Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan (2007)

The story recounts the early life of Genghis Khan who was a slave before going on to conquer half the world in 1206.

Director:

Sergei Bodrov (as Sergey Bodrov)

Writers:

Arif Aliev, Sergei Bodrov (as Sergey Bodrov)

Stars:

Tadanobu Asano, Amadu Mamadakov, Khulan Chuluun

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 15 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tadanobu Asano	...	Temudjin
Honglei Sun	...	Jamukha
Khulan Chuluun	...	Börte
Aliya	...	Oelun - Temudjin's Mother
Baasanjav Mijid	...	Esugei - Temudjin's Father (as Ba Sen)
Amadu Mamadakov	...	Targutai
He Qi	...	Dai-Sechen
Ben Hon Sun	...	Monk
Ji Ri Mu Tu	...	Boorchu
You Er	...	Sorgan-Shira (as A You Er)
Huntun Batu	...	Altan (as Hong Jong Ba Tu)
Deng Ba Te Er	...	Daritai (as E Er Deng Ba Te Er)
Bao Di	...	Todoen
Su Ya La Su Rong	...	Girkhai (as Su You Le Si Ren)
Sai Xing Ga	...	Chiledu

Storyline

The movie is an epic story of a young Genghis Khan and how events in his early life lead him to become a legendary conqueror. The 9-year-old Temüjin is taken on a trip by his father to select a girl as his future wife. He meets Börte, who says she would like to be chosen, which he does. He promises to return after five years to marry her. Temüjin's father is poisoned on the trip, and dies. As a boy Temüjin passes through starvation, humiliations and even slavery, but later with the help of Börte he overcomes all of his childhood hardships to become one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever known.

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Plot Keywords:

genghis khan | mongolia | slave | warlord | desert | 

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Taglines:

Don't despise a weak cub, it can appear the son of a tiger.

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Genres:

Action | Biography | Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sequences of bloody warfare

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally, 'Mongol' was the first part of a projected trilogy, but after the difficulty making this film, director Sergei Bodrov decided not to make the sequels. Several months after shooting wrapped, however, he changed his mind again and decided to conflate his scripts for parts 2 and 3, and just do the one sequel, entitled 'The Great Kahn'. It was originally scheduled to be released in late 2010, but the project was held back for several months. In Noevember 2010 however, it was announced that all work on the film had ceased, and was unlikely to resume. In July 2013, during a visit to the annual Naadam Festival in Ulan Bator, Bodrov told the press that the production of the sequel had started again.

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Goofs

(at around 18 mins) The dead person with his throat slashed blinks. The dead person being portrayed in this movie is actually alive.

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Quotes

Esugei: [Dying words] Be strong... and ask our Lord of the blue sky, great Tengri... to help you.

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Connections

Featured in Timeshift: Epic: A Cast of Thousands! (2011)

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Soundtracks

Joy In Mongolia
Composed & Performed by Altan Urag
Published by Altan Urag Music

User Reviews

More than just an epic war tale, deserves a standing ovation.

This film is an example of an extremely strong narrative accompanied by excellent cinematography and superbly executed war scenes... reminds me of Saving Pvt Ryan without all the bangs and clatter. The acting is also commendable. There seems to be a great deal of research that has gone into the subject and is a great eduction on the early life of Chengiz Khan. I wish there was more, but for the integrity of the subject I think the makers have done justice to the story. Would really appreciate if this made into a trilogy, but I don't think the film makers have left any scope to stretch it further. They have compressed a epic life tale into a little more than an hour and a half and with great flair and ease which is calls for a standing ovation. Lesson to Indian Film makers!!!

Details

Official Sites:

CTB Film Company/Kinofabrika Official site [Japan]

Country:

Russia Germany Kazakhstan China

Language:

Mongolian Mandarin

Release Date:

4 July 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan

Filming Locations:

China

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$135,326, 8 June 2008

Gross USA:

$5,705,761

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$26,527,510

Company Credits

Production Co:

CTB Film Company, Andreevsky Flag Film Company, X-Filme Creative Pool

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1