The Servant (R) 7.5

The Servant (2010) 방자전 Bang-ja-jeon: A servant falls in love with a girl whom his master also desires. Although the girl loves the servant, she also longs to improve her station in life. The two make a secret deal so the girl can satisfy both her heart and her ambitions. (6.8)

Director: Dae-woo Kim
Writer: Dae-woo Kim
Stars: Yeo-Jeong Jo, Ju-hyuk Kim and Dal-su Oh
Language: Korean (w/ English subtitles)

This is a re-telling of the Korean folktale Chunhyang with what appears to be the tongue-in-cheek "it must have been really like this" attitude. Yes, it is a comedic look at the reverent tale which has passed down the generations through the storytelling traditions; but at the same time it examines the human sides of all the relationships from a different perspective. While I know the folktale from the previous movie (see link above), I wish I understood it from the Korean cultural perspective to better understand the jokes and jibes in this changed story. Yes, in this tale, the two original lovers (pure in the heart in the folktale) are portrayed as cunning, opportunistic and manipulative people who'd do anything to get ahead. The servant is actually the one who is true to his word. What the new story tells you is not to believe everything in your folktales. As in the other movie, the sets and scenes are beautiful and costumes are very elegant, perhaps too good for the time period, but then again, this is a spoof. Acting is superb and some scenes I would judge as "too hot" even for "R" rating, but I didn't mind. My Rating: 7.5