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IMDbPro

The Lovers & the Despot

  • 20162016
  • UnratedUnrated
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1K
YOUR RATING
Eun-hie Choi, Jong-Il Kim, and Shin Sang-ok in The Lovers & the Despot (2016)
Trailer for The Lovers and the Despot
Play trailer1:44
4 Videos
4 Photos
DocumentaryBiographyThriller
The story of the South Korean actor, Choi Eun-hee, and her ex-husband and film director, Shin Sang-ok, who were individually kidnapped and reunited by dictator and film fan Kim Jong-il to fo... Read allThe story of the South Korean actor, Choi Eun-hee, and her ex-husband and film director, Shin Sang-ok, who were individually kidnapped and reunited by dictator and film fan Kim Jong-il to force them to develop North Korea's film industry.The story of the South Korean actor, Choi Eun-hee, and her ex-husband and film director, Shin Sang-ok, who were individually kidnapped and reunited by dictator and film fan Kim Jong-il to force them to develop North Korea's film industry.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1K
YOUR RATING
    • Ross Adam
    • Robert Cannan
    • Ross Adam
    • Robert Cannan
    • Eun-hie Choi
    • Paul Courtenay Hyu
    • Shin Sang-ok(voice)
    • Ross Adam
    • Robert Cannan
    • Ross Adam
    • Robert Cannan
    • Eun-hie Choi
    • Paul Courtenay Hyu
    • Shin Sang-ok(voice)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 11User reviews
    • 57Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos4

    The Lovers and the Despot
    Trailer 1:44
    Watch The Lovers and the Despot
    The Lovers and the Despot
    Trailer 2:04
    Watch The Lovers and the Despot
    The Lovers & the Despot Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:02
    Watch The Lovers & the Despot Official Trailer
    'The Lovers and the Despot': Escape
    Clip 2:10
    Watch 'The Lovers and the Despot': Escape

    Photos

    Eun-hie Choi, Jong-Il Kim, and Shin Sang-ok in The Lovers & the Despot (2016)
    Eun-hie Choi, Jong-Il Kim, and Shin Sang-ok in The Lovers & the Despot (2016)
    Eun-hie Choi, Jong-Il Kim, and Shin Sang-ok in The Lovers & the Despot (2016)
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    Top cast

    Edit
    Eun-hie Choi
    Eun-hie Choi
    • Self
    Paul Courtenay Hyu
    • Shin Sang-ok
    Shin Sang-ok
    Shin Sang-ok
    • Self
    • (voice)
    • (as Sang-ok Shin)
      • Ross Adam
      • Robert Cannan
      • Ross Adam
      • Robert Cannan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Jong-Il Kim was a huge film fan and had over 15,000 movies in his private collection. The bulk of these were not homegrown North Korean productions which he felt were stiff and lifeless (they were propaganda of course). Instead Kim admired the more dynamic productions from South Korea and the West even though he had banned these from being shown.
    • Connections
      Features The Forty-First (1956)
    • Soundtracks
      Korean Spring Song
      Performed by The Kim Sisters

      Words and Music by Hai Fong Kim

      Published by Combine Music Corp, EMI Apriil Music Inc.

      Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

    User reviews11

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    An engaging documentary
    This documentary film tells the remarkable ordeal of a famous South Korean actress and a film director, who were kidnapped by North Korea in 1970's to strengthen the North Korean film industry. The actress recounts her multi-year ordeal, together with interviews from multiple people and the film director's voice recordings to tell the world their experience.

    "The Lovers & the Despot" is a well executed documentary. It appears comprehensive, as it has extended interviews by Choi, Choi's children, US government officials, international film critics and even a Hong Kong police officer. It tells a horrible story of kidnapping, brainwashing and torture. It must have taken them great courage to speak up on record against the most secretive regime in the world. It is engaging and captures me throughout. Even though it is comprehensive, I am quite sure it only scratches the surface of what they have gone through in North Korea.
    helpful•0
    0
    • Gordon-11
    • Oct 15, 2017

    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 23, 2016 (United States)
      • United Kingdom
      • Official site (Japan)
      • Korean
      • English
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Seoul, South Korea
    • Production companies
      • Hellflower Film
      • Pumpernickel Films
      • Submarine
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 38 minutes
      • Color
      • Black and White

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