Genghis Khan (1965)

During the 13th century the shy Mongol boy Temujin becomes the fearless leader Genghis Khan who unites all Mongol tribes and conquers most of Asia, Europe and the Middle-East.

Director:

Henry Levin

Writers:

Clarke Reynolds (screenplay), Beverley Cross (screenplay)

Stars:

Stephen Boyd, Omar Sharif, James Mason

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stephen Boyd	...	Jamuga
Omar Sharif	...	Genghis Khan / Temujin-Genghis Khan
James Mason	...	Kam Ling
Eli Wallach	...	The Shah Of Khwarezm
Françoise Dorléac	...	Bortei (as Francoise Dorleac)
Telly Savalas	...	Shan
Robert Morley	...	The Emperor Of China
Michael Hordern	...	Geen
Yvonne Mitchell	...	Katke
Woody Strode	...	Sengal
Kenneth Cope	...	Subodai
Roger Croucher	...	Kassar
Don Borisenko	...	Jebai
Patrick Holt	...	Kuchluk
Susanne Hsiao	...	Chin Yu (as Suzanne Hsaio)

Storyline

Mostly fictionalized account of the life of Ghenghis Khan, the Mongol warlord whose 13th century armies conquered much of the known world. Named Temujin, he was taken prisoner by the rival warlord Jamuga and as punishment was forced to wear a large round wooden stock that severely restricted his movements. With the help of two supporters, the wise-man Geen and the strongman Sengal he manages to escape. He now begins his quest to unify all of the Mongol tribes. He faces great success but his old nemesis Jemuga keeps appearing at various times in his life leader to a final battle between the two.

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Plot Keywords:

pregnancy by rape | mongol | khan | leader | prisoner | 

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Taglines:

Conqueror Of The World's Mightiest Empire!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK West Germany Yugoslavia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 June 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dzingis-Kan

Filming Locations:

Yugoslavia

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,332, 22 February 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,892, 22 February 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,Irving Allen Productions,Central Cinema Company Film (CCC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Yvonne Shima.

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Goofs

James Mason used a "glass" mirror to signal the soldiers of the emperor, the glass mirror was invented in 1835 in Germany, in the times of Genghis Khan, a polished metal like copper or bronze was used as mirror.

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Quotes

Temujin, later Genghis Khan: Born a slave, I never was!

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Alternate Versions

All UK releases are cut by 1 min 3 secs. The cinema version was cut for nudity and later video releases also included additional edits for horse-falls and to a rape scene.

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Connections

Referenced in Casualties of War (1989)

User Reviews

Wildly Inaccurate Historical Epic

This has about as much to do with the real Genghis Khan as the Hughes film"The Conquerer".If you want to know about the real historical figure,read Lamb's 1920s book.That aside,we have to appreciate the production values of the film.Sets,props,etc.,are all ok.None of these people,however,can scarcely be imagined as Central Asians.Greek Savalas and Alabaman Strode come closest.Wallach,as the Shah,makes an acceptable sly villain,and not an unbelievable Levantine.Everybody else is not only much too European,but much too Nordic,as well.(Sharif is only a minor exception to this generalisation.)And Morley,Mason,and Hordern all act as though they wandered in from a road company of "The Mikado".Watch this film for amusement,and perhaps free-wheeling historical fiction(aka Robert E. Howard),but don't take it too seriously.