Creed my sacrifice tab. Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe (2012) Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe (2012) Released 3-Jul-2013 This review is sponsored by Details At A Glance General Extras Category Historical Epic None Rating 2012 Running Time 133:33 (Case: 125) / Cast & Crew Menu Region Coding 1,2,3,4,5,6 Directed By Akan Satayev Distributor Starring Asylkhan Tolepov Tlektes Meiramov Ayan Utepbergen Kuralai Anarbekova Toleubek Aralbai Aliya Anuarbek Case Amaray-Transparent RPI? Music Renat Gaisin Video Audio None Kazak Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Kazak Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Video Format 576i (PAL) Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Miscellaneous No Subtitles English Yes No Action In or After Credits No NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Plot Synopsis In the early 1700s the Kazakh people were fighting among themselves which allowed the steppes of Kazakhstan to be controlled by the Dzungers, a tribe descended from the Mongols, who destroyed villages and killed men, women and children without restraint.

As a young boy, Sartai ( Asylkhan Tolepov) witnessed the killing of his parents and the destruction of his village by the Dzungers before fleeing to the mountains with his grandfather Nazar ( Tlektes Meiramov) and a few survivors. Seven years later, with his friends Taimai ( Ayan Utepbergen) and young woman Korlan ( Kuralai Anarbekova), Sartai commences a guerrilla campaign against the Dzungers, ambushing and killing isolated detachments and stealing their horses. Some Kazakhs cooperated with the Dzungers, such as the Headman Rakhimjan ( Toleubek Aralbai) and things became more complicated for Sartai when he fell in love with Rakhimjan’s beautiful daughter Zere ( Aliya Anuarbek). As Sartai’s reputation and his band of warriors grow their ever escalating attacks, including destroying a fort, results in the Dzungers intensifying their search for Sartai and stepping up their repression, putting pressure on those Kazakhs who were collaborating.

With Kazakh loyalties tested, both within Sartai’s band and in the wider Kazakh community, it becomes increasingly difficult to know who can be trusted as the Kazakh tribes agree finally to unite and gather for a massed battle against the Dzunger armies that will determine the fate of the steppe. Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe is based upon actual events; “Myn Bala” translating as “The Thousand Boys” who fought for freedom against the Dzungers. The film was funded by the Kazakh state to commemorate the 20th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union.

As an official government project, it is impossible to know just how much of it is accurate, although the Battle of Anrakoy (1729) which ends the film is historical, and it must be said that the Kazakhs are pious and just while the Dzungers, as set up right from the opening sequence of the film, are indiscriminate murderers of women and children. While the film remains with Sartai and his band, especially his relationship with Taimai and Korlan, it maintains interest and momentum although the acting is only adequate, but when the film broadens its scope and shows the counsels of the leaders of both the Kazakhs and the Dzungers it introduces a bewildering range of sultans, khans and leaders. Kazakhs may be familiar with who these people are, but for a western audience it is very confusing and tends to slow the film down as well as adding confusion to the final battle. The main reason to watch Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe are the beautiful, spectacular widescreen photography of the Kazakh steppe, forests and mountains and the battle sequences. Myn Bala looks stunning; tiny horsemen dwarfed on the immense green grasslands of the steppe with snow covered mountains in the background, yurts (round nomad animal skin tents) surrounded by herds of animals or a lone rider silhouetted against a blood red sky. The interiors of the yurts and pavilions and the costumes are also vibrantly coloured and finely detailed. Indeed, the colours throughout the film, the greens of the steppe and forest, the blue of the rivers and red of the sunsets, the yellows on costumes, are some of the most beautiful I have seen in a film for some time.