That's the sense one gets from reading Alistair Gee's account of Sergei Bodrov Sr.'s latest movie, "Mongol. Part One," in The Moscow Times:
Bodrov's drama aims to deconstruct the notion of Genghis Khan as a bloodthirsty murderer, and focuses on his early years of poverty and slavery instead of his later transcontinental conquests. An all-consuming love affair between Genghis Khan and his first wife, Borte, also features heavily.
"Genghis Khan is not a popular man in Russia; his name is not well loved," Bodrov said. "I'm telling a story and saying: 'Look how it happened. Don't believe what's written in the old school textbooks.'"
"He abolished torture -- not so many people know about that," the director added. "And Mongolians used to keep slaves -- he said no to that."
