Scandal - Joseon namnyeo sangyeoljisa (2003)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Je-yong Lee

Writers:

Dae-woo Kim (writer)
Hyeon-jeong Kim (writer)

Release Date:

2 October 2003 (South Korea)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Based on the novel 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses,' this film is set in aristocratic 18th-century Korea at the end of the Chosun Dynasty...

Plot Keywords:

18th Century | Korea | Foreign Language Adaptation | Hanbok | Tragic Ending

Awards:

5 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Mi-suk Lee	...	Madam Jo
Do-yeon Jeon	...	Suk
Yong-jun Bae	...	Jo-won
Hyeon-jae Jo	...	Kwon In-ho
So-yeon Lee	...	So-ok
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ban-ya Choi	...	Chu-wol
Ha-kyeong Kim

Also Known As:

Scandal - Chosun nam nyo sang yeol jisa (South Korea) (alternative transliteration)
The Scandal (International: English title)
Untold Scandal (International: English title)

Runtime:

124 min (25 fps)

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | New Zealand:R16 | Sweden:7 | South Korea:18 | Hong Kong:III | Singapore:R(A) | Japan:R-18 | UK:18

Company:

B.O.M. Film Productions Co.

Trivia:

Replaced 2046 (2004) as the closing film at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

Movie Connections:

Version of Dangerous Liaisons (2005) (V)

Intriguing Korean version of Dangerous Liasions

I absolutely adore the version directed by Stephen Frears (starring Malkovich and Glose) so i was very interested what Koreans had made out of it. Korean films that I have seen that far are very interesting, they have quite a different approach then Western movie makers.

I think it was a good and intense film and the historical Korean scenery added a lot. Still, I think that Frears'is film is way stronger. The only acting work that stood out stronger then Frears'is characters, was the lady who played the virtous Madam Sook (Michelle Pfeiffer's character in Frears'is version). This was an incredibly strong performance and I liked it more then Pfeffer's approach.

As to the others they slightly lacked detail and depth. Overall, the Korean protagonists were no match to John Malkovich and Glenn Close. And the whole lot of other characters, both men and women, looked and acted in such a similar way that it took me some time to distinct them from each other.

However, the film was still very interesting to watch and all this historical Korean world was beautifully shot. The film got better at the end and when the bad guy changed it was really moving and believable. Specially the last scene with him on the beach. I also very much liked the scene between him and Madam Sook in the library.