Mongol

This film, telling of the early life of Temudgin, later to be known as Genghis Khan, is a Russian film, with a largely Japanese cast and English subtitles. It was clearly early on that the details of the story it told didn't wholly coincide with what I'd read, and this was a good thing - it mean that I had to take the film entirely on its own merits.

The first thing to say is that it is visually very impressive. It conveys the vast distances and stark, desolate beauty of the steppes very well. This film is worth seeing for its visual impact alone.

But there is more than that. The three central parts - Temudgin, his wife Borte, and his blood brother Jamukha - are all very well cast: these three actors are all excellent. The life of the nomadic, warlike Mongols was incredibly harsh, and keeping emotion under careful control was an essential part of that: characters are therefore often very stony faced. Yet there is much emotion under the surface, allowed to show through to… more »

This film, telling of the early life of Temudgin, later to be known as Genghis Khan, is a Russian film, with a largely Japanese cast and English subtitles. It was clearly early on that the details of the story it told didn't wholly coincide with what I'd read, and this was a good thing - it mean that I had to take the film entirely on its own merits.

The first thing to say is that it is visually very impressive. It conveys the vast distances and stark, desolate beauty of the steppes very well. This film is worth seeing for its visual impact alone.

But there is more than that. The three central parts - Temudgin, his wife Borte, and his blood brother Jamukha - are all very well cast: these three actors are all excellent. The life of the nomadic, warlike Mongols was incredibly harsh, and keeping emotion under careful control was an essential part of that: characters are therefore often very stony faced. Yet there is much emotion under the surface, allowed to show through to a very limited extent in skilled performances. I must also mention the young cast members, who all do very well.

The story moves along its event-filled path in such a way as to hold the interest throughout. There are a number of battle sequences which are well-staged, conveying the brutality of battle without being particularly graphic, and also giving some idea of Temudgin's strengths as a tactician.