Tuchergson Truly the worst movie I've ever seen in a theater

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

GazerRise Fantastic!

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

donaldking You can't make another 'Spartacus' or 'Ben Hur' by simply hiring a baker's dozen of actors, giving them a dreadful script, and flying them off to Yugoslavia. The only actor who looks remotely like a Mongol is Omar Sharif. Michael Hordern, Robert Morley, and Kenneth Cope will forever be English. Funniest of all the Brits is James Mason who sounds exactly like Kenneth Williams as Chou En Ginsburg, MA (failed), in 'Round the Horne.' And at least KW never had to wear stage dentures in order to produce a silly Chinese accent or to get a laugh. Eli Wallach as the Shah of Samarkand looks like a bit-player in a Bronx production of 'Aladdin.' And the less said about Telly Savalas the better. 'Genghis Khan' is far worse than 'Taras Bulba' and funnier than most 'historical' Carry On films. In the first half, the film is shot with such a shortage of light that one is mercifully unable to see what is happening. The sound is bad, too, which is another plus.

jamescallumburton Omar Sharif stars as Temujin the mongol lord who soon becomes conqueror of half the world. A radical take on actual historical events ( meaning they are completely inaccurate) shows the Mongol in a rather better light than most of the world would view him. His rise from enslavement by Stephen Boyd to leader of a mighty army is done with style and grand spectacle. The sets for peking in the film are excellent and have a sense of supreme stature and beauty as would befit an epic like this. The performances are good , charismatic , mostly from Boyd and Sharif who play off each other well. The only criticisms of this film is the comic performance of Mason as china's ambassador and the script at times is rather flimsy and wooden but can work in its favor to make the film more fun and enjoyable. Not a film to recommend but certainly fun if you are in the mood. To enjoy it however it will require turning a blind eye to the large mistakes. Not a great film but certainly gets a high score for most of it's good points.

dbdumonteil As an user has pointed out ,this is the last of the spectaculars of the late fifties/early sixties which began with De Mille's "Ten Commandments" and included such works as "Ben Hur" ,"Spartacus " (which was more Kirk Douglas' work than Kubrik's ),the highly underrated "Cleopatra"(when will we see the uncut version?),Mann 's "El Cid" and "Fall of the Roman Empire" .This is the last hurrah,but it's a bad film.James Mason and Robert Morley do not seem to take their roles seriously (as Chinese characters!!)and their playing is deliciously tongue-in-cheek.But all the others seem to believe in this far-fetched tale ,very dubious historically ,with Egyptian Omar Sharif as the lead who abducts pretty princess (French Françoise Dorléac) who is raped by Irish Villain (evennastier than Ben Hur's Messala) Boyd.There's also American Wallach who offers him his two daughters.Both Sharif and Boyd seem to enjoy bondage (collar ,cage,etc).When he speaks to common women ,Genghis is feminist (it's up to them to choose) ,but when he is with his wife ,he's a more credible macho.Incidentally,Sharif,Mason and Dorléac's sister (Catherine Deneuve) would team up three years later in Terence Young's "Mayerling".This time,Mason was Sharif's father .If you want to see a good Sharif movie,do choose "Dr Zhivago" instead.

Poseidon-3 One of the world's most legendary conquerors gets a heroic sheen in this colorful and often inaccurate latter day epic. Sharif plays the title role, a young Mongol who watches his father die at the hands of his rival Boyd and is then burdened with a large yoke around his neck, thus rendering him incapable of much, if any, physical threat. One day, Boyd makes the mistake of taking the yoke off and from then on the two are locked in combat to the death. In this rendition of the story, Sharif is bent on a united tribe of Mongols, something Boyd is against, preferring his independence. Boyd would rather team with other leaders, such as Wallach, to stamp out Sharif. Meanwhile, Sharif aligns with and learns from the Chinese, though they do not wish to see him leave once he has aided them in their own struggles. Sharif is noble and driven and even, at times, tender, not qualities that are always associated with the name Genghis Khan, but which are intended here. Boyd is one-dimensionally nasty throughout. The character he is playing was, in real life, a one-time ally, but that is not explored. Rather the script plays up a longstanding enmity that can only be stopped by the death of one or both of them. Dorleac, with 1960s bangs, plays Sharif's devoted wife and support system. It's a mostly decorative role aside from a few feisty moments, but she fills it well enough. Savalas is billed high, but is given next to nothing to do in the somewhat crowded landscape. Wallach appears briefly, but is at least permitted to make some sort of impression. Hordern rather hams it up as Sharif's partially blind mentor while Strode, as his muscular aide, provides silent strength. Two notable actors appear in faux-Asian makeup, as was the custom of the day. Morley, as the Chinese Emperor, fares best despite his inappropriateness to the role. His ever-individual style adds texture and humor to the part. Mason, face fixed in a permanent grin and speaking in the most stereotypical manner imaginable, is less impressive. It's a performance that will likely offend those who lean towards the sensitive in cases like this. Almost worthless as a history lesson, the film does succeed in delivering a fairly grand adventure with terrific music, decent battle sequences and positively jaw-dropping scenery. Though a pat approach to the script and an overriding simplicity threaten to mar the movie irrevocably, for those who aren't too demanding, the finished product is entertaining. Look out for the amusing glimpse of a Chinese princess in which she is nude except for some artfully arranged bits of scenic bric-a-brac surrounding the screened window some men are looking through. The mainstream cinema was still just toying with various amounts of exposed flesh in this time period. Sadly, Dorleac would die within two years in a fiery car accident. Mason, Sharif and Boyd had previously appeared together in the superior, but not very successful, epic The Fall of the Roman Empire."