Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea
by Shinichiro Sawai
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DVD details
Director: Shinichiro SawaiBrand: Funimation
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Japanese (Original Language); English (Original Language)
Format: NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 136 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-09-02
Audience Rating: Unrated
Model: 0
Studio: Funimation Prod
Product features:
- After 27 years of planning, Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea finally captures the mystery and majesty of one of history's greatest rulers - Genghis Khan. This landmark achievement of Japanese cinema represents an epic undertaking not soon to be rivaled. Genghis Khan. The name a legend. The man, near myth. A soul obscured by his own achievements: son, husband, father, conqueror
DVD Reviews of Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea
DVD Review: Beautiful Adaptation of the Folklore on the Rise of Temujin/Ghengis Kahn
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
As a member of the general audience of film goers I like to be entertained and dazzled with brilliance, not BS. For me, films that have artsy elements and cinematography are typically lost on the general audience as are films that dazzle with special effects and visuals only. That said, I watched Genghis Kahn wandering if I was going to be shown an art-house love story or a war movie; I got both.
Genghis Kahn follows strictly the birth, youth, and rise of Temujin (Genghis Kahn) and NOT the rule of the Mongol Empire or their conquering all of Asia. The name Genghis Kahn first appears in the last twenty minutes of a movie that is over two hours long. Know this when you watch the movie as myself and other viewers in the room were puzzled how the movie relates to Genghis Kahn since the name doesn't appear till the end.
Regardless of the quasi-misnomer, "GK" is a fairly beautiful and fairly accurate tale of the rise of one of the most effective military leaders in Asia. The actual story of Genghis Kahn's birth and upbringing is somewhat unknown; the only primary source of information regarding Temujin's origins and youth is in The Secret History of the Mongols, a literary source written after Genghis' death by an anonymous author. This source is more in line with folklore and poetry than an actual historical document similar to the Llyiad although the story is nonetheless appealing.
Despite historical ambiguity, GK stays fairly true to The Secret History of the Mongols although they take some artistic liberties to compress the story and make it more appealing although revealing some would have spoilers.
The story itself is fairly compelling; a child is born of an outsider woman to a nomadic nobleman and grows up trying to unite a politically unstable region filled with tribal conflict. The story follows Temujin from birth to his arranged wedding, his conflicts with neighboring tribes while trying to unite them, his rise to Genghis Kahn and just up until the invasion of China.
The downside to the story is how slowly the movie progresses, some scenes of staring and observation going on far too long almost akin to a bad episode of Dragon Ball Z. Many of the scenes could have easily been condensed to make the movie an even two hours and some of the scenes less cumbersome to watch.
The visuals were fairly nice with minimal computer animation, which was used to make battles seem as though there were more horsemen. The majority of the visuals was the fairly stunning landscape of the Mongolian grasslands. One of the more odd visuals was blood spurting which, in typical Japanese fashion, spurted out like a oil drill hitting pay dirt. While I'm not much for fanboy service, the blood spurting genuinely made me laugh. Meanwhile, the music was very compelling but not soothing enough to make you wanna feel asleep.
The one thing visually that disappointed me was the lack of battle sequences. Granted, in a world where we've been treated to the beautiful battle sequences (It feels ominous saying that) from Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, and Braveheart, we've become accustomed to seeing spectacular visuals depicting battle, however, the battles in GK were waay too short or vaguely hinted at. I can understand if the budget didn't allow but they when a person purchases a movie on the greatest conqueror in Asia (next to Google and Michael Phelps) that viewer typically expects to see riders charging into battle giving out numerous Howard Dean battle cries (We're going to Mongolia then on to the Tatars and then the Great Wall!! Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaw!!) and that happened but very briefly.
If anything, this is a political romance film and NOT a war film. The balance between war, romance and peace reminds me of the John Adams series (great series BTW); against the backdrop of the American Revolution, the Quasi-War, and the War of 1812 but focused more on politics and some romance over the battles. This is not to say the story is bad but it is a little misgiving.
All in all, this movie is worthy of renting and possibly purchasing as long as you realize this is NOT a war film. I am glad I bought it and will gladly display it amongst my collection but under the "political drama" collection rather than next to Braveheart.
Description of Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea
GENGHIS KHAN:TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH - DVD MovieBestsellers in DVD
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