More than a few lifetimes since the glory days when Genghis Khan conquered Eurasia, Mongolia has languished on the periphery of the modern age, with scant international influence and few major industries to speak of. Still, it may come as a surprise to most Westerners that the bucolic
existence led by some Mongols has undergone little change in hundreds of years. Until recently, that is. Stunningly photographed on the vast steppes of China's Inner Mongolia, Nikita Mikhalkov's CLOSE TO EDEN is a poetic and richly cinematic ode to a way of life which, after centuries of stasis,
is finally vanishing.
In the opening scene, Gombo (Bayaertu), an expert horseman, ambu...
Released:
1992
Rated:
NR
Length:
120 mins