The King and the Clown (2005)

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.

Director:

Joon-ik Lee

Writers:

Seok-Hwan Choi, Tae-woong Kim (play)

Stars:

Woo-seong Kam, Jin-young Jung, Seong-Yeon Kang

11 wins & 14 nominations.

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
Seok-yong Jeong	...	Chil-duk
Seung-Hun Lee	...	Pal-bok
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hyeon Woo	...	Hong

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

korean history | king | korea | mistress | seoul | 

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Taglines:

Forbidden desire, sumptuous tragedy

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [South Korea]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

29 December 2005 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

The King and the Clown

Filming Locations:

South Korea

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eagle Pictures, CJ Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Baek Seong-Hyeun was the final candidate for the role of Gong-Gil.

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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.

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Quotes

Pal-bok: [From subtitles] Isn't she the King's Consort?
Chil-duk: Sure is. What on earth is that woman doing?
Pal-bok: People say, she a lady now but she still shits like a horse. So then the rumors were true after all!

User Reviews

must see!!

anyone anywhere that gets the opportunity to see this movie on the big screen must absolutely do so!! as a Korean i'm quite critical about films from my home country. i personally think this is another movie my country's created that will live up to international standards and expectations. it has made me prouder to be a Korean. i won't say anything about the storyline except that it was a new perspective in looking at the Korean history of that era, and has brought a new dimension to productions based on Korean history. the acting, sound, costume and of course story all fit together like a beautiful jigsaw puzzle made complete. i'm just worried the incredible script won't be translated properly across to the world.

people everywhere, please watch this movie if you get the chance to. you won't regret it. i've already seen it four times on the big screen. now i'm just waiting for the DVD to come out (i hear they're going to release the full 4 hour version)