Genghis Khan

This is the joint production of China and Mongolia, in which China pay most of the bill, do most of the work, such as making those elaborate costume, many of which by hand. Mongolia provide the setting, but nothing more due to lack of money. Furthermore, under the decades of Soviet rule, Genghis Khan was considered a huge villain and anything about him was banned in Mongolia and as a result, historical documents and artifacts of Genghis era is far more abundant in China than Mongolia. However, this new film does not have a very good story like the one shot in 1986, and mostly it is just another scenic show.

And I hope it won't be the last. It was interesting to get a glimpse of Mongolia, a glimpse of life hundreds of years ago and to see Genghis Khan through Mongolian eyes. The film looked at his personal life and the things that drove him to become who he ultimately became.

Now I'd like to have a glimpse of contemporary Mongolia.

Late 12th century. Temudjin, born to a Mongolian tribe lives the life of a clan prince, until a plot against his peace-seeking father has the entire tribe abandon him, his mother and his brothers. Surviving the bitter hardships against all odds and learning the importance of loyalty, determination and sacrifice the hard way, the boy grows up to become a strong warrior, one who will slowly unite all clans against the Tatars, before going on to conquer the greatest empire in History.

It was about time really! Hollywood for one has long ignored the story of the great conqueror, beside delivering the odd artistic and financial flop - John Wayne's ghastly Conqueror comes to mind. Now a Mongolian version arrives, promising something different.

One of the only other historical figures comparable to Genghis Khan is Winston Churchill, in that their lives were so remarkable throughout that any period of their lives would make for fantastic cinema - the reason why China was able to make a 25 hour mini-series about the Khan that remains compelling. The film-makers here choose to focus on the earlier part of his life, to better explain the man, and deliver a rousing adventure film. The mix of effortless poetry and gritty understatement gives the film a unique feel that is far removed from Hollywood glamor or Chinese stylization, and all the better for it.

Of course, many a viewer will come to this expecting big fight scenes. Some of the early skirmishes disappoint with a retro feel of people just aiming at hitting each other's blade rather than actually aiming for flesh, but other moments of violence show genuine originality. The fact that the photography remains excellent throughout, notably preferring long moving shots to MTV editing, and that greater focus is given to the more intimate moments of violence, only enhance the film: the death of Temudjin's father, Temudjin avenging his father, Hoe'lun (T.'s mother) giving birth, etc, have a desperation and immediacy that manages to feel fresh and new, while also hitting the viewer with their visceral force.

The film ends before Temudjin has launched his wars of conquest, and he has grown from a stubborn boy to a broad-minded warrior, the man who would then go on to create a large Empire open to numerous new ideas.

This film is definitely a must-see, even in its truncated, badly scanned DVD version (obtainable in Great Britain). Hopefully someday a studio will give it a polish and the digital release it deserves, and all film-goers would benefit from it: good epics are a dying breed these days...

I bet Mongolia produces hundreds of really cool movies every year, but everybody thinks "Mongolia? That's all sheep isn't it? Can't be any good", and ignores them completely. That is, until they make a movie about their most famous export, Mr Genghis Khan. Everybody's heard or Genghis Khan, after all, and his barbarian hordes, and a biopic actually made in Mongolia ought to have that extra bit of authenticity. Therefore, the world sits up with sleepy eyes and takes note.

The reason I think Mongolia must make a lot of movies that the rest of the world ignores is because Genghis Khan is the first Mongolian movie I've even heard of, and it's really good. And people don't usually make really good movies without some practise, so I assume it's not the makers' first attempt.

The movie is a 'costume epic', of the 'hundreds of riders on horseback killing each other a lot' subgenre. One of my favourite genre/subgenres, in which I know I am not alone. It tells the story of Genghis's life from his birth (around 1167 apparently) to his uniting of the Mongol tribes (around 1206). It shows Genghis to be much more than a bloodthirsty barbarian, as he is often viewed in the West... in fact, his strong love for his mother was apparently his most famous personality trait. As a child, his family is forced into exile after his father - leader of the tribe - is betrayed and killed by a rival. Somehow, they survive on the plains, and when he reaches adulthood he returns to claim his throne (or his tassled spear, in fact, since thrones aren't generally popular with nomadic tribes). From there, he leads his people into battle again, becoming an increasingly more powerful and renowned military leader as he grows and learns.

The plot has a slightly dry "historical timeline" kind of feel to it, but the situations (and hence the movie at large) are made more engaging by some great performances. Genghis both young and old is a rounded character, flawed but honorable and likeable, and his loyal wife is quite adorable... but his mother steals the show. Strong, passionate, independant, etc. The kind of mother to raise empire-builders for sure. There's quite a lot of other characters involved in Genghis's story, but the movie focuses on the small core cast to ensure we don't become too bewildered. The historical feel is well conveyed by the movie's production - costumes, makeup and all the various props and sets all feel very authentic. The cinematography is excellent throughout, creating stunning images of the mountains and plains of Mongolia... especially during the battle scenes, where hundreds of riders on horseback charge around waving swords and spears and kicking up dust everywhere. Very impressive, though MUSA has since raised the standard for such scenes significantly of course. The scenes in GENGHIS KHAN are not as good as those in MUSA, unquestionably, but they aren't too shabby when compared with other competition such as ASOKA and SURIYOTHAI.

I must make mention of the movie's soundtrack, too - a really great score, beautifully composed and orchestrated, very epic and emotive. It's reminiscent in places of the CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON soundtrack.

My conclusion is a strong recommendation for the movie, especially if you have enjoyed MUSA, ASOKA, SURIYOTHAI etc. The Hong Kong DVD is not too great unfortunately, but is at least widescreen (very) and subtitled (badly). It would be nice to see a US studio pick it up, remaster it and release it theatrically and on DVD - except it probably wouldn't be the same after they'd had Zhang Ziyi re-dub Genghis' narration in English, and re-edited the battle scenes with Kevin Costner teaching Genghis military strategy...