the West) foray into Russia and Europe. The history continues to resonate today in this sensitive area of the world. The firm hand of James Chambers as historical adviser (unfortunately uncredited) can be felt in the clarity of Genghis Khan's tactics as demonstrated in the film and the military lessons that would later be drawn by modern generals, not least by the blitzkrieg master Guderian in WW2. For reasons of staging these are paradoxically often a weak feature of war films, but here on the Steppes and northern China they are magnificent. For further reading people should go to James Chambers' excellent biography of Genghis Khan and the balanced account of the dynasty in his The Devil's Horsemen.
Review of Genghis Khan
