 |  | | | | | | ©2008 Picturehouse | "Do not scorn a weak cub; he may become a brutal tiger."
--Mongolian proverb
Part history and part legend, Sergei Bodrov's "Mongol" is based on an ancient Mongolian epic poem written after the death of Genghis Khan. It is the opening in a projected trilogy about the 12th-century Mongol chieftain who rose from obscurity to become ruler of half the world.
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| Pictured in history books as a military leader of barbarian hordes whose rule was noted mainly for its brutality, Khan emerges in a different light in Bodrov's Kazakhstan-produced epic, a contender at the 2008 Oscars for Best Foreign Film. Here, Genghis Khan, known by his boyhood name of Temudjin, is portrayed as a man of principle, a gentle family man who is generous with his supporters, a warrior willing to wage war to protect the wife and family he loves, and with a desire to introduce the rule of law into Mongol society.
Shot on locations in Kazakhstan and Inner Mongolia, this first film covers Temudjin's early years, beginning in 1172 and concluding in 1206, when he is ready to begin his journey of unification and conquest. Played as a boy by Odnvam Odsuren and as a man by Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano ("Hana," "Picnic"), Temudjin's life on the steppe was dominated by tribal warfare over livestock and women.
We are first introduced to Temudjin as a 9-year-old boy (Odsuren) obeying his father Esugei (Ba Sen) who wants to make up for the fact that he kidnapped a Merkit woman for his bride years ago by having young Temudjin select his future wife from among the tribe. The boy's choice is made easier by the charming aggressiveness of young Borte (Bayertsetseg Erdenebat), who campaigns for the job and wins Temudjin's allegiance.
Promising to return for his bride when he is old enough to marry, on the trip home Esugei is poisoned and control of the clan is assumed by the conniving Targutai (Amadu Mamadakov), who seizes the family's property and targets Temudjin for death as soon as he is old enough to be killed under Mongol "codes of honor."
All alone, Temudjin's days are spent on the move, always afraid for his own life. He has no allies until he meets Jamukha (Honglei Sun), a man from another tribe who will become his blood brother and eventual rival for power over the Mongols. After many years, Temudjin and Borte marry, but Borte, now played by Khulan Chuluun, is kidnapped by the Merkits and Temudjin joins with Jamukha to wage war to rescue his wife.
"Mongol" has stunning cinematography, a sumptuous score by Tuomas Kantelinen and battle scenes that are thrilling though not stomach turning. While there are the expected swinging swords and pools of blood, the killing is mostly impressionistic and the visuals never overwhelm us.
Mongol has been called hagiography, but it is grand storytelling with a humanistic bent in which personal relationships trump bloody conflict. Asano's craft is such that we identify with the Mongol leader who, after being forced into slavery, emerges as a unifying and compelling figure who earns our respect. Though the film does not strive for innovation, when Temudjin calls on the Mongol god Tegri for assistance and receives it, we know that we are in a world outside of the tradition of Hollywood epics.
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