Monday, September 3, 2012

Chunhyang (R) 7.0

Chunhyang (2000) 춘향뎐: Mongryong marries the beautiful Chunhyang without telling his father, the Governor of Namwon. When his father is transferred to Seoul, Mongryong has to leave Chunhyang and finish his exams. (7.1) 

Director: Kwon-taek Im
Stars: Hyo-jeong Lee, Seung-woo Cho and Sung-nyu Kim
Language: Korean (w/ English subtitles)

The movie is presented as an 18th century period story plus the narration given by a modern-day stage actor/storyteller. The 18th century tale, seen through today's eyes, examines the disparity between those who are born into the power and wealth and the peasant-folks. The abuse of power and the traditional hierarchical value systems are examined along with the powerful love story. The period costumes, sets, locations and the cinematography are quite stunning. The parallel, documentary-style, story is the depiction of one man on a stage with a lone drummer bringing the old legend to life in front of an audience. (I think, a lot of eastern cultures have that tradition.) My Rating: 7.0

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