Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.0

Genghis Khan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 22, 2021

Quick — name a 1965 historical epic starring Omar Sharif. If most of the world, let alone ardent cineastes, might automatically default to Doctor Zhivago, several months before that David Lean classic arrived in theaters during the holiday season that year, Sharif was headlining another film set in an exotic locale with that oft quoted “cast of thousands”, though Genghis Khan certainly didn’t attract the ticket buying public the way Doctor Zhivago did, and it’s been consigned to a sort of ignominious fate in terms of “big” films from that era. Those not paying close attention to the credits of Genghis Khan may mistakenly think the film’s producer was Irwin Allen, which would definitely make this an outlier in the filmography of a guy better remembered for science fiction tinged offerings like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Instead the film was made under the imprimatur of Irving Allen, a journeyman impresario who had the misfortune to think that his erstwhile partner Albert Broccoli was a little crazy for wanting to adapt Ian Fleming’s James Bond tomes for the screen, and who therefore ended that relationship, and was subsequently consigned to finding a suitable alternative, which kind of hilariously turned out to be the Dean Martin Matt Helm films (note that the link points to a UK Blu-ray release). That said, Genghis Khan is at least competently produced in terms of technical aspects like production design and cinematography (in this case by the legendary Geoffrey Unsworth), but it’s a really ponderous film that probably can’t escape from the perils of hindsight in terms of some less than effective (and in “woke” terms, un-PC) casting.

This version of the life of Genghis Khan (Omar Sharif) spends a bit of time on the character's back story, but for those interested, a rather interesting film I reviewed several years ago called Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea may provide more salient information in that regard. In fact, for those who like to compare cinematic "versions" of supposed life stories, watching these films as a double feature might be an instructive experience not just in terms of how different story elements are utilized, but also how different eras of film production can affect the whole approach to an "epic". What's kind of interesting in terms of both of these films is that neither probably really benefited from the sort of huge budgets that regularly attend "historical epics". At least the more recent version was able to utilize CGI to beef up some of its action and/or battle scenes, but Genghis Khan, for all of its faults, actually probably succeeds best in its action elements, while its dramatic moments may in fact come off as unintentionally comedic for more jaded sensibilities.

Genghis Khan struggles to develop its through line, offering a villain named Jamuga (Stephen Boyd, top billed) who meets Khan, known colloquially as Temujin, when Khan was a little boy, and who more or less enslaves him. The two meet many years later, though it should be noted that Jamuga evidently was the steppes version of Dorian Gray , since he hasn't aged a day (and, yes, that's a joke). In fact it may be the weird imbalance between both the styles of Sharif and Boyd as well as some writing deficits which make parts of Genghis Khan feel so disjointed. The film might have been more involving had it actually focused squarely on Jamuga and let Khan been a fascinating sidebar.

The film also attempts to shoehorn in a romantic angle, courtesy of a kind of Romeo and Juliet aspect that sees Khan falling for Bortei (Françoise Dorléac), a woman from Jamuga's "tribe". The scenes between Sharif and Dorléac have a curious lack of chemistry, let alone sexual energy, that probably undercuts this attempt to provide some human emotion into the proceedings. This may be most evident in the film's supposedly bittersweet final moments, which frankly just fall pretty flat.

There is a decent sweep to the production, and several of the battle scenes are well staged. The final hand to hand combat scene between Jamuga and Khan may not rise to the levels of the chariot race in that "other" historical epic featuring Boyd as a villain, but director Henry Levin, another journeyman who actually went on to direct some of those aforementioned Matt Helm films for Irving Allen, does what he can with the moment. Better are the huge vistas with hordes of horsemen fighting it out, scenes which are helped with a rather nice score by Serbian composer Dušan Radić (featured on this disc as an isolated audio track option). Genghis Khan will probably be faulted for casting James Mason and Robert Morley as ostensible Asian characters, but of course that was the standard operating procedure during the era, as anyone remembering Mickey Rooney's now lambasted performance in Breakfast at Tiffany's may recall.

Genghis Khan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Genghis Khan is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Sony - Columbia are typically very reliable curators of their catalog, but this has a pretty dated and noticeably faded appearance that often skews flesh tones decidedly toward brown, when they're not also suffused with an almost greenish undertone. There's minor but noticeable damage on display, which tends to be worse in the early going (see screenshot 19). Detail levels are generally quite good, though there are a couple of curious sudden downturns in clarity that almost look like they may have been sourced from a dupe element, or, if not, reveal considerable degradation at those moments. Grain can appear a little gritty and swarm like at times, especially against blue (or what passes for blue) skies. This is certainly going to be an upgrade for any fans of the film, but it's definitely not at the top tier that some of the other deep catalog offerings from Sony - Columbia have been.

Genghis Khan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While the cover and actual menu on this disc proclaim a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (i.e., 1.0) track, all of my players and my PC drive show this as being a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track. There's decent fidelity throughout, though some of the interesting score can sound a bit tinny, especially at the higher registers. Sound effects like thundering horses galloping across the steppes can also offer slightly anemic dynamic range. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Genghis Khan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 3:18)


• Isolated Music and Effects Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and can be accessed under the Setup Menu.

Genghis Khan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is a bit of fun to be had in Genghis Khan just in terms of the, um, eclectic cast (which also features Telly Savalas and Michael Hordern, among many others), but the film is kind of lethargic and unintentionally funny at times. Some of the vistas are impressive, and the battle scenes are generally well staged. Video looks fairly dated and exhibits a bit of damage, while audio has a slightly tinny but certainly serviceable sound. The supplements are okay if not especially fulsome, for those who may be considering making a purchase.