A Frozen Flower (2008)

A historical drama set in the Koryo dynasty and focused on the relationship between a king and his bodyguard.

Director:

Ha Yoo (as Ha Yu)

Writer:

Ha Yoo (screenplay) (as Ha Yu)

Stars:

In-Sung Jo, Jin-mo Ju, Ji-Hyo Song

4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
In-Sung Jo	...	Hong-rim (as In-seong Jo)
Jin-mo Ju	...	King
Ji-Hyo Song	...	Queen
Jin-woong Cho	...	Tae Ahn-gong
Ji-ho Shim	...	Seung-ki
Ju-hwan Lim	...	Han-baek
Tae-won Kwon	...	Jo Il-moon
In-beom Ko	...	Yeon Ki-mok
Yong-gu Do	...	Ki Won-hong
Min Ji-Hyun	...	Queen's maid (as Ji-hyeon Min)
Jong-hak Son	...	Emissary
Joong-Ki Song	...	No-tak (as Joong-ki Song)
Jong-Hyun Hong	...	King's Man #1
Hyun Woo	...	King's Man #2
Lee Poong-Yoon	...	King / young

Storyline

The period is the late 14th century, and the last waning gasp of the centuries-old Goryeo Dynasty. As that regime comes to a bitter end thanks to the machinations of the Yuan Dynasty, The Goryeo king responds by organizing a military force known as Kunryongwe, led by the daunting commander Hong Lim. The leader captivates the king to an alarming degree - to such an extent, in fact, that he almost completely diverts the regent's attention away from his queen, leaving her with tremendous feelings of reluctance and hesitancy about this relationship. Meanwhile, the manipulativeness of the Yuan doubles: they unsuccessfully attempt to subvert the king by placing a threatening ruler in a high position, but the king - sensing this Machiavellian scheme - adamantly refuses, much to the consternation of the top-tiered Goryeo officials. The ruler also devises a complex and wickedly clever scheme to protect the Goryeo line for future generations by appointing Hong Lim to impregnate the queen and ...

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Plot Keywords:

sex | bodyguard | royal court | gay man has sex with a woman | castration | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

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Did You Know?

Quotes

King: [from subtitle]
[in the middle of the final sward combat]
King: Do you really think you can beat me?
Hong-rim: I've been cut to my roots. There is nothing left for me to fear.

User Reviews

Love Triangle

In this story, we have a gay king, in love with his chief bodyguard, who needs to produce an heir with his queen. Unable to perform with a woman, he commands his lover bodyguard to do the deed in his stead. While initially this is met with resistance, the bodyguard obeys the king's command with unforeseen consequences.

This ended up being a great movie. It is well written, acted and filmed. The costuming, as well as the settings, are vibrant and ornate creating significant visual appeal. The characters are passionate and sincere. Even the music plays a part in pulling you into an experience.

I enjoyed this far more than I expected to and I love films that can surprise me like this.

Details

Official Sites:

Vidio [Indonesia]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

30 December 2008 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

A Frozen Flower

Filming Locations:

South Korea

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$18,980,744

Company Credits

Production Co:

Opus Pictures, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min 143 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1