Revisionism on a grand scale: Two sweeping historical epics are nominated for the European Film Awards
This week Euro File is kicking off a series of irregular columns on the European Film Awards, taking place in Copenhagen on 6 December. I will be watching the features that are nominated for the People's Choice award – you can vote for your favourite here - as they are meant to represent the best of today's European cinema.
And my God what an eclectic bunch it is. Among the twelve nominees we have a Spanish horror thriller about a TV report going terribly wrong, a German drama about sweet kids turning into a bunch of fascists and a French comedy about a Provençal postman moving to northern France. Flying the flag for Britain are, in two very different genres, Atonement and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
First up are historical epics. The most high-profile one is Mongol, which chronicles the early years of Genghis Khan. Shot entirely in Mongolian, it is considered a European movie since it's a German-Russian-Kazakh co-production. If Israel can sing in the Eurovision, why can't Mongol compete for a European Film Award?
Mongol scores top marks for its settings and photography. As horseriders raced across the barren steppes of Mongolia, I was jumping with excitement in my seat: here was a good-old fashioned saga with exotic locations, lush costumes, epic music and big battles.
Director Sergei Bodrov picks an interesting subject too: the man who raped and pillaged half of the known world to form an empire stretching from China to the Crimea. The problem is that the film focuses solely on Genghis Khan's early years (two more films will focus on the later years) when he was struggling to establish himself as top dog. The plot is one long series of captures and escapes punctuated by emotional reunions with his beloved wife Borte. And that's where all credibility goes out of the window.
Because according to Mongol, Genghis Khan was not a bloodthirsty conqueror but a caring husband and father who would rather cosy up in a yurt after a long day's ride. It's never really explained why Caring Dad turned into Bloodthirsty Murderer.
But despite the bizarre revisionism, Mongol remains an enjoyable ride. Tadanobu Asano makes one hell of a leading man, oozing authority and nobility. So if you ignore the plot and just focus on the spectacular scenery, Mongol is fun.
Leaving Mongolia for northern Europe, Arn: Tempelriddaren (Arn: The Knight Templar) is another ambitious, sweeping epic. The most expensive film ever made in Scandinavia, it is based on a hit trilogy of Swedish books about the adventures of a 12th-century knight templar. It stars the crème de la crème of Swedish actors, among them Stellan Skarsgård as a scheming chieftain, and Ingmar Bergman favourite Bibi Andersson as a terrifyingly twisted Mother Superior.
Arn, played by relative newcomer Joakim Nätterqvist, is a sweet young man growing up in a monastery who makes the mistakes of falling in love – and having sex - with the beautiful Cecilia. Off he is sent to the Holy Land to make penance as a knight templar, where he will battle Saladin, the sultan who reconquered Jerusalem.
On many occasions Arn is in danger of falling into Euro-pudding territory – the film boasts an international cast, with Simon Callow rubbing shoulders with Swiss-born Vincent Perez. But the plot is exciting, the acting is convincing, the locations beautiful and you don't get bored for a second.
Unfortunately, like Mongol, Arn is trying to make a hero out of someone who wasn't. Where Gengis Khan was a caring dad, Arn is a tolerant and multicultural-friendly crusader...
Read entire article at Guardian (UK)
And my God what an eclectic bunch it is. Among the twelve nominees we have a Spanish horror thriller about a TV report going terribly wrong, a German drama about sweet kids turning into a bunch of fascists and a French comedy about a Provençal postman moving to northern France. Flying the flag for Britain are, in two very different genres, Atonement and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
First up are historical epics. The most high-profile one is Mongol, which chronicles the early years of Genghis Khan. Shot entirely in Mongolian, it is considered a European movie since it's a German-Russian-Kazakh co-production. If Israel can sing in the Eurovision, why can't Mongol compete for a European Film Award?
Mongol scores top marks for its settings and photography. As horseriders raced across the barren steppes of Mongolia, I was jumping with excitement in my seat: here was a good-old fashioned saga with exotic locations, lush costumes, epic music and big battles.
Director Sergei Bodrov picks an interesting subject too: the man who raped and pillaged half of the known world to form an empire stretching from China to the Crimea. The problem is that the film focuses solely on Genghis Khan's early years (two more films will focus on the later years) when he was struggling to establish himself as top dog. The plot is one long series of captures and escapes punctuated by emotional reunions with his beloved wife Borte. And that's where all credibility goes out of the window.
Because according to Mongol, Genghis Khan was not a bloodthirsty conqueror but a caring husband and father who would rather cosy up in a yurt after a long day's ride. It's never really explained why Caring Dad turned into Bloodthirsty Murderer.
But despite the bizarre revisionism, Mongol remains an enjoyable ride. Tadanobu Asano makes one hell of a leading man, oozing authority and nobility. So if you ignore the plot and just focus on the spectacular scenery, Mongol is fun.
Leaving Mongolia for northern Europe, Arn: Tempelriddaren (Arn: The Knight Templar) is another ambitious, sweeping epic. The most expensive film ever made in Scandinavia, it is based on a hit trilogy of Swedish books about the adventures of a 12th-century knight templar. It stars the crème de la crème of Swedish actors, among them Stellan Skarsgård as a scheming chieftain, and Ingmar Bergman favourite Bibi Andersson as a terrifyingly twisted Mother Superior.
Arn, played by relative newcomer Joakim Nätterqvist, is a sweet young man growing up in a monastery who makes the mistakes of falling in love – and having sex - with the beautiful Cecilia. Off he is sent to the Holy Land to make penance as a knight templar, where he will battle Saladin, the sultan who reconquered Jerusalem.
On many occasions Arn is in danger of falling into Euro-pudding territory – the film boasts an international cast, with Simon Callow rubbing shoulders with Swiss-born Vincent Perez. But the plot is exciting, the acting is convincing, the locations beautiful and you don't get bored for a second.
Unfortunately, like Mongol, Arn is trying to make a hero out of someone who wasn't. Where Gengis Khan was a caring dad, Arn is a tolerant and multicultural-friendly crusader...