Customer Reviews

A Mongolian Tale [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all, I have to admit I have always loved Mongolia, China and the music of Tengger, Mongolian born composer now a native of China, based in Taiwan. Thus A Mongolian Tale, by acclaimed director Xie Fei , to me is truly a beautiful piece.

The haunting score for the entire film are composed by Tengger, who is a hugely successful pop musician in Asia especially China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. For anyone who are not familiar with Mongolian music, this movie should serve an interesting intro through the music of Tengger where he introduce the famous Mongolian throat singing "Hoomii" as well as the famous musical instruments of traditional 2 strings violin , "Morin Khuur" in Mongolia "Matouqin" in China. Both meaning the " Horse Head Erhuqin" . As well as the meditative , sad tunes of the beautiful "Bawu" aka. Chinese reed flute.

The main story of A Mongolian Tale is about love lost, egoism, stubborness, regrets and redemption. A motherless little Chinese boy named "pup", was sent by his busy father ,Ba'ter,(Lasurong) to be raise along with a little Mongolian girl , Somiya, by a wise kindly old woman (Mongolian superstar, Dalarsurong) on the vast grassland of Mongolia, whom they both call Nai Nai . Nai Nai then gave the little boy an amulet of the goddess for protection and renamed him as Bayinbulag - Beiyinpalica. Both children becomes inseparable and together with their loving grandmother, they live the peaceful life of sheep and horse herding. It is also time for Bayinbulag to start learning horse riding, but they do not have any horse, so when a stray young black horse stumble upon their "ger " tent in a fierce winter storm one night, Nai Nai , nurse the weak horse to full health, and considered it a god's gift to Bayinbulag.

This horse, is the basis for the title of this movie "Heima" as the original title. Based on an acclaimed novel written by Zhang Chengzhi , "Black Steed", that, based on a Mongolian folksong about a black horse. Charming !

So following the folksong, little Bayinbulag name his horse Gangang Hara. In their late teens, Bayinbulag was summoned by his father to study vet school in a distant city. Nai Nai, afraid that she may loose her extremely beloved Bayinbulag, suggest that he and Somiya gets married when he returns so they can all be in one family forever. Bayinbulag scheduled to return in 8 months, finally returned only after 3 years, but to find that Somiya was seduced and made pregnant by his own friend, a local rogue and loudmouth, Xiart,( Jirigelasahan). Despite Nai Nai tried to console him, his anger, ego and shame took a better part of him and he left both Nai Nai and Somiya again. Leaving behind the 2 women that truly love him. 12 years later, a much older and mature, successful Bayinbulag ( Tengger) finally come to his senses and return, only to find a slightly haggard Somiya ( Naranhua) has already married to a gruffy, alcoholic husband , with a good heart, Dawasang (Gangbater). With 5 children of her own, the oldest and the only daughter, Qiqui (Aorjidai) becomes the object of despise for Dawasang , the same child that causes Bayinbulag's downfall and also the very same child that will lead to his redemption.

When Bayinbulag and Somiya finally get together to comtemplate on their memories, fate and mistakes, Bayinbulag will finally learn the shattering truth of what happened to his both beloved Nai Nai and Gangang Hara that he had left behind.

Even now as I write this short, I can feel tears welling up in my eyes. Now don't get me wrong. There is absolutely nothing sentimental at all about this movie., but the story itself, is just too real too human, it hit me where it hurts the most.

However ,this movie is filled with gorgeous cinematography of the Mongolian steppes, lush gold and green in summer to a deathly white in winter. The performances are subtle and superb. Accompanied by Tengger's gentle, yet intense and powerful vocal and beautiful folk music made this compelling movie at once a true beauty, compelling, heartbreaking and uplifting masterpiece.

This is a film that will be very close to my heart.

Genghiz Tanghe.

After I watched this film, I was in a full surprise without my oral comment. All I must say, in written form, a rare but splendid movie with a rare glimpse of Mongolia as well as splendid nature, lifestyle, emotion, betrayal and redemption. No one would ever understand Mongolia and areas adjacent to it (like Inner Mongolia) without the making of this film by full cooperation of Chinese director and producers and the Mongolian actors and actresses.

It started when a boy named Bayinbulag was sent by his father to the enormous grassland to be taken care by the foster grandmother after the death of his mother. There, in grandmother's yurt, he met a girl named Somiya, his foster grandmother's granddaughter, and befriended each other. He spent much of his childhood and adolescence learning and adapting the lifestyle of nomadic life, including grazing the sheep and riding his own horse named Gangang Hara.

One day, he was sent him to secondary or high school abroad, spending eight months of veterinarian training and three years learning to play guitar. After returning home, he planned to marry Somiya he had long loved, since he was not related by blood. However, his plan abruptly spoiled when he found out his fiancée was pregnant. In frustration, dilemma and humiliation, he left his childhood's home to search for new life in the city and to abandon the dream of marrying her. He was also forced to leave his grandmother, his pregnant fiancée Somiya and, his favorite, his horse Gangang Hara behind.

In the last twelve years since he left his home, he took a job as a guitarist and later became famous throughout the Mongolian communities. Then he rode his borrowed horse to find Somiya he had never seen. When he found her residence, he met with her daughter Qiqig, her drunken husband Dawasang (his brother-in-law) and their four sons he had never met before. Bayinbulag and Qiqig went to the dry grassland neighbored with the river chatting until when he sings about his own horse, she found out he was her biological father and both embrace with tears and joy. Later, he finally met Somiya from far places gathering woods for fuel. Before his last day of his stay, she informed that their grandmother and his own horse died "waiting for his return from exile." She also told him about her daughter and the story she told to daughter about her "husband" Bayinbulag. Both then felt deep regret and made redemption to each other.

In this film, the steppe that Bayinbulag and Somiya lived is vast, peaceful and almost unspoiled with breathable air rarely unpolluted. It represents an almost isolated place for the Mongolian nomads to enjoy the beauty of Mongolian nature. Because this place was too enormous and too far to travel, communication is still very primitive. People who want to contact with others have to wait by chance while moving on, which would take years or, in some cases, they would never meet each other again, and this is what happened to their grandmother in her life after marriage. The Mongolians are very fond of horses because they need them heavily as for transportation, herding, and carting. The poems that are written on the screen portray the waiting of being reunited but feel more depressed each day they waited. Both Bayinbulag and Somiya did indeed waited for years before they were reunited when he rides the horse to find her.

While I was watching this film, the best part I had ever seen (and I want to see again) is when Bayinbulag and Somiya sat outside the yurt to openly tell each other their past, their truth and their apology. First it seems so relaxed because of soft-spoken voices in flat tones. Later it gets tense when he told her about his action and reaction toward both of them and his job as a guitarist. She also told him about what happened her grandmother, his beloved horse, and being together with her new husband. They then felt with deep regret. I really wanted myself to cry out loud. However, it ended with somewhat happy ending, and I gave this film with my joyful and, sometimes, tearful applause.

Anyway, this is truly the great film for anyone, especially drama-lovers who seem to easily get controlled by the emotions from major characters. Go see this best film with the authentic nature right now even if movie is not your hobby.

"Sain" means "good" in Mongolian. I'm afraid I don't know the words for gorgeous, fabulous, or great. Because that's what this movie is.
Those of us who have been fortunate to live in Mongolia, this will jolt you back to that haunting land that we can't forget. Those of you who haven't had a chance to live or visit there, this is as good an introduction as you'll ever have.

No matter that it was filmed in Inner Mongolia (ostensibly part of China), it presents the viewer with that which is quintessentially Mongolian, Inner or Outer. The music, poetry, relationships between generations, sexes, humans and animals, the Mongols and their land, tug of modernity...all is played out in this compelling, heart wrenching film.

I picked up this movie because it was the first Mongolian language movie that I had come across. This actually is not a Mongolian export but a China / Hong Kong co-production which was shot in the Chinese autonomous region of Inner Mongolia. The movie comprises of two somewhat distinct segments. It opens as a languid ballad in the backdrop of the harsh but beautiful Mongolian landscape, and you get the impression that this is going to be a feel-good movie where the scenery will overpower the characters. But as the story unfolds with an unexpected turn, it is human relations that become its main theme. Bayinbulag is a boy brought up by a nomadic woman until he leaves for school. Somiya is his playmate and confidante, until his ageing guardian suggests that he marry her. However, life doesn't turn out to be a sweet love story in the backdrop of the rolling pastures; instead, issues that are very contemporary and real result in an ending that is very different from what I for one had guessed when the movie began.

But I also felt that something was lacking in this movie. The juxtaposition of the dramatic scenery and very contemporary ideals has great potential if they are balanced effectively, but that is somehow not the case with this. It doesn't affect you the way great movies do. You follow the characters but don't become a part of them, you don't suffer when they do and you don't feel elated when they are. It's a good movie, but this is why I gave it four stars and not five.

If you liked Fu Jing-sheng's cinematography in this movie and thought that the landscape was breathtaking, then watch Eric Valli's "Himalaya" ... you'll love it.

A Mongolian Tale should be on dvd-it is a film which everyone who has had to make serious choices and has had important relationships in their lives can understand even though it takes place in a part of the world many people are unfamiliar with.The cinematography is breathtaking-not unlike parts of the American and Canadian west-the actors are totally unknown which adds to the believability and the language is Mongolian(with subtitles)-a different sound than Chinese-although the film was technically made in China(Inner Mongolia)-it brings home the fact that no matter how different our societies may seem on the surface,we all share common feelings and dilemmas and that when we make decisions they very well may impact us for our entire lives-the film takes place over a long stretch of years and moves at a liesurely pace-it's got virtually no violence,no sex,and little by way of action-yet it is definitely not boring-there is a cosistent rhythm to the story and the viewer falls into it- it is a hard film to describe in terms of plot-do our everyday lives have a plot?I think this is one of the best films I've ever seen.