Genghis Khan
Feb. 2nd, 2009 09:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariOkay, so my weekend did have one bright spot in it. Other Kenjari chose to watch Mongol instead of the Superbowl last night. It was a terrific movie. Mongol covers the early years of Genghis Khan/Temujin's life, from the age of nine up until the point in his early adulthood when he unites the Mongols and begins conquering neighboring lands. It's a wonderful film, and, even better, it's the first in a projected trilogy about Genghis Khan.
The cinematography is gorgeous, and the Mongolian landscape is beautiful, so it's quite a delight for the eye. The movie's real strength however, is its nuance and depth. Mongol could have taken the easy road and just been another exciting historical action epic, focusing on Temujin as a warrior. While there are plenty of battles, and they are exciting and well-filmed, the movie focuses equally on Temujin's relationship with his allies, his enemies, and, most importantly, his wife Borte.
Assuming that Mongol's version of events is reasonably accurate, Temujin did not have an easy life. His father was poisoned by a rival clan when Temukin was nine, setting off a chain of incredible hardships. It's really no surprise that he became such a formidable man.
The cinematography is gorgeous, and the Mongolian landscape is beautiful, so it's quite a delight for the eye. The movie's real strength however, is its nuance and depth. Mongol could have taken the easy road and just been another exciting historical action epic, focusing on Temujin as a warrior. While there are plenty of battles, and they are exciting and well-filmed, the movie focuses equally on Temujin's relationship with his allies, his enemies, and, most importantly, his wife Borte.
Assuming that Mongol's version of events is reasonably accurate, Temujin did not have an easy life. His father was poisoned by a rival clan when Temukin was nine, setting off a chain of incredible hardships. It's really no surprise that he became such a formidable man.
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Date: 2009-02-03 04:57 pm (UTC)Mongol was a great movie. I saw it in the theater and am awaiting the sequel. I agree the cinematography was breathtaking. I appreciated that the movie was nuanced and had an emphasis on his relations and the formation of his character instead of a heroic epic battle movie. I really appreciated that the movie was less euro centric than I anticipated. :)