Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe (2012)

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General		Extras
Category	Historical Epic	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2012
Running Time	133:33 (Case: 125)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Akan Satayev
Studio Distributor	Gryphon Entertainment	Starring	Asylkhan Tolepov Tlektes Meiramov Ayan Utepbergen Kuralai Anarbekova Toleubek Aralbai Aliya Anuarbek
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	?	Music	Renat Gaisin

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Kazak Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Kazak Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     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.

     Until the massed battle which ends the film, the fights have been between small groups of horsemen, perhaps numbering up to a dozen, and the action is done mostly for real without the overuse of CGI, resulting in exciting, chaotic and quite gory sequences; horses charging across the steppe with arrows flying and swords, spears and clubs clashing, bodies and horses falling is always exciting to watch when it is done well, as it is here. The smaller numbers also allows us to see what the main characters are doing and thus their fate when some are killed is genuinely moving. It is only during the final battle that CGI is used to enhance the numbers and I must say it is pretty obvious!

     Myn Bala was made on a budget of $US12 million, a large sum for Central Asian filmmaking, peanuts by Hollywood standards for a historical epic. The official support of the Kazakh government however meant that the budget could be stretched a long way, and the action sequences, costumes and sets certainly do not fall short of Hollywood standards. While the film concentrates upon the deeds of the small group of freedom fighters it maintains interest, whatever the historical reality. And, as an advertisement for the stunningly beautiful Kazakh countryside it could hardly be bettered.

Video

     Myn Bala is presented in an aspect ratio of about 2.35:1, the original ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced.

     As noted in the review this is a print with stunningly beautiful colours and widescreen vistas. Both close up and widescreen detail is very good, blacks solid and shadow detail great. Skin tones are natural, brightness and contrast consistent.

     There is some slight ghosting with movement against trees but otherwise artefacts and marks were absent.

     The layer change at 70:00 was in the middle of a scene and created a slight pause.

     English subtitles are in a white font. They are always clear and easy to read but do present some problems. In the first place, the timing sometimes seems off with people talking and nothing appearing on screen. Sometimes they are much abbreviated as well, with characters saying a lot and only a short subtitle. Towards the end there are a number of long conversations and only the subtitle “Verdana” appears on screen. I have no idea what it is about.

     There are also a number of spelling and grammatical errors, including the closing caption where “vicotyr” appears instead of “victory” (125:51). There are others too, including “you” instead of “your”, “full” not “fully”, “feelins” for “feelings” and “twnty thousand” (82:45). There were more errors in this release than I can remember seeing for quite some time.

     The print was spectacular, the subtitles needed more care.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio choice is Kazakh in either Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps or Dolby Digital 2.0 at 192 Kbps. I listened to the 5.1 audio.

     Dialogue was always clear. The surrounds were constantly in use for music and weather effects such as thunder and rain, but of course resounded with the thump of horses’ hooves, the thud of arrows, the impact of edged weapons and clubs as well as the general din of battle. The subwoofer rumbled nicely supporting the horses, battle noise and the occasional explosion.

    Lip synchronisation was occasionally out, but was never distracting.

     The original score by Renat Gaisin was appropriately sweeping and epic and was supported by a number of Kazakh folk songs. It supported the visuals very well.

     The audio track was very good.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

     Absolutely nothing, not even a trailer.

     The Region 1 US version of Myn Bala is out late November 2013. There are no details at the time of writing this review, although the run time is listed as 108 minutes. The Region 0 UK release is listed on Amazon.com as having an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, and running only 100 minutes.

     Information about the film on IMBd is limited, and I cannot find any DVD reviews, but as our Region All release is in an 2.35:1 aspect ratio that looks correct and runs 133 minutes, it is the pick.

     Based on Kazakh legends about young freedom fighters who challenged the Dzungers in the 18th century and funded by the government of Kazakhstan to commemorate the 20th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union, Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe may or may not be good history but it is certainly an epic picture with good battle scenes, beautiful colours and spectacular landscapes.

     The video, except for the subtitles, is very good, the audio fine. There are absolutely no extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall