Reportage from Tuva, Part II:
By the Will of Genghis Khan Movie
Continuation. Part I is here.
By Kyuney Eremeeva.
GazetaYakutia.Ru
Thirteen men
Besides BBC's and Hollywood stars, the film involved... 13 "Genghis Khans" (this number is related to the Millennium Person and it is considered as his number).
The script writer Valentina Aleksandrovna Chusovskaja counted up that there 13 – starting from kid Subedej who "played" one-year-old Temuchin last summer, and finishing with the Chinese People's Republic state actor (in China this rank corresponds to our "national actor") Tu Men who embodied the image of great commander in TV series (very popular in China) and who's now starring in Andrey Borisov's film as Shen Mi Jehn, a chronicler.
There are 13 of them: except mentioned before Subedej and Tu Men, there is a Tuva schoolboy Ajan Uspun (Temuchin in childhood); the Arctic Institute of Culture and Arts graduate Sergey Egorov (Temuchin in youth); the honored actor of the Republic of Tyva Edward Ondar (Temuchin-Genghis Khan); the actor and the producer from Mongolia Orgil Mahaan, who played Genghis Khan in BBC's series; his fellow countryman Tuvshinhu (quarter the Yakut), who played Genghis Khan in the 800th Anniversary Celebration of creation of the Mongolian statehood; the national actor of the Republic of Khakassia Gennady Chaptykov and the national actor of the Republic of Bashkortostan Hurmathulla Utyashev, who's been playing the Great Mongol in theatres' performances during many years; the honored actor of Buryatiya Bayarto Endonov (Òåìó÷èí from the recent "the First Nuker of Genghis Khan" that hit the box office and broke the record of "Night Watch” in Ulan-Ude); actors of Sakha Theatre Erken Egorov and Innokentij Dakayarov, our Temuchin and Genghis Khan from "By the Will of Genghic Khan" performance; and stuntman Gavril Popov from Sakha Circus, stunting leaging men. Chinese "Genghis Khan"
Tu Men is the state actor of the 1st category. It is the supreme category in China from existing three. He played about 200 roles. And he has got a lot of awards. For "Genghis Khan", that made him a star all over China, he got the premium of the State Council of Actors. In China everything state is really honorable, so in the country this award can be equated as "Oscar".
It is interesting that Chinese "Genghis Khan" is not the Chinese. He comes from the Inner Mongolia, but he is not the Mongol. Tu Men is evenk. He didn't played in Russia earlier, but he knows well the Soviet films: in 1950s when our countries were friends, 90 % of films shown in Chinese cinemas were from the USSR.
- We loved those films very much, - speaks That Maine. - We still love them.
They really do. They love it so much, that recently they shot new versions of cult films "And the Dawns are Silent Here" (with Russian actors) and "How Steel was Tempered" (with Ukrainian actors). And the Nikolay Ostrovsky's book, that's been being published in millions of copies, this year became a bestseller in a book fair in Peking - the largest book fair in Asia, according to mass-media.
By the way, Tu Men, having seen ours "Genghis Khan" Edward Ondar, told with conviction: "It's Pavka Korchagin!"
Certainly we asked him: "Why?" It came out, that in the childhood one of the most favorite books of our interlocutor was, certainly, "How Steel was Tempered", he learned whole chapters by heart. And now he remembers illustrations to it: and so, on these illustrations Pavka is the look-alike of Ondar.
And now let's talk about the casting. Men thinks that it was really competent.
- Actors are fully comply with those images you create while reading the script. Especially the shaman (Hohochoy – the national actor of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Efim Stepanov).
- And how did you get in the film?
- Last year I was in Yakutia. We spoke with Andrey Savvich about Mongols, about Genghis Khan. We had common thoughts about that.
- Is that the cause you decided to play in it?
- I decided to play in this film because I liked the concept of it. And I like the role. Shen Mi Jeng is not just a chronicler, he is the World's messenger, the symbol of unity of different nations, - in fact it occurs in our film...
Khakass "Genghis Khan"
The national actor of the Republic of Khakassia Gennady Chaptykov plays Sengum, the son of Kerait khan.
"Sengum" has experience of shootings: in 1983 Chaptykov played in film of famous Kirghiz director Tolomush Okeev " White Leopard's Descendants", that got the "Silver Bear" award in Berlin film festival.
In the 1st International nomadic theatrical festival "Desired coast", created by the will of Andrey Borisov, the Khakass national theatre showed performance "Genghis Khan's Love" where Gennady Chaptykov played a leading role. Half-year hasn't passed and he received an invitation to play in film "By the Will of Genghis Khan". The national actor of Khakassia looks at it in a philosophical way:
- When 11 years ago the idea of making the performance about Genghis Khan appeared, the theme was forbidden. Now times have changed... In this way it's changed to good! In fact Genghis Khan connects us. And Borisov connects us. Andrey Savvich is the leader of Turkic people because he lives sincerely, he loves people, he stands for them. Such a person is a God's gift to us. Even his idea about the unity of theatres of fraternal people he started to embody in "Desired coast". Nine theatres participated in festival, and he brought actors almost from each theatre. How could we appreciate such contribution in the unification of our peoples? Andrey Borisov stepped to an international level. And now he lets out his pupils on arena. Sayana Ulturgasheva who studied to become a director in Àrctic State Institute of Culture and Arts, having returned to Khakassia, brought to stage the performance " Man similar to Leppard" based on the Alexander Kotozhekov-Chapraj's play. This summer we went to Bishkek to the international festival with this performance. 12 countries participated in that festival. 12 countries, 12 theatres, 12 venerable directors. And Sayana got an award as the best director's work! And right after the closing she flew out to Yakutsk to receive the diploma...
Pupils
Andrey Borisov's pupils take part in the international project “By the Will of Genghis Khan”. Certainly, the Master day after day teaches lessons to everyone who is anyhow involved in film, but his two graduates Sergey Egorov, playing Temuchin in youth and during free time from shootings acting as the assistant, and the young director of Russian theatre Andrey Gabyshev are specially pointed off. On the set they are always near their teacher and sometimes it seemed that Andrey is Borisov's right hand and Sergey is left hand. They checked everything: the distribution of clothes and armor to 200 herdsmen from stunts and making them stand in front of the camera.
During preparation for shootings of battle scene Andrey Savvich, holding speech in front of free sons of steppe, introduced them as the assistants:
- They are young. I specially selected young. If we support them, our country will be young and strong.
The director is faithful. The scope was truly “a-la Borisov”. No matter what, but he stands for his country.
That's how the Master began (there are no words to express the impression from his speech: he was like the commander inspiring the fighters before the fight):
- Soldiers! The… art director of film talks to you! I'm making this film for the sake of idea! For the sake of idea, that touched minds and hearts of turkis! I am the Yakut. We are the uranghays. We are brothers by birth and histories. It's not a game, you are soldiers! With those like you Genghis Khan conquered half the world!
The voice of the director rattles. He used to direct stadium mass acts, and it is five or six thousand persons!
- If the director-commander tells you to stand, you should stand half the day.
And immediately the brief instructing concerning equipment:
- In times of Genghis Khan you could lose your head for loss of a sword. We will not cut your heads off, but I remind you: after the fight they collected everything to the very last arrow, that's why you should care about the arms the way they did, otherwise by the end of shootings we'll stay with nothing but trousers.
Amicable laughter. Dark, exposed to the wind faces. Ready troops...
- Is everything clear?
- Clear!
- Let's work!
Military osuakhay
Two hundred herdsmen sit in steppe under the burning sun. Groups of ten men go to take clothes - boots and dressing gowns. The first question was about the armor and the weapon.
The art designer of the film and the old colleague of director Gennady Petrovich Sotnikov, seeing the soldiers captiously chosen their "regimentals", said confidently:
- Everything will be great!
On the face of one soldier the doubt is clearly read. Sotnikov looks steady at him:
- Don't you understand? You lost this fight!
Though... Can such a soldier lose?
Two hundred soldiers in full alertness stand around the director and wait for his command.
If he orders to saddle horses, they will saddle. If he orders to go to fight, they will go.
The director orders them to rise in a circle and starts showing movements of... osuokhay. But this is a very strange osuokhay. It's not what we saw on ysyakh. No Nestors to pace sedately, no high female caps to flash, no suspension brackets on maiden bastynga to ring. Only men are there in this ring. Men in heavy armor and helmets.
In opinion of Andrey Savvich, osuokhay is an ancient military dance. Well, it still remains the military dance...
Yakut "Genghis Khan" Innokentij Dakayarov begins to sing, Tuvinians go in chorus with laughter: it is amusing for them to utter words they have never heard before. But gradually the laughter disappears.
The steppe dust rises under the leather boots with bent toes. Men's low voices on an exhalation repeat as a spell: "Opuokhay! Epiekhey!" And in the sky above them the kite soars, widely stretching his wings.
Harem for Alexey Pavlov
Right after rehearsals of osuokhay the director decides to shoot the scene of comic duel of Shen Mi Jeng, the chronicler and the soldier with fighter of Genghis Khan Horchu played by the national actor of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Alexey Pavlov.
Borisov included this character with his…eh… absolutely unusual anatomic structure (and what was this structure you're going to know on premiere) in his film "to dilute" the epic narration, he wanted people to smile, when they among leaders and heroes this “well-fad man in the prime of life" who dared to demand from khan such number of wives, that the person brought up in a monogamous society could not repeat. Certainly, the director of the most cheerful and naughty theatre of our Republic fits to this role like nobody else.
Right after the arrival to Tyva the art director of Sakha theatre told in conversation to the art director of Theatre of humour and satire:
- On shootings, outside of the shootings, all the time you should make fun with herdsmen. It is necessary, that they smile when they see you!
Alexey Prokopjevich did it. Very quickly everyone could learn one simple true: the true talent is international. Seeing Alexey Pavlov the Tuva herdsmen, who have never heard none of his miniatures, none of his roles before, began to smile, their faces brightened, and in their eyes there was a children's delight: what will the Yakut brother show them this time?
It was useful during shootings scenes with his participation! The words told by him in Yakut language (in film every actor speaks in his native language), the herdsmen certainly did not understand, but during every shot the amicable, sincere laughter accompanied the occurrence of Alexey Prokopjevich. And he was as inimitable as always.
"Hallo, we're looking for talents!"
Besides national actors, there are also national talents in the film. For example, indians Manu Mahadik and Nandlal Sharma, working in Yakutsk in “Choroon-diamond” enterprise. The fellow countrymen of "The Disco Dancer" have never played in films before, though mister Mahadik, by the way, comes from Bombay, the famous "Bollywood". 600 thousand films a year releases famous Indian "factory of dreams", so he could appear in stunts, but no: his debut was in film of the Yakut director, and it was necessary to play in the Tuva steppe where they appeared as merchants from a rich caravan.
By the way, they were lucky with partners: there was the 1st category state actor of Chinese People's Republic Tu Men, the national actor of Khakassia Gennady Chaptykov, and the director of Buryat drama theatre Dorzho Sultimov himself! But debutants weren't confused – they showed up so good in the scene and they bargained so valiantly, that the director remarked: "They overplayed the national actors! "
Andrey Savvich finds talents everywhere. Once upon a time, surveying the future battlefield, he heard a throat singing of one of herdsmen in a distance. He changed a rate, and went to him and asked:
- Can you sing sitting?
The herdsman obviously did not expect this kind of question, but he found answer very quickly:
- Yes, I can!
- Ok, you will sing. In a scene before fight. And you, - he addresses to others, - you will listen to him as you did now. But without cigarettes. There were no cigarettes then.
Burst of laughter.
The director, departing them, reflects aloud:
- What eyes they have! What a sight! What power it gives!
The operators-muscovites, who worked on "Night Watch", are impressed of stunts too: "He collected such a power!"
And near herdsmen in a high grass there is a puppy - fluffy, greyish, with upright ears.
Our good friend Ayan Uspun, playing Temuchin in the childhood, points at him with excitement:
- It's a wolf!
- ???
- The herdsmen told me! It is their wolf cub! It's name is Beru.
- Beru?
- It means "Wolf" in Tuvinian. And how it is in Yakut?
- Bere...
They are the real valid soldiers of Great Khan! Even the wolf instead of a dog. Though it's small. And Mongols esteemed the wolf as an ancestor...
Mongolian "Genghis Khan"
The front man of a BBC series "Genghis Khan" Orgil Mahaan, playing Jamuha, the friend and the contender of Great Khan, is the graduate of the Soviet school in Ulan Bator and the American academy of drama art in Los Angeles, that's why he speaks both in Russian and in English. The first day of shootings of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Orgil-Jamuha interpret the instructions of the director to him.
And when he entered the L.A. academy, he had to read two monologues - comic and drama. As to the first the entrant from Mongolia has chosen... Shakespeare! Though the Shakespeare's language is very difficult even for English-natives. But Orgil's mother is a philologist. Her abilities and love to languages transferred to the son. But, to tell the truth, now he and is surprised himself, how he managed to read this monologue: he appeared in front of examiners as the Fool from "King Lyre". Strange concurrence: in this exact role Andrey Borisov saw Edward Ondar at festival "Navruz" in Kazan for the first time.
Then both of them passed the serious casting for the Genghis Khan role. Orgil tried seven times. Englishmen, Americans and Germans shot the BBC series about the Great Mongol. Germans pointed out the Chinese actor from the Inner Mongolia, and anglo-saxons stood up for Orgil as the director (Englishman) told him on a secret.
The TV series turned out successful: during celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Mongolian statehood every channel showed the series.
Besides "Genghis Khan" Orgil Mahaan played a leading role in the first Mongolian action movie “Kill the Witness” where he was the author of idea, and in historical film "The Last Wife of Khan" the action of which occurs in 1930s, tried on the form of the officer of People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs.
About women and horses
- And what if you Orgil would be offered these three roles at once? What would you choose?
-Guess from three times! Genghis Khan of course. Not to everyone drops out such an honor... The Great man, even 800 years later he protects his descendants. 50 kilometers apart from Ulan Bator they build a tourist complex "returning" us in 13th century. There will be 800 nomad's tents. And in the center there'll be 40-meter-high monument of Genghis Khan. Only his sword is the same size with tree. I brought Andrey Savvich to the bottom of it... In Ulan Bator near the House of the government there's the monument too, where on both sides there're his colleagues - Muhulay and Borchu. They are on horses.
Orgil himself like the real Mongol is the valiant equestrian, though he is the townsman in the third generation. Hot blood of the steppe inhabitant runs in his veins! However, it concerns to every actor starring in Andrey Borisov's film. Everyone sits in a saddle like as if he was born there.
Gennady Chaptykov (Sengum) has a whole theory:
- The relations between a horse and the horseman are like relations between man and woman. If she feels that he is afraid of her, what will she do? She will buck and run away! That is the same to the horse and the horseman. They feel each other: the horse feels the power of the horseman, and the horseman feels the power of a horse...
Well, our Dzhigits whether they are Tuvinians, Khakases, Buryats, Mongols, or Yakuts apparently have no problems with power. No horse will run away from them! And they never miss the girl. But this is another story.
Yakutsk - Kyzyl - Yakutsk.
*To be continued…
// 08.09.2006
Translated by
Nurgun Novopriezhy,
a Yakutsk State University student
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