Headline November20,2012

''THE WRATH OF KHAN!''

No student should ever think of missing this movie:Mongol.Set in the harsh terrain of the Mongolian Steppe, it involves the 12th century feuding tribes, braided hair and the frequent drinking of goat's milk.
It also involves one man's attempt to introduce some basic form of legality into the wilds of a lawless land, which -despite the film being spoken entirely in Mongolian with English subtitles -makes it one of the best cowboy movies since The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

The Film was directed and co-written by Sergei Bodrov, a Russian who must have spent quite a lot of time studying the films of John Ford, for Mongol is crowded with open spaces, mountain ranges and valleys, against which we follow the story of Genghis Khan, from the brutal trials of his childhood to his assumption of Power over ''half the world''. The film was shot in China, Mongolia,and Kazakistan, locations not often seen on film and used here to stirring effect to give life to an ancient story of power, love and civilisation,the usual cowboy things.

Temudjin -played by Odnyam Odsuren- is the nine-year-old son of a tribal leader who wishes to make peace with the Merkit Clan.

They ride out to choose a Merkit wife -compensation for the father having stolen one of their women years before -but along the way they stop at another clan's camp where the nine-years-old finds Borte -Bayertsetseg Erdenebat- a girl he wants to marry. The father knows that this will lead to trouble, but he admires Temudjin for having his own resolve.

Later, when the father is killed, infighting and usurpation become the order of the day, and Temudjin, who should be his father's heir as leader of the clan, becomes a fugitive.

The film is an exciting essay on the meaning of belonging. Because of the way personal choices and national evolution are spliced with fight scenes, which in this film go from scrap to full blown operatic encounters under dark clouds on the open plain.

Mongol is said to be the first of three films on Khan's life -and the great battle scenes are as beautifully rendered as any in recent memory. And Mongol achieves a great deal with economy and grace, not just giant scraps,either, but mass mobilisations suggested by the particular characters of warriors with their own minds.
And this is the hallmark of the great Western -or Eastern, as this excellent Film might encourage us to say. The film summons every emotion and destiny!

Good Night & God Bless!