DVD Review: Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth & Sea - Special Edition [Blu-ray]: Movies & TV

Apr26

DVD Review: Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth & Sea - Special Edition [Blu-ray]: Movies & TV

Posted by admin | on 26 April, 11:13 PM

Amazon.com
Epic sweep and intimate details flow together as Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea paints the story of Temujin (Takashi Sorimachi), the man who became Genghis Khan. Though the movie starts before Temujin was born, follows his rise from outcast adolescent to charismatic chief, and ends when the newly anointed Khan marches on the Great Wall of China with the unified Mongol tribes in lockstep behind him, the story doesn’t lurch and stumble with every leap in time. Surprisingly, given that empire-building is usually depicted as a boys-only activity, the female characters are as well-drawn as the male; Temujin’s mother and first wife are central to this warrior’s life and their trials illustrate the volatile conflicts between the tribes. As with any vast epic, To the Ends of the Earth and Sea has its moments of cheese–there’s a traumatic death towards the end that is pure melodrama (and historically questionable) and the closing love song is Celine-Dion-worthy–but they’re exceptions. Most of To the Ends of the Earth and Sea evokes a raw and brutal world and of the politics and rituals that develop to give life meaning. And of course there are spectacular battle scenes, full of rugged cavalry charging the field and warriors tumbling from their horses, felled by arrows or swords. All in all, a meaty and satisfying blockbuster. –Bret Fetzer

Product Description
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. Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea weaves the saga of one exalted man’s march toward immortality and the battle to unite the tribes of Mongol under one rule.

DVD Extras:

Filiming Journal

Uncut Battle Scenes

Premiere Screenings

Peek Behind the Scenes

Great Plains of Mongolia

Stills from Genghis Khan (Click for larger image)

DVD Review: Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth & Sea Special Edition [Blu ray]: Movies & TV 20094271129123877801

DVD Review: Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth & Sea Special Edition [Blu ray]: Movies & TV 20094271129128577802

DVD Review: Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth & Sea Special Edition [Blu ray]: Movies & TV 20094271129137977804

DVD Review: Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth & Sea Special Edition [Blu ray]: Movies & TV 20094271129142677805

A partially realized mythical bio,

By Judy K. Polhemus “Book Collector” (LA) -
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea (DVD)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What’s this?)

Creating a magnificently filmed biographical epic of the rise of the great Genghis Khan is a daring adventure in film history. Although the film has the look of success, bringing the Khan to life is only partially realized. Part myth, part history, Genghis Kahn steadily rises to power, making bold battle decisions and faltering rarely. What is missing from this solid film is a core of passion. Too many scenes drag.

Director Shinichiro Sawai wanted to be circumspect in telling the story of Temujin, who finally unites the Mongols to claim the title Genghis Khan. But in presenting Temujin as a man growing into leadership, Sawai has to evade some truths. The Temujin of this film, played by Takashi Sorimachi, is thoughtful and honorable, almost to a fault, a reputation at odds with the one of history.

Toward the end of the film, Khan tells Kulan, his female soldier, that blood must be spilled to open borders, a seeming contradiction that is sensible to him. Indeed, having a whole world without borders is perhaps a euphemism for total world domination. Another omission from history is that the Khan left his DNA all over Asia and Europe yet none of this is part of the story. In fact, the movie implies that Temujin is faithful to the one wife. It’s little telling points like these that make the film less effective. Having a hero without warts is terribly unrealistic and unreasonable.

The film is episodic in nature, presenting key moments in Temujin’s life, showing what manner of man he is all along his life’s journey. Unusually kind and considerate toward his women, Temujin, in fact, reveals a major life issue: whether he is truly a child of his father and the great blue wolf or if he is blood issue from a warring tribe, of which one member took his mother to wife for a while.

History repeats itself when his own wife is abducted and recaptured by Temujin, only to discover she is pregnant. Is this baby his or the child of the enemy? When he captures the girl soldier, she insists on death rather than be taken as a spoil of war. Temujin shows his magnaminity by allowing her to become one of his soldiers, then later she invites him to take her as concubine. The director chooses to depict Temujin as an equal rights proponent when history would most likely dispute this.

His loyalty to his childhood friend is the most telling episode of Temujin’s character. The final scene between them is painfully slow, again to reveal the inner turmoil that Temujin feels.

The longest drawn out scene is the naming of Temujin as the great Genghis Khan, a scene that went on and on and on. In contrast, the final scene is the impending attack upon the Great Wall of China and the Jin Dynasty with the suggestion of extending the kingdom to the ends of the Earth and Sea.

Even with the film’s omissions and perhaps slight shifting of truth, “Genghis Kan: To the ends of the Earth and Sea” is a rewarding movie experience. The vistas of Mongolia alone are enough to see this epic film.

Khaaaaaaaaan!,

By C. R. Swanson “Oh, how I love the movies!” (Phoenix) -

This review is from: Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea (DVD)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What’s this?)

Genghis Khan was one of the great military minds of history. He built an empire that spread from China into Europe. His armies fought in modern Hungary and even, if I remember correctly, into Vienna. One of his few failings, in fact, was was attempt to invade Japan. An effort that was foiled by the original kamakaze.

This film tells the life of Genghis back when he was just Temujin. We see him coming of age, meeting his future wife and blood-brother, and learning military tactics. The story leads from there up to his rise to power, eventually becoming Khan and ends with him about to invade China.

Technically the movie is quite good! Filmed on location in Mongolia, you see some of the areas where the battles actually happen. The battles themselves, when you see them in the film, are stunning! I understand there were thousands of extras involved in the film, and you really see them. The only real problem with the battle scenes is that they are rather brief.

The costumes are impressive, and the sets are well done. Love the wheeled yurt.
Where the movie fails is that it seems rather disjointed at parts. I’m betting there are large parts of the film we aren’t seeing. I don’t know if they are available in a special edition overseas or something, but they are sure aren’t here.

The film gets four stars from me, but the DVD gets exactly zero. Why? First, there’s no extras. At all. Zero. There’s trailers, but I never count those. There’s also a very annoying trailer at the begining of the DVD which you aren’t allowed to skip over. I’m also rather confused as to why Funimation, which apparently specializes in anime, is releasing this DVD here in the States.

Still and all, I liked this movie. I don’t know that I’ll watch it again, but I’m glad to have watched it once.

A lot of spectacle, a lot of melodrama, a lot of horses. And Genghis Khan, we’re told, is kind of a nice guy,

By C. O. DeRiemer (San Antonio, Texas, USA) -
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea (DVD)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What’s this?)

Genghis Khan was one of the great murdering conquerors in history, dining at the same table with Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolph Hitler. One assumes that their lust for land, power and the deaths of their enemies and victims, along with a practical indifference to the deaths of their own soldiers and people, sprang from how easily bored they could be.

In Genghis Khans’ case, if this movie is to believed (not a good idea with most movies’ presentations of “history”), the melodrama of Genghis Khan’s soap-opera life with Hoelun, his mother; Bolte, his wife; Kulan, his great-looking female bodyguard and occasional bed partner; and his sons and brothers would be enough to drive anyone away from the yurt and onto a horse. This isn’t helped when Kulan, while she’s wearing a Mongolian soldier’s armor and a tufted helmet, looks a little like Leonardo DiCaprio.

The movie tells the tale of the ascent of Temujin as unifier of the Mongols, conqueror of tribes and of vast lands, and leaves us, with Temujin now called Genghis Khan, as he charges toward the Great Wall of China, eager to take on the Jin dynasty.

There is no tension to the story, no gradual building of the drama to match the story of greater and greater conquest. Narration is used to bridge the years and tell us of one more difficulty Temujin will face, which we then see acted for us. The movie is not boring, not with all those thundering horses, backward arrow shooting on horseback and a look at life in a yurt, but the sameness with which the story is told eventually becomes predictable. At least, even with the family melodrama and, for Western eyes, the overacting of the main characters, the movie doesn’t ladle up the creamed corn that was John Wayne as a drawling Temujin and Susan Hayward as a frowning, red-haired Bolte.

The movie settles into a rhythmic pattern early on: A battle, exciting and well managed, then melodrama, overwrought and tiresome. Then, another battle, another drama, another battle, over and over for 136 minutes. This Japanese movie was filmed in Mongolia and features primarily Japanese actors and what looks like most of the Mongolian army on leased horses. The battles get bigger and bigger as the movie progresses. It looked to me like there wasn’t much Computer Generated Overkill used. With all the battles, I hope the producers had plenty of veterinarians on hand. A lot of horses took violent falls. There are some wonderful scenes of Mongolia’s green, rolling, treeless hills and an interesting look at life in encampments.

Just before Genghis Khan sets off to take on the Jin, he and Kulan exchange a bit of conquering philosophy.

“I will go on as far as I can,” says the man on horseback. “With every land I conquer, more borders between nations will vanish. People will travel freely and trade will flourish. Cultures and customs will be honored and all will live well.”

“But make war and there will be bloodshed,” Kulan says to him.

Replies Genghis Khan, “That is bloodshed that cannot be helped, to insure that no further blood need be spilled,” Oh, brother. How many times has humanity heard that one?

Just as a note, I received this DVD without charge from Amazon in exchange for agreeing to write my impressions of the movie.
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