Mongol – The Rise of Genghis Khan

Mongol

MONGOL -- The Rise Of Genghis Khan

Nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 80th Academy Awards, Mongol chronicles the early life of one of the greatest conquerors in history -- Genghis Khan. This epic joint production from Russia, Germany, and Kazakhstan is directed by award-winning Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov, and stars acclaimed Japanese actor Asano Tadanobu in the role of Temugin, the man who would become Genghis Khan. Shot completely in the Mongol language amid Central Asia’s sweeping grasslands and endless deserts, Mongol offers a fascinating revisionist profile of a man that everyone knew, but few understood.

Defying common perceptions of Genghis Khan, Asano Tadanobu underacts to great effect, painting a deliberate man of few words and quiet demeanor who spends must of his early life trying to survive, rather than conquer his enemies. After the murder of his father, the young Temugin, who was next in line to rule, is thrown into a life of persecution and exile. The wheels of fate bring him to slavery, imprisonment, and crossed swords with his sworn brother, charismatically portrayed by Chinese actor Sun Honglei (Blood Brothers), but nothing can sway him from his true destiny or the unyielding love and loyalty of his wife. At the age of 9, his father was bringing him to the Merkit tribe to choose a bride. His father had stolen his mother from this tribe but now as khan he needs to make peace with the Merkits. Stopping at a friendly Mongol encampment for the night, Temugin was approached by a young girl who brazenly questioned him for his name, age and purpose in being there.
Her name is Borte and she is a year older than him. Very forthrightly, she told him he should choose her as his bride. That night, he told his father he wants to choose a bride from this tribe but his father was against the idea as this tribe is rather weak and also he needed to make peace with the Merkits.  Temugin insisted and his father gave in reluctantly. The next morning, his father gave him advice on bride choosing, with the special trait of the girl having “strong legs” so as to make the man happy. Sure enough, Temugin chose Borte with the marriage to be formalised in 5 years. Before parting, he gave her the wish bone of a white raven as a symbol of their betroth. Leaving the encampment, his father nagged him for stubbornly refusing to take a Merkit bride. On their way back they came to a resting place where a small group of his father’s enemy were also there. As tradition goes, all enmity is  set aside during such times and so his father took the milk offered by the leader of the other group. His father, Khan Esugei, explains that if he were to start breaking customs then chaos would ensured.  Thus he had to follow customs even with enemies. Resuming their journey, it was not long before the khan fell from his horse and lay dying. His men left to get help while Temugin stayed with his father’s body.

Arriving back at their main encampment young Temugin found the tribe splintered and looting the late khan’s possession.  The late khan’s follower, Targutai, declares himself the new khan and threatens to kill Temugin only to be told off by the khan’s widow that Targutai knows no shame in stooping to kill a little boy which was against Mongol custom of not killing women and children. Hearing this, Targutai laughs and declares he will kill Temugin latter.  The whole tribe moves off leaving the widow and her son behind.

Fearing for her son’s life, she urges him to run away into the wilderness to save himself first.  In the harshness of winter with no place to hide he makes his way towards the Sacred Mountain to beseerch their God Tengri for help. While trying to cross a frozen river at nightfall he fell into
the freezing waters. Daybreak found him lying on the banks of the river as a group of Mongols approaches.  A young boy approached Temugin and
says he is Jamukha. His clan took Temugin in and he and Jamukha became sworn brothers. Jamukha declares loudly that when he becomes khan Temugin will be his second in command.
While shepherding a herd of sheep one day, some of Targutai’s men came and caught Temugin and brought him before Targutai. Temugin declares to
Targutai that he does not want to be khan at all so why does he still want to kill him? Targutai replied so that he can sleep better. Temugin
said he will kill Targutai then. An old priest was tasked with feeding the chained up young Temugin and Jamukha came by to whisper that Temugin’s family is safe. Temugin asked Jamukha to look for his bride and tell her to wait for him. Finding Temugin still too young to be killed Targutai told the old priest to feed him more so that when he checks again he will find Temugin grown. Temugin takes off when the opportunity presented itself and goes to the Sacred Mountain to beg their god Great Tengri for help.

Years past and now Temugin is a grown man. Out hunting on the steppes he was again caught by Targutai’s men. Targutai declares he is now the khan
of the Mongol people and he is smarter than Temugin’s father. Temugin said “shit is always shit”. An angry Targutai said he won’t kill Temugin but want him nailed to a wooden horse so he will take a week to die a slow and painful death. That night, using the wooden block imprisoning him, Temugin kill his guard and ran away. Come daybreak he was spotted by a friendly Mongolian who cut away the securing blocks and gave him his own horse. He goes off to claim his bride Borte. Temugin returns to his mother with his new bride. Their joy was not to last for long. One night, masked riders came looking for Temugin’s bride. They were from the Merkit tribe and led by Chiledu whose woman Temugin’s father had taken from their tribe. He is now returning that favour by taking Temugin’s wife.
The couple ran off chased by the raiders and Temugin was shot by an arrow. Borte forced off the horse carrying the wounded Temugin and allowed
herself to be captured. The horse brought Temugin back to his mother who cared for him. Having recovered from his wound, Temugin goes to look for Jamukha who is now khan of his clan, asking for his help to recover his wife from the Merkit tribe. Jamukha laughed and said that Mongols never
made war because of a woman. His brother Taichar looked at Temugin with scorn. Jamukha thought it through and said he will help Temugin but only next year.
The next year finally dawned and Temugin along with Jamukha’s men approach the territory of the Merkit tribe. Immediately they fell into
an ambush and Temugin saved Jamukha’s life. In the confusion of the close quarter fight, Temugin donned a Merket mask and stole away towards the Merkit encampment. He sucessfully entered the camp and proceeded to look for the tent holding Borte. After being spotted he dispatched the enemies and finally found Borte in a tent with Chiledu lying dead at her feet and Borte decidely pregnant. Jamukha catches up with him and he happily declares that his wife is pregnant with his son. That night, Temugin shared the spoils of war with his men very generously and gained both
their loyalty as well as the respect of some of Jamukha’s men. As a result, when Temugin broke camp the next morning, 2 of Jamukha’s men (Dantai and Altan) decided to leave with him. When Jamukha found out he chased after Temugin and wanted the 2 men to go back with him. They
refused, saying that they prefer to go with Temugin because he treats his men better. Unable to persuade them to return with him, Jamukha turned
back but his brother, Taichar, warned the 2 men to be careful of their horses which belongs to his clan and which the 2 men refused to return.
Sure enough, horse thieves came to Temugin’s camp and tried to make off with his horses but Dantai and Altan gave chase, killing one of the thieves. They returned to report to Temugin about the attempt and the death of one of the horse thieves who turned out to be Jamukha’s brother,
Taichar. It was Dantai who shot the arrow that killed Taichar and he asked Temugin to send his head to Jamukha to appease his anger. Borte
advised Temugin not to do so as it would demoralise his men. Temugin decided to avoid war by packing up and leaving the area.Targutai came to Jamukha asking for allegiance against Temugin and offering his assistance in return for Jamukha turning Temugin to him.Jamukha poured scorn on Targutai for declaring that he needs Jamukha’s help to bring down Temugin. Jamukha declared that there are only 2 strong Mongols on the steppes; that is, Temugin and himself.Jamukha’s forces closes in on Temugin’s slow moving caravan and Temugin faces a tough choice of running off with his men and leaving their women and children behind. He decided he’d not do so but would instead fight a delaying action while their women and children get away.Jamukha easily overwhelmed Temugin’s fighting position and Temugin was captured through sheer exhaustion fighting and killing many of Jamukha’s men. Targutai demands that Jamukha hand over Temugin to him but was reminded by Jamukha that everything here belongs to him, including Targutai himself.
Jamukha asked Temugin to beg him for his life but Temugin refused.
Unwilling to kill him, Temugin was turned over to slavers from the kingdom of Tangut. A rich Tangut merchant, on being told by his Buddhist monk adviser that Temugin is destined to destroy Tangut, bought Temugin and kept him locked up in a tower with a sign “The Mongol who want to destroy Tangut” for the locals to mock and taunt. He believed this will break the spirit of the arrogant Mongol.

The old monk visited Temugin to beg him to spare his monastery and was tasked to find Borte and inform her of his whereabout. The old monk
agreed and tried to find the merchant who does to Mongolia often. Unable to find him, the old monk set off on his way. While crossing the desert
the old monk succumbed to the heat and died. As it is, Borte and her son ound his body and retreived the token wish bone that Temugin had
entrusted to the old monk to hand over to Borte when he found her. Borte decides to go to Tangut and look for Temugin. A caravan passes by and she begs the caravan merchant to take her along to Tangut in return for being his mistress.
Borte arrives at Tangut and quickly locates Temugin locked up in a high tower. Temugin recognises her as she stands silently in front of his cell. Late in the evening, Borte returns to the keep and bribes the guards into handing over the keys to Temugin’s cell. Borte brings him back to her home in the city in a cart. Borte has a new daughter in addition to the son she’d brought along and this child asked where is her other father. Borte replied that she can forget about that one.

Temugin is overwhelmed with joy upon reaching the grasslands of his land. He tells his children that the Mongolian language is the most beautiful
language and one day, all will understand that language. His wife tells him that his Mongols have changed for the worse. He says he knows how to
teach them and sets off to fulfil his destiny. He goes to the sacred mountain and ask their god to guide him. There, he formulated a set of laws that all Mongols must abide by:
1. Do not kill women and children.
2. Do not forget one’s debts.
3. Fight enemies to the end.
4. And never betray their Khan.

In the year 1196, with many Mongols now gathered under his banner, Temugin fights the final battle against Jamukha to decide who shall rule
all Mongol. Jamukha’s army is bigger but Temugin believes he has a battle plan as well as the help of the Mongol god Tengri on his side. Through
crafty guile he decimates the advance guard of Jamukha’s army. The appearance of a sudden lightning storm signals the arrival of Tengri to
aid Temugin. Mongols are deathly afraid of lightning and will forget everything in primitive fear and seek to hide from it. This was what happened to Jamukha’s army but not so with Temugin’s forces who proceeded to attacked through the storm and route the terrified soldiers under Jamukha. Temugin’s soldiers believe in a force greater than the primeval fury of nature; they believe in the manifest destiny that Temugin represents.
The battle over, 2 of Jamukha’s men brought the body of their Khan Targutai before to trade for their lifes. Temugin had them executed because they broke his rule of not betraying their Khan. He also took in the defeated men of Jamukha’s army and absorbed them into his own.
Jamukha was set free much to his surprise.

The concluding voice-over stated that the kingdom of Tangut was sacked and raised to the ground but the monastery where the old priest came from was spared destruction.

Thus ended the first part of the trilogy on Genghis Khan.

Tadanobu Asano     Temüjin
Sun Honglei     Jamukha
Khulan Chuluun     Borte, Temüjin’s wife
Odnyam Odsuren     Young Temüjin
Bayertsetseg Erdenebat     Young Borte

Having watched CCTV drama series on Yemujinlong ago this new theatrical version is a bonis in that it is not so slow paced as a tv series but speeds along to the ending in just over 2 hours. Everything about this movie is beautiful, including the harsh and forbiddenly beautiful Monfolian steppes. The use of CGI is not excessively so as in many movies released recently. Temugin, as acted by the Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano, is thoughtful, insightful as well as a decisive leader able to inspire his followers to unify under his command. All these, while being a man of few words. His defiant stance during the heavy lightning storm in the last battle shamed his own men who were cowering in fear. Shamed, they rose and roared in battle.

The only objection that I have against this movie is the overly portrayal of the perceived help of the Mongol god Tengri rendered to Temugin from his young days to his adulthood.  Is the man or the god who made Genghis Khan?

Trailer

Temujin rescuing his kidnapped wife.

Capturing of Temujin by Jamukha

Final Battle

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Product Description
First entry in a proposed trilogy, Mongol vividly captures the beauty and brutality of ancient Mongolia. Beginning in 1172 and ending in 1206, Sergei Bodrov's Oscar-nominated epic presents future conqueror Ghengis Khan as more lover--and fighter--than diplomat. Against his father Esegui's wishes, nine-year-old Temudjin chooses his own bride, whom he marries in the years to come. Hopes for the future, however, turns to thoughts of vengeance when the clan forsakes the boy upon Esegui's death. While Temudjin (now played by Zatoichi’s Tadanobu Asano, a quietly commanding presence) makes his way in a cruel world, turncoat Targutai (Amadu Mamadakov) becomes the new khan. When an opposing clan kidnaps Temudjin’s wife, Börte (Khulan Chuluun), he eventually retrieves her, but betrays blood brother Jamukha (Sun Honglei, Seven Swords) in the process, leading to further enslavement and more Kurasawa-style slicing and dicing. Throughout his travails, Temudjin comes to believe that Mongols must unite to share the same language, culture, and set of values. Sustained by his faith in the god Tengri and the devotion of Börte, Temudjin sets out to wrest control of Mongolia from Jamukha and his women and children-killing hordes. Except for an over-reliance on CGI during the climactic battle sequence, Mongol equals the scope and grandeur of historical predecessors, like Braveheart and Hero. If much of the cast is Chinese and Japanese, Bodrov, who directed Prisoner of the Mountains, conjures up authenticity through detailed costumes, Mongolian dialogue, and remote Central Asian locations. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Product Details
History knows him as Genghis Khan, but before he became a warlord, he was simply a man named Temudgin. Exiled into slavery as a boy and forced into a life of struggle after his father is killed by a rival clan, the greatest military mastermind of all time survived on the strength of a single dream: to unite his people into the largest empire the world has ever known. Asano Tadanobu portrays Temudg
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Customer Reviews
I can't vouch for the historical accuracy...   Review Date: September 10, 2008 Reviewer: Andariel Halo, Phenomynouss@hotmail etc is my e-mail ...but considering the minimal budget (20 million dollars American) and the genuine Mongolian (some areas so isolated that new roads had to be built to get the film crews there) locations filmed, this was a fantastic movie that was well-paced for an introduction to the life of Temudjin, who would become the Genghis Khan. Despite the low budget, nothing in the movie looks cheaply filmed; everything looks like that of a big budget film six times more expensive, from costumes to makeup (and the craggly dirt buildup on Temudjin during his time in captivity). I don't speak Mongolian, so I can't tell whether the accents spoken are accurately Mongolian, but for an American audience, it was great for authenticity (rather than having them speak Russian or Kazakh). The movie excels in two particular aspects which really make this one more than just a casual ancient-world flick; the battles and the people. While Genghis Khan is demonized in the West as a barbarous conqueror, he is seen like a hero in the East, and this movie serves to show him as both and neither, making him more than just black or white, but a fully fleshed out person with ambitions to uniting all the Mongol tribes as one beneath him. He is utterly believable as a human being, fallible, and seemingly very much driven by his love for his wife and children, whom he nevertheless must leave constantly to fulfill his dream. There is also Jamukha, who manages to be both a piggish, slothy figure, and a noble, loyal friend to Temudjin, when their dreams conflict and they become enemies, with a very painful and realistic portrayal of just why Jamukha would betray Temudjin, and his lack of joy in facing his opponent on a field of battle. Then there's the battles. As any Ancient/Medieval war movie to be expected, it is bloody. My only annoyances in a puritanic-historian way were the suits of armor, which seemed not to be made of much metal as they would have been in Mongolian times. Another minor thing that becomes a little excessive, and arguably rather like a recurring joke is shots of blood, showing them being spilled in thousands of thick drops rather than in fountains or bursts of liquid. The final battle sequence manages to both utilize the Mongolian expertise in archery and cavalry and innovate with something both insanely risky and never before seen in Medieval battle depictions. Likely seen in the trailer, as Jamukha sends the bulk of his cavalry force at Temudjin's center, he unleashes a very small number of thickly armored cavalry, armed with double curves swords, which then rush through the enemy cavalry, using the swords to slash at the enemy's sides like Scythed Chariots. The armored cavalry is a kamikaze force, as after brutalizing the enemy cavalry, Temudjin has his archers unleash a flood of arrows on the force, killing the cavalry on both sides down to a man. Overall a great movie, which doesn't sacrifice the macro-story of Genghis Khan and his dream of a Mongol empire for the micro-story of Temudjin's love life. Of which I wrote virtually nothing about. Excellent Flick!   Review Date: October 11, 2008 Reviewer: J. Davis, Tulsa,OK To say this movie is a historical documentary failure would be a shame. What it was to me was a film that was entertaining to watch, with an epic story that got you into the charactors. The cinematography was huge, with beautiful wide shots. I went to the theater to see this flick not knowing much about it, and I looked at the audience from time to time, one gentlemen was on the edge of his seat! This movie was far better than any other movie about Khan that I've ever seen (including John Waynes). Nobody seems to care that other actors have played Ghenghis throughout the ages, which is to say that I don't know why people are upset a Japanese actor played the role. I thought he did an outstanding job. I have recommended this film to friends, which typically I don't do and have'nt done in a long time. I don't know if the DVD will have over-dubs, but the sub-titles were very easy to read in the theater. I'm giving this movie 5 stars cause it's like an Asian version of Braveheart, which is'nt historically accurate but highly entertaining! Takes a Russian to Make a Movie about a Mongol!   Review Date: April 27, 2009 Reviewer: Pavel Somov, Ph.D., Author of Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Kudos to Bodrov! What a movie: piercing and breathtaking as an invasion of mongols itself! Having grown up as a Russian, furthermore, in Moscow in the Arbat neighborhood literally a two lane street from Mongol Embassy (on what used to be called Voevodin Lane, across school #69), I have always been fascinated with the Mongol culture. Frankly, what Russian wasn't after the three hundred year Mongol-Tartar yoke?! This isn't the story of conquest, but a story of love, forgiveness, and detachment from the material. Before the great Khan became the man to take away others' freedom he had to find his own. Bodrov's movie is a close up on an undeviating flight of consciousness powered by personal ethics (operating from Kohlberg's highest stage of moral development, that stage in which a mind makes its own rules, balancing on the brink of enlightenment and sociopathy). Bodrov reveals the spirituality of the motive: "never betray your khan," i.e. the spirituality of integrity (in the sense of being true to your self, with any given "khan" being nothing more than a projection of one's Self with which one later identifies). In Bodrov's interpretation, Genghis' military success seems to owe more to the integrity of his army and secularity of leadership (that did not impose its religion but only law and taxes) than to military acumen. The Mongol conquest, unlike, say the Crusades, did not seem to attempt to rob people of their psychological sovereignty but only of the attempts to possess that which doesn't belong to anyone anyway, in a kind of bloody spiritual detoxification and re-prioritization. Who knows?! But what a beautiful interpretation. Cinematographically, the movie has the best of that Dovzhenkesque (a school of Soviet cinematography) slow-motion focus on detail, exemplified in such visually and metaphorically rich scenes as; falling through the ice, from the snow-white surface of the day, into the murky underwater of the unconscious; the shamanic communion with the wolf essence; Khan's brother's spin-around-and-slide-into-the-sleeves-of-an-offered-sable-coat harmony of uninterrupted physical flow of a relaxed mind; etc, etc. The cast and characters are amazing: Temujin's psychopathic calmness, Jamukha's face-saving mannerism of throwing back his head in demonstrative acceptance of "what is," Borte's inspiring beauty and non-interference with Temujin's existential trajectory (despite her obvious romantic attachments and preferences). Bodrov's emphasis on choice - in Brother, in Mongol - reveals an existential commitment of his own, a commitment to finding the humanity of motive behind the inhumanity of action. Pavel Somov, Ph.D. [...] Watched it two nights in a row...   Review Date: April 10, 2009 Reviewer: Sierra Chuck, San Francisco This is the best movie I've seen in a long time. Gorgeous cinematography. Compelling and enthralling storyline. I put it in just to see if it looked interesting at 11:30 one night, and ended up unable to go to bed until it was over at 1:30AM. And then watched it again the next night until 12:15AM, it was that good. The acting was great. The actors and actresses were beautiful, especially the kids. The wardrobes looked authentic to my unknowing eye. All in all I was shocked that I'd never even heard of this movie until a friend recommended it. Riveting, Inspiring, Absorbing, Provoking, Just a GREAT All-Around Gift   Review Date: November 8, 2008 Reviewer: Robert D. Steele, Oakton, VA United States I was going to multi-task as a I usually do, watching a DVD while reading a book (Constitutional History of Secession)--that idea lasted less than 30 seconds. From the very first visual this movie grabbed me. This was so good that I spent a third of the time standing up in front of the TV (in part to read the subtitles but in part because this is what I do when a movie really grabs me intellectually and spiritually), and a third leaning forward ffrom the sofa in the fireplace room. The movie ENDS with battle scenes. The build-up is spectacular on all fronts--cinematography, casting, script, acting--there is not a single bit of this movie that is not five-star wake up and smell the roses GREAT. I am sitting here thinking of what else to say, just shaking my head. At every level, from personal loyalty to personal strength to family ties to blood brothers to brave in battle to the nuances of corruption, I had a RIVETING good time with this movie. I was ABSORBED. A few other DVDs I admire as much as this one, but each a slightly different kind of absorbtion. This movie (above) is epic in every sense of the word. The first DVD, is an alterantive view of Tibet which is on the other side of China from Mongolia, but in my view equally important as Mongolia, both autonomous cultural zones. Tibet - Cry of the Snow Lion Gladiator (Widescreen Edition) Henry V Braveheart (Special Collector's Edition) Lawrence of Arabia (Collector's Edition, 2 discs) - DVD The Last Samurai (Full Screen Edition) We Were Soldiers (Widescreen Edition) The Snow Walker A Man Called Horse

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Tagged with: 80th Academy Awards • Academy Awards • Array • Best Foreign Film • Blood Brothers • Central Asia • Conquerors • Encampment • Endless Deserts • Filmmaker • Genghis Khan • Grasslands • Imprisonment • Japanese Actor • Man Of Few Words • Mongol Language • Persecution • Quiet Demeanor • Sergei Bodrov • Sworn Brother • True Destiny

Filed under: Mongolian Movies

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