Two clowns living in Korea's Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh.
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Title: The King and the Clown (2005)
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11 wins & 14 nominations.
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Woo-seong Kam | ... | Jang-sang | |
| Jin-young Jung | ... | King Yeonsan (as Jin-yeong Jeong) | |
 |
Seong-Yeon Kang | ... | Nok-su Jang (as Sung-Yeon Kang) |
| Joon-Gi Lee | ... | Gong-gil (as Jun-ki Lee) | |
|
|
Hang-Seon Jang | ... | Cheo-sun |
| Hae-Jin Yoo | ... | Yuk-gab (as Hae-jin Yoo) | |
|
|
Seok-yong Jeong | ... | Chil-duk |
|
|
Seung-Hun Lee | ... | Pal-bok |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
|
|
Young-Suck Lee | ... | Nobleman |
|
|
Hyeon Woo | ... | Hong |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Soul mate minstrels Jang-sang and Gong-gil eke out a living in 14th century Korea through bawdy stories presented in a tightrope act; however, sexual interests of the rich over Gong-gil's androgynous looks impair their basic desire to entertain once too often. A line is crossed, an authority figure dies, and the pair must flee to Seoul. They soon take up with a trio of fellow minstrels and, lead by Jang-sang, present riskier shows that prove more lucrative; but, a scathing exhibition satirizing the king and his concubine puts them under arrest with a set date for execution. Forced to present themselves to the king for final judgment, they surprisingly wind up becoming his court performers, but the tyrannical king, though sensitive and intelligent, is also excessive and psychologically scarred, with the minstrel shows putting him uncomfortably in touch with buried issues over his dead mother (long ago forced to commit suicide by the court). This makes him dangerously unstable. The ... Written by statmanjeff
Taglines:
Forbidden desire, sumptuous tragedyParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
South KoreaLanguage:
KoreanRelease Date:
29 December 2005 (South Korea) See more »Also Known As:
The King and the Clown See more »Edit
Box Office
Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$74,539,870Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Gong-gil: [atop a tightrope] To be up here, away from the bustle, my legs like wings would spread.
Jang-sang: [from below] Ahoy! What is that flower in full bloom I see yonder?
Street musician: Dost thou not recognize the one and only?
Jang-sang: So it is! The one and only! With rose petal'd lips. O Friend, beat thee thy leather while I go pick the flower.
Gong-gil: [watching Jang-sang ascend the tightrope] My, my, there comes a fool, rash and proud! Never knew a fool who knew his place!
Jang-sang: Ho! A tongue most untamed! Master of this house am I...
[...]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Based on a Kim Tae-Woong's play of the "Yi". See more »Goofs
In the on-screen translation, opening titles call out Korea's 500-years-plus Chosun Dynasty as being unmatched in the annals of "word" history, rather than "world" history. See more »Quotes
[From subtitles]Gong-gil: [atop a tightrope] To be up here, away from the bustle, my legs like wings would spread.
Jang-sang: [from below] Ahoy! What is that flower in full bloom I see yonder?
Street musician: Dost thou not recognize the one and only?
Jang-sang: So it is! The one and only! With rose petal'd lips. O Friend, beat thee thy leather while I go pick the flower.
Gong-gil: [watching Jang-sang ascend the tightrope] My, my, there comes a fool, rash and proud! Never knew a fool who knew his place!
Jang-sang: Ho! A tongue most untamed! Master of this house am I...
[...]
See more »
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This is an amazing film, it has everything in it, the visuals are beautiful, the soundtrack fits the film perfectly and the acting is amazing! i was so struck by this film and it was so emotionally charged it brought tears to my eyes. This film has no big name actors but it's appeal is it's simple universal storyline, the subtle yet powerful relationship between Gong-gil and Jaeng-sang. Even though this film has no big name actors in it, watch out for Lee jun ki who is amazing in this film he was partly the reason this film did so well, you will love him after watching this film ^^
don't be scared off by the homosexual theme, there are no sex scenes and all the homosexuality is implied.
all in all I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS FILM ENOUGH!