Kizil
Tug Gengis Han (Red Plume Genghis Khan)
Onar Films 2008
The
unstoppable force which was the Mongol Empire that cut a swathe from the
Pacific to the Mediterranean has always been a great subject for spectacular
cinema. From the classic 1965 film Genghis Khan by Henry Levin starring Omar
Sharif to the latest extravaganza Mongol. There were also the many Italian
adaptations usually filled with abundant sword and sandal action. Preceding
many of the Italian Peplum Sword films was a rare and believed lost Turkish
film called Kizil Tug Gengis Han, amazingly Onar Films has found a copy and made
it available in a limited edition.
While
Genghis Khan is significant in this film, he really isn’t the prime focus.
Ostukarci is a warrior who while having little by the way of wealth makes up
for it with dedication to his homeland and his great abilities with the sword.
He teams up with Khan to defeat a rival warlord but has no interest in the greater
path of conquest. However, out of respect for Khan Ostukarci agrees to
undertake what seems to be a simple mission – to collect some funds promised to Genghis by
Seyhyul Gebel of the Ismaels.
The
plot now becomes intriguing. Seyhyul Gebel is a respected leader but Halit his
son is not of the same stock. He lacks discipline and has little ability with
the sword. Gebel wishes to marry his son, achieving a union with another significant
family as part of the deal. Since Halit obviously will fail in any test of warriorship,
Ostukarci agrees to substitute. Luckily they look rather similar.
Sadly,
this goes horribly wrong, Halit is killed and Ostukarci survives but only with
the help of Sabiha, Gebel’s daughter. Ostukarci and Sabiha develop an affection
for each other, but she is captured when Khan raids Gebel’s fortress and when
he refuses to release her, the battle begins.
While
this is an older film, it has a solid plot, a fascinating historical basis and
if you allow yourself to be taken in by its motifs of warriorship, honour,
political machinations, love and loss, you will be impressed. The film has lots
of superb swordplay and an amazing climax involving immense armies clashing in
an epic battle which is startling in both size and execution.
This
is a very rare film and Onar is only releasing 500 copies and so this will be a
true collector’s item, it is beautifully presented and the print is in damn
good condition for its age. Sure there are some problems but as the only
surviving print, Onar has done a truly remarkable job bringing it to its
present condition.
There
are a number of extras on this disc which also make it a real winner. Not only
is there the first part of a superb documentary on Turkish Fantastic Cinema but
one of the best insert booklets I have ever seen. It is some 40 pages covering Turkish
Fantastic Films !
Onar
Films is a small company which is releasing rare and in my mind very unique
titles. I found Red Plume Genghis Khan a fascinating work of cinema which kept
my attention right to the very end, it not only predates many of the Italian
Sword and Sandal films but has a depth not found in most of them. I highly
recommend it.
This review will appear in Volume 2:1
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
If you came to this page directly (and
missed our menu), click here
to go to the Synergy Magazine front page. (http://www.synergy-magazine.com)