The Princess Warrior: Mongolia’s Khutulun

If you like the idea of Hua Mulan, but are put off by the way the Chinese Communist Party has exploited her legend in propaganda, then it is time to embrace Princess Khutulun. The celebrated warrior was far more distinguished, as the great-granddaughter of Genghis Khan and the inspiration for Puccini’s Turandot, and she has the extra, added advantage of being real. In contrast, the legend of Mulan is largely considered to be exactly that—a legend. Khutulun’s father Kaidu wanted to marry her off to shore-up political alliances, but she knows that would be a waste of her talents in S. Baasanjargal & Shuudertseg Baatarsuren’s The Princess Warrior, which releases Friday on VOD and Film Movement Plus.

Despite their illustrious lineage, Kaidu’s enemies launched a sneak attack against the house of Ogedei. They successfully stole the clan’s relic and nearly assassinated Kaidu. Ironically, he was saved by the clumsiness of Abatai, a former Ogedei servant boy who was banished by a capricious high official. Of course, it really wasn’t clumsiness, as he will eventually explain to Khutulun.

Unfortunately, Kaidu’s eldest son is an impetuous idiot, so Khutulun takes it upon herself to chase down the relic, while brother #2 raises an army for the anticipated battle. She sets off chasing the thieves with her trusty band of comrades, who sound like a menagerie: Bear, Hawk, Wolf, and crusty old Eagle. Although the Zoo Crew is initially skeptical, Abatai will join their ranks, when Khutulun understands his true identity.

There is a lot of rock-solid hack-and-slash action in Princess Warrior. Somewhat surprisingly, screenwriters Baatarsuren and Boldkhuyag Damdinsuren play down Khutulun’s super-heroic fierceness, portraying her in very fallible and human terms. Nevertheless, Tsedoo Munkhbat is clearly more comfortable in the action scenes than the romantic melodrama.

Aberrance, Horror from Mongolia

J-horror and K-horror have rabid fans in the United States and Europe, so could this be the start of a M-horror movement? Considering how well this film works, sure, bring it on. It is not the first Mongolian horror movie, but it is being billed as the first Mongolian horror film to get an American theatrical release. Regardless, most viewers will probably get their first taste of Mongolian horror from Baatar Batsukh’s Aberrance, which is now playing in theaters.

Erkhmee has brought his ambiguously “disturbed” wife Selenge to a remote country cabin, so she can rest for the sake of her advanced pregnancy. He is highly protective of her, perhaps too protective, judging from the perspective of their new next-door neighbor. Selenge’s vivid nightmares are also quite alarming. There is clearly something sinister afoot, but Batsukh is deliberately withholding the full picture. The truth is definitely the stuff of horror movies. It will even involve axe murders.

Initially, Aberrance seems to follow the classic low-budget horror movie playbook, with its small cast of characters and easily manageable locations. However, its Mongolian cultural origins, particularly the traditional emphasis placed on “hospitality,” deepens the significance of the terrors that unfold.

Frankly, Batsukh’s talent for misdirection would be impressive in any context. Experienced genre connoisseurs might be able to hazard a guess, but there is no obvious telegraphing. You can see up on the screen how much talent and potential he has, as a genre filmmaker.

The Two Horses of Genghis Khan: Urna’s Odyssey of Song

Under Communism, the jealous Communist regimes (Soviet and Chinese) vilified Mongolia’s national hero, Genghis Khan (who was in fact quite progressive, even by contemporary standards). During the Cultural Revolution, all traditional music was banned, so a tune extolling the virtues of the great Khan’s steeds would be doubly anathema. However, the song held tremendous meaning for Mongolian vocalist Urna Chachar Tugchi’s family, so she set out to reclaim their cultural heritage, verse by verse. Byambasuren Davaa chronicled her song-hunting odyssey in The Two Horses of Genghis Khan (trailer here), which releases today on DVD from Corinth Films.

Urna (as she is often simply billed, like Adele) grew up in a musical family, haunted by the Cultural Revolution. At the height of the horrors, her grandmother’s prized horse-head violin was destroyed. Only the carved neck remained, on which some of the lyrics to the song “The Two Horses of Genghis Khan” were still legible. The symbolic significance for the divided Mongolian homeland is hard to miss.

Having gained international prominence in what might be termed “world music” circles, the Inner Mongolian Urna arranges a concert with an Outer Mongolian classical ensemble to premiere the rediscovered song. At that point, she sets off into grasslands in search of elderly Mongolians who might still remember the lyrics.

Unfortunately, during the early stages of her journey, she only finds the lingering effects of deliberate cultural and environmental devastation. As in Tibet, the old regime was not a wise steward of Mongolia ecology and the current government had other fish to fry, such as the 2008 riots, which broke out just after filming wrapped. Frankly, viewers will suspect some of the old timers Urna meets might remember the song better than they let on, but simply do not feel comfortable admitting otherwise, given the past efforts devoted to suppressing traditional culture.

Fortunately, Urna has a stirring voice and a warm, engaging presence, which give her immediate credibility with the Outer Mongolians she encounters and the viewers watching from the comfort of home. The wide open vistas are also quite a sight to take in, making THoGK an unusually visual documentary. Indeed, cinematographer Martijn van Broekhuizen (currently shooting the reboot of The Crow) frames some pretty incredible images.

The climatic performance would seem to end the journey on a satisfyingly uplifting note, but the final post-credits captions offer a chilling parting dose of reality. They also underscore why Urna’s mission of cultural restoration is so important and necessary in a world of ideological strife. Highly recommended, especially for fans of Urna, Shen Yun, and similar efforts to reclaim the cultural diversity lost under the successive mass movements of the Chinese Communist regime, Two Horses of Genghis Khan releases today (9/27) on DVD, from Corinth Films.