This is about, oh, at least three movies in one. I kind of have to review them separately.
The opening sequences are pretty boilerplate Soviet, although just the Mongolian 'actors' and the settings are well worth the price of admission (or rental). The subsequent sequences are almost digressions. I have to say, though, that in the battle/skirmish scenes with 'British' soldiers, whoever directed them has been in a war. They contain so much authenticity I found it unnerving. Men crumple up when shot, like they really do. Other behaviors of people fighting are dead on. Absolutely believable.
A later sequence, a movie within a movie, of a British soldier taking a prisoner to be shot, manages to pull off the feat of making the emotional state of a reluctant killer accessible. This sequence is emotionally difficult and disturbing, and I'm surprised it made it into a Soviet film of any era.
Oh, this movie is jam packed with old gun porn. If you ever wondered what happened to the 700,000 Winchester 1895 muskets sold to Russia, a bunch of them are in this movie, along with a Colt 1895 machine gun, and even including Russian contract Colt .45 automatics in a unique style of holster. In one scene, a Mongolian irregular uses his (very likely personal) matchlock musket! Good stuff.
The scenes of Buddhist ceremonies are awesome and worth watching the entire movie for; the new soundtrack, which includes appropriate music, makes the scene in the monastery a very special piece of film-making.
The final scenes suddenly flip into what I am compelled to describe as martial arts! Now, this may seem a stretch, but according to published information, the biggest and most popular genre in Asian countries, as early as 1920, were basically chop-socky flickers. The final scenes, if this movie was designed to appeal to an Asian audience, may very well have been influenced by Chinese martial arts movies of the time. I wonder. Because I know a kung fu movie when I see one, and THAT, kids, is a kung fu movie.
Oh, and I really liked the impressive use of massive, declaratory inter titles. Very cool. This is impressive film making.
The opening sequences are pretty boilerplate Soviet, although just the Mongolian 'actors' and the settings are well worth the price of admission (or rental). The subsequent sequences are almost digressions. I have to say, though, that in the battle/skirmish scenes with 'British' soldiers, whoever directed them has been in a war. They contain so much authenticity I found it unnerving. Men crumple up when shot, like they really do. Other behaviors of people fighting are dead on. Absolutely believable.
A later sequence, a movie within a movie, of a British soldier taking a prisoner to be shot, manages to pull off the feat of making the emotional state of a reluctant killer accessible. This sequence is emotionally difficult and disturbing, and I'm surprised it made it into a Soviet film of any era.
Oh, this movie is jam packed with old gun porn. If you ever wondered what happened to the 700,000 Winchester 1895 muskets sold to Russia, a bunch of them are in this movie, along with a Colt 1895 machine gun, and even including Russian contract Colt .45 automatics in a unique style of holster. In one scene, a Mongolian irregular uses his (very likely personal) matchlock musket! Good stuff.
The scenes of Buddhist ceremonies are awesome and worth watching the entire movie for; the new soundtrack, which includes appropriate music, makes the scene in the monastery a very special piece of film-making.
The final scenes suddenly flip into what I am compelled to describe as martial arts! Now, this may seem a stretch, but according to published information, the biggest and most popular genre in Asian countries, as early as 1920, were basically chop-socky flickers. The final scenes, if this movie was designed to appeal to an Asian audience, may very well have been influenced by Chinese martial arts movies of the time. I wonder. Because I know a kung fu movie when I see one, and THAT, kids, is a kung fu movie.
Oh, and I really liked the impressive use of massive, declaratory inter titles. Very cool. This is impressive film making.