Storm Over Asia

In Mongolia in 1918 a young trapper is cheated over a valuable fox fur by a European trader. He fights the man and escapes to the hills. In 1920 he joins the Soviet partisans and fights the occupying British army. He is captured and taken out to be shot. A document found on him shows he is descended from Genghis Khan. When the occupiers notice, they change their minds: instead of killing him they decide to make him a puppet ruler. Vsevolod Pudovkin's film is among the best-known works of Soviet silent cinema. The narrative shows directly how colonial rule works: put a local figure in front and keep the real power. The editing is done with the methods of the Soviet montage school. The original title is The Heir to Genghis Khan. Valéry Inkijinoff takes the lead, and the closing sequence is among the most cited images of the period. Who it's for: Viewers who like Soviet silent cinema, montage theory, and anti-colonial narratives. Who it's not for: The propagandist tone is plain and the characters are built as types. The image quality is also poor in some prints.