This section is dedicated to a previous edition of the festival. To get information about the latest edition, please follow this link: HOME

The Fall of Otrar ©Seagull Films

The Fall of Otrar

(Gibel Otrara)

Ardak Amirkoulov

  • 1991
  • Russia
  • Drama / Historical
  • 2h56mn
  • Original version with French subtitles
  • Color
Brand new master
During the Mongolian invasions in Central Asia, the destruction of the ancient city of Otrar by Genghis Khan, as seen through the bewildered eyes of a Kipchak soldier.
At the end of the 80s, Kazakhfilm entrusted young Ardak Amirkoulov, still in cinema school, with the shooting of this demiurgic epic, written by Aleksei German and Svetlana Karmalita. The result defies comprehension. The Fall of Otrar, with its absolute historical authenticity, stands as the embodiment of total cinema—an epic and poetic gesture that makes us feel the violence in the mud, the apocalyptic massacre, and the pain of tragedy. Blending black and white, sepia and color, this visionary masterpiece equals Tarkovsky, Kurosawa, or German. Still far too unknown and rarely screened, in short, it’s unmissable.

Stephen Sayadian

Through elaborate tortures and cruel executions, cavernous palatial corridors and desolate snowy plains, Ardak Amirkoulov's The Fall of Otrar conjures up a vision of Central Asia in the 13th century, as Genghis Khan encroaching along the Silk Road, brutally laying waste to a whole civilization. Switching between textured sepia and saturated color, visually this Kazakh epic occupies a space between early Tarkovsky and late Kurosawa, where the script, by Alexesi German and Svetlana Karmalita, feels like a dry run for their gruesome swansong, Hard to Be a God.

Screenings

10/09 • 14h30 • Screen 500
Session presented by Stephen Sayadian

Credits

  • With : Dokhdurbek Kydyraliyev, Tungyshpai Zhamankulov, Bolot Beïchenaliev, Abdurashid Makhsudov, Zaur Zekhov...
  • Screenplay : Alexeï Guerman, Svetlana Karmalita
  • Photography : Sapar Koichumanov, Aubakir Suleyev
  • Editing : G. Kystauova
  • Music by : Kuat Shildebayev
  • Production : Alexeï Guerman