Born into the world through the spoils of war, Temujin is named after the brave warrior his father had killed earlier that morning. The blood of the blue wolf, an ancient god of the lands is said to run through his veins. At the age of ten he makes his first truce and oath of anda (a blood brother, ones who are friends closer than brothers by birth, a promise to never betray each other). His anda is Jamuqua. Jamuqua and Temujin both hope to unite the warring tribe of Mongolia into one nation.
As Temujin becomes a man and a great warrior he strikes down all opposition and easily obtains allies and great numbers as one by one the tribes are united. His wife is stolen during a raid and becomes pregnant, a common hardship for Mongolian women in times of war. Temujin wants to kill this son but is convinced otherwise. His heart already atoning for the betrayal of letting his wife be kidnapped and not fighting for her earlier he has little interest in his sons life. Naming him Jouchi, meaning outsider, the hardships of family, love and honor are overwhelming. Temujin focuses on uniting the lands. Torn apart internally we see the side of the warrior that few encounter, the heart and spirit behind the battle. Keeping Jouchi at a distance and sending him away from the major battles Temujin seldom displays love for his son. They are so distant the Jouchi refers to him as chief rather than father.
This relationship between father and son was the piece that really pulled at my heart strings. Jouchi desperately fights to win his fathers approval and wishes to ride side by side in battle, but is refused and denied any such honor. Sent away to battle in the North, Jouchi is struck by a poison arrow and tells his messengers that no one should know the prince is ill, as it will invite the enemies and his father should not be worried with such knowledge.
When Jouchi does not return Temujin goes to retrieve him and discovers the bravery and love that had gone unseen. In his last moments Temujin recognizes him as a son, a true relative of the blue wolf blood and his beloved child. Heart broken Temujin realizes too late that his foolish pride denied him a relationship with a worthy son one he could be proud of and ride side by side into battle with. I could not watch this scene easily, as too often pride destroys the possible bonds of father and son. I have watched as so many sons fight for approval and are never given such words of praise. Sons often see themselves through the critical eyes of their fathers and many die never knowing their true value. I did not expect the great war lords story to include such an intimate and deeply caring side. Killing all who stood in the way of a united land, Temujin finally unites all the Mongolian tribes and is given the title of Genghis Khan… a man whose heart, pride, and dreams brought together a warring nation and left a mark on history to great to overlook. I only wish we had such strength with in the hearts of men today, that we could all share the dream of a united world without war. Though it is 800 years later we are still a warring peoples, sons still die with out the pride of their fathers in their hearts. Perhaps the power of Genghis Kahn is such a legend because great alliances of entire lands, even the conquering of such a vast area is a rare event.
PRESENTATION
I really was impressed with the caliber of the war scenes. This film captured the vastness of the Khan empire like I’ve never seen before. When the final battles against the largest armies ensued it was breath taking. Convincing effects displayed hundreds of thousands of men and horses charging for battle, dust stirs up and the great plains of Mongolia filled with warriors. So vast were these numbers, I have never seen such a believable army in modern film today.
EXTRAS
Where are the Extras!?! I really was hoping for some sort ofhistory clip or making of for such an epic and well known warrior film.I was horribly disappointed by this decision as the only extrasavailable were previews and audio/subtitle options. There is not evenso much as an extras menu so I hope that in the future when makingfilms about such renowned warriors the DVD would include some type offact and fiction or historical extra.
OVERALL
While the pacing in this film is surprisingly slower than I anticipated, the angle of viewing Genghis Khan’s life is unique. With little emphasis on warring and battles and more focus on the individuals life I would say that such an intimate story of Genghis Khan may have never been told. I was disappointed with the very beginning of the film as a few scenes seemed overly dramatic, not unlike a soap opera, but as the movie progressed so did my liking for it.