Sunday, September 26, 2010

Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan


Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan
[DVD Mongol]

"Do not scorn a weak cub, he may turn out to be the son of a tiger." -- Mongolian Proverb. Russian director Sergi Bodrov based his Oscar nominated movie on scholarly accounts of the early life of Genghis Khan, who was born as Temudgin between 1155 and 1167. Temudgin's father, a minor khan, was poisoned when Temudgin was a child. After his father's death, Temudgin was kidnapped by Targutai and enslaved. Temudgin endured years of humiliation and hardship before he escaped and sought revenge on his enemies. Temudgin used alliances as well as warfare to unite many of the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia. In 1206, at a gathering of Tartar-Mongols, Temudgin was elected supreme ruler of all of the tribes and he was named Genghis Khan (Lord of the Universe). This epic adventure shows different sides of the man. We meet Temudgin as a child and watch him grow to manhood. We see him as a family man and we watch the bloody battles that he fights and the alliances he forms on his way to becoming the supreme leader of the Mongols. This movie is a visually stunning banquet of scenery, adventure, love, revenge and stoic acceptance of the harsh life on the Mongolian steppe. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Mongol web site ]


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