Chunhyang (2000)

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.... See full summary »

Director:

Kwon-taek Im

Writers:

Sang-hyun Cho (story), Hye-yun Kang

Stars:

Hyo-jeong Lee, Seung-woo Cho, Seong-nyeo Kim

5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Hyo-jeong Lee	...	Chunhyang Sung
Seung-woo Cho	...	Mongryong Lee
Seong-nyeo Kim	...	Wolmae (as Sung-nyu Kim)
Hak-young Kim	...	Pangja
Jung-hun Lee	...	Gov. Byun Hakdo
Ji-youn Choi	...	Gov. Lee
Hae-eun Lee	...	Hyangdan (as Hae-Eun Lee)
Kyung-yeun Hong	...	Kisaeng Leader
Sang-hyun Cho	...	Pansori Singer
Myung-hwan Kim	...	Pansori Drummer
Hae-ryong Lee	...	Lord of Soonchun
Jun-hwam Gok	...	Lord of Okgwa
Keun-mo Yoon	...	Lord of Goksung
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Taell Bae
Bong Chotae

Storyline

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. Chunhyang, being the daughter of a courtesan, is also legally a courtesan. She is beaten and imprisoned when she refuses to obey the new Governor Byun, as she wishes to be faithful to her husband. After three years, Mongryong passes his exam and becomes an emissary to the King. He returns to Namwon, disguised as a beggar, just before Chunhyang is to be flogged to death at the governor's birthday celebration.

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Plot Keywords:

exotica | passion | 13th century | pandori | singer | 

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Taglines:

Her spirit became inspiration. Her name became legend.

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

CHUNHYANG21.CO.KR (Korean) Taehung Pictures

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

29 January 2000 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Chunhyang

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,052, 7 January 2001

Gross USA:

$798,220

Company Credits

Production Co:

CJ Entertainment, Mirae Asset Capital, Saehan Industries

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A "pansori" (on which this movie is based) was a four to six-hour long musical poem performed by a singer and a drummer.

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Quotes

Mongyong Lee: "Like the sun and the moon, my love will never change."

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Connections

Version of Seong Chunhyang (1987)

User Reviews

I fell in love with this film

Before video, before film, before printing, before writing -- people told and sang stories.

"Chunhyang" is a wonderful way to experience this oral tradition, listening to the music of language as chanted by a Pansori telling a Korean folk tale. For those of us without facility in the Korean language, the film paints for us the images conjured by the singer. These are beautiful images of a colorful, far-away land in ancient times -- images locked into the race memory of the Korean people familiar with the story, but now on the screen for our benefit as well.

This collision of old and new art forms generates a synergy evident, for example, in the scene in which Chunhyang is beaten for refusing to take to the evil lord's bed. Most of this takes place off-screen -- instead we see shots of the Pansori and of his audience, sitting on the edge of their seats and weeping as he tells of the heroine's defiance. It was one of the most gut-wrenching scenes I've experienced in many years.