Genghis Khan (1965)

Director:

Henry Levin

Writers:

Beverley Cross (screenplay)
Berkely Mather (story)

Release Date:

23 June 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | History | War

Plot Keywords:

Black Man | Stereotype | Mirror | Mute Person | Emperor

Cast

Stephen Boyd	...	Jamuga
Omar Sharif	...	Temujin, later Genghis Khan
James Mason	...	Kam Ling
Eli Wallach	...	Shah of Khwarezm
Françoise Dorléac	...	Bortei (as Francoise Dorleac)
Telly Savalas	...	Shan
Robert Morley	...	Emperor of China
Michael Hordern	...	Geen
Yvonne Mitchell	...	Katke
Woody Strode	...	Sengal
Kenneth Cope	...	Subotai
Roger Croucher	...	Massar
Don Borisenko	...	Jebai
Patrick Holt	...	Kuchiuk
Susanne Hsiao	...	Chin Yu

Also Known As:

Dschingis Khan (West Germany)
Dzingis-Kan

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

UK | West Germany | Yugoslavia | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:PG | South Korea:All | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | West Germany:12 (nf)

Filming Locations:

Yugoslavia

Company:

Avala Film

Trivia:

This was the final theatrical film for Roger Croucher, Carlo Cura, and Yvonne Shima.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Genghis Khan didn't start the war Khwarizm because It was in center of the world and would be a great spot for conquering the world (though he might have intentions about it), but because the Shah killed his messengers, and started a bloodbath in revenge

Quotes:

Shan: [grabs hold of a former slave woman] Ah, you are a pretty one.
Former slave: But she is my wife!
Shan: [continues holding onto the woman] Oh, I'll buy her from you? How much do you want for her, eh?
[freezes as Temujin places his sword tip at his throat]
Temujin, later Genghis Khan: [smiling condescendingly but threateningly] We shall not steal women from their husbands.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Smell of Honey, a Swallow of Brine (1966)

Confused, Revisionist Epic

I remembered enjoying this film when I saw it as a pre-teen on television in the '60's. I have remained an avid fan of adventure films and epics. So, when it was aired yesterday on TCM, I tuned in with anticipation. It had not aged well. Perhaps all of the anomalies are more difficult for a mature movie fan to accept.

The best parts of this film are the locations, the sets, the costumes and the props. Even so, the sets are never quite convincingly grand enough. They retain the flavor of sets. The photography never captures the locations in a way that conveys the vastness of Central Asia. And the impact of the costumes and props is diminished by the fact that they are at the service of a predominantly Caucasian cast attempting to portray the tribes of Mongolia.

Blonde Francoise Dorleac, who portrays Genghis Khan's wife is the most glaring racial anomaly. But the entire cast is similarly anomalous. At least Stephen Boyd and Omar Shariff aren't blond. But Englishmen, James Mason and Robert Morley look hopelessly out of place. (I personally wondered how people of Oriental heritage reacted to Mason's stereotypical pronunciation of the letter "L" as an "R!") I don't really find a lot of fault with the portrayals offered by Mason and Morley, although I do agree with the suggestion of several reviewers that they seem like they wandered in from a production of the Mikado.

Lastly, I cringed at the soundtrack - typically Occidental-sounding pseudo-epic orchestrations with grandiose flourishes. The heroic-sounding 4/4 marches were typical of the Sword and Sandal epics of the day. Only a stray chord here and there suggested an Oriental setting.

In that era, it was inconceivable to cast Orientals in the principal roles of a film of this one's pretensions. Under the circumstances Hollywood would have done better to simply avoid attempts to depict tales of Asian peoples.

In the end, bizarre casting and completely Occidental-sounding music render this film difficult to swallow for a film-goer looking for anything beyond a shallow adventure story. With the number of Oriental actors in Hollywood films today, a GOOD portrayal of the life of Genghis Khan is ripe for filming!