The Conqueror (1956) - Review by Amanda Baker

Analysis

The Conqueror was filmed in 1956, starring iconic western film actor John Wayne as the historical Mongolian leader, Genghis Kahn or most often called in the film, Temujin. Despite the bad reviews from film critics and the negative experiences of the cast, the film did quite well in the box office, making about nine million dollars. The budget was about 6 million dollars and attracted tourists to the nearby town, St. George earning quite a bit of revenue there as well. Although it was not an uncommon occurrence for movies to be shot in this area, the choice of the location of this movie was ill-timed as it was located downwind from a bomb testing site involved with the Cold War. Although it hasn’t been proven that the radiation from the bombs was the cause, nearly half the workers on set contracted some kind of cancer over the years which many of the stars died from, including John Wayne.

There is not much to be said about the historical accuracy of the film. The movie was based on real people such as the Tartar group and Genghis Kahn’s wife, Börte. As well as Wang Kahn and other tribes. Although it is loosely based on real occurrences, most of the film is focused on the drama of Temujin and his friends and love interest. The portrayal of Asians in this movie is not fully accurate; most noticeably because the Asian characters were played by white actors. Moreover, the purpose of the film was not necessarily to educate or to give an accurate portrayal of Mongolia or Asia, but to present an enjoyable and familiar experience to American viewers.

This clip is from the section in the film when Temujin visits Wang Khan’s palace. The ‘oriental dance’ scene is an example of how the women were portrayed as foreign and exotic but not as much attention is given to historical accuracy. The way this movie portrayed Asian women would have had a negative effect on the American viewers as they would not have extensive knowledge of Asian culture or its people, so inaccurate portrayals such as this have more of an effect on viewers due to lack of education in this area.