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Kim Yeong-ho
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[MOVIE REVIEW] Shin Yun-bok painted with a lewd brush
![[MOVIE REVIEW] Shin Yun-bok painted with a lewd brush](/kmovie_news/thumbnail/200811070008_thumb.jpg)
"The Portrait of a Beauty (Miindo)," directed by Jeon Yun-su, starts off with a tricky warning: "Some of details in the movie are not based on historical facts." This is misleading. The film's core assumption - that a famous Joseon painter was in fact a woman disguised as a man - is utterly, if not outrageously, fictional. Shin Yun-bok, better known by his pen name Hyewon, is a real figure who produced a host of thematically provocative and artistically excellent paintings in the 18th century. The possibility that he might have been a woman, according to existing historical documents, is not almost zero but absolutely zero. But viewers should be aware of the second trick hidden up Jeon's sleeve: explicit sexuality, sleekly packaged as a statement on the nature of art. In one crucial scene, main characters debate the boundary between art and vulgarity. The conclusion foisted upon us by the director, who solidified his filmmaking career with "Le Grand Chef" last year, is that if you see obscenity in a picture where sexual innuendo abounds, it's because your mind is muddled with dark, sinful thoughts. Such simplistic justification is, after all, inevitable in a film that gratuitously indulges in nudity, trans-sexuality, homosexuality, and China's version of the Kama Sutra. Add to the already complicated mix the sexual tension between a teacher and his beautiful student, and the impact is disturbingly powerful. Of course, the movie is not entirely about sex. Universal human emotions, notably obsessive jealousy, are juxtaposed along with Hyewon's gracefully satirical paintings, many of which poke fun at adulterous and sexually charged situations involving the pretentious upper class of the Joseon period. The initial trigger comes from retired court painter Shin Han-pyong's desire to settle an old score with the then top-rated painter Kim Hong-do (played by Kim Young-ho). Shin expects his son Yun-bok to emerge as a new star painter and then confront Kim, but the plan skids to a halt when Yun-bok commits suicide over his lack of talent. Shin's twisted passion, however, does not end. He pushes his daughter Yun-jeong to disguise herself as her brother and enter the turbulent world of court painters. The grown-up Yun-jeong (played by Kim Min-sun), who is now known as Hyewon Shin Yun-bok, finally makes it to the court and learns to paint under the guidance of Kim Hong-do, a prominent painter who has the trust of King Jung-jo. Kim Hong-do quickly notices Yun-bok's huge potential as well as his girlish features. Things remain normal until Yun-bok goes out and comes across a playful seller of mirrors, Gang-mu (Kim Nam-gil). When their romantic adventure takes off, it is Kim Hong-do who ends up heartbroken. Kim's jealousy, and his desire to own Yun-bok physically and emotionally, soars to a perilous level. A love triangle is by no means a creative novelty. What's new is the boldness of the underlying attraction that bolsters the treacherous relationship: Yun-bok's trans-sexual appeal. Even in a man's clothes, she's beautiful thanks to her radiant boyish charms. Gang-mu seems to be struck chiefly by Yun-bok's feminine beauty but Kim's obsession about her is much more complex, because he lives in the same quarters of the court where Yun-bok pretends to be a man. The movie throws in other explicit scenes, one of which is a closed-door demonstration of Chinese sex positions by two scantily clad female entertainers. Actress Kim Min-sun has certainly created a new silver-screen image by taking a role that involves plenty of nudity. The film, to be released on Nov. 13, is expected to post better box-office numbers than other historical pieces, not least because of the huge publicity about explicit sex scenes. But a relentless mixture of sex and art does not necessarily make it appealing - or even all that inspiring - however creative director Jeon's interpretation about Hyewon's life may be.
Legendary painter Hyewon hits silver screen
Shin Yun-bok, better known as Hyewon, is hitting the silver screen next month, adding to the trend of rediscovering the legendary painter from the Joseon period. "The Portrait of a Beauty (Miindo)," directed by Jeon Yun-su, is the first big-screen movie devoted to the hidden life of the 18th century artist. Last year, a novel titled "The Painter of Wind" touched off a Hyewon boom in the country's culture scene. A major television network recently followed by launching a drama series of the same title based on the novel. Both the novel and the drama are based on a wild supposition that Hyewon was a woman disguised as a man. "The Portrait of a Beauty" seems to be a latecomer in the Hyewon frenzy, but Jeon set about the project several months earlier than the television adaptation. One disadvantage for the film is that Moon Geun-young, a top-rated actress, plays Hyewon for the television drama series, a development that seems to put pressure on Jeon and other cast members. "I am watching every episode of 'The Painter of Wind' on television and its unexpectedly detailed portrayals surprised me," Jeon said at a news conference held in Seoul yesterday. "But the movie version will have a very different impact on the audience because it depicts the dramatic life of Hyewon and human desire in a very colorful and dramatic fashion that will certainly overwhelm audiences." Jeon made his debut with "Besa Me Mucho" in 2001, and solidified his career with "My Girl and I" (2005) before revealing his box-office potential with "Le Grand Chef" (2006), which sold about 3 million tickets. As with the novel and the drama, the movie pins the key plot on the imaginative setting in which Hyewon hides her true identity while she works as a court painter known for his enviable talent in painting. Kim Min-sun plays Yun-jeong, the younger sister who is later forced to carry on the life of Hyewon after he dies. "There was a hunger for getting a title role in a movie that I really wanted to join, and I think I have waited for about 10 years," Kim said. "I instantly knew that this film is the very one that I was waiting for, and I made every effort to get a role, even going to the national museum to take a look at Shin Yun-bok's original paintings." Even before the press conference yesterday, the film's marketers released materials highlighting what they call "sensational nudity" involving Kim Min-sun's role, which is a primary difference with the television series. Kim said there was a moment of hesitation about the provocative scene, but the necessity of the footage for depicting Hyewon's life helped her make the decision. In the film, Hyewon falls in love with Gang-mu (Kim Nam-gil), but their love affair runs into problems as Hyewon's teacher, Kim Hong-do (Kim Young-ho), is strangely drawn to the charm of his talented male student, and a female entertainer named Seol-hwa (Chu Ja-hyun), pulls some wicked strings in an effort to destroy Hyewon. The movie, to be released on Nov. 13, will also feature some Joseon-period erotic paintings in connection with Hyewon's free-spirited style. Hyewon, born in 1758, built up his fame as a master of realism and satire, often inserting bold sexual symbols into his paintings with a touch of playfulness that was rare in the Joseon era.
'Night' Shows Innovative Minimalism
Several films have put Hong Sang-soo on the cinematic map as a unique minimalist, and he upholds the reputation with his latest work ``Night and Day.'' He captures the quizzical human sentiment with subtlety and presents mundane scenes with crafty simplicity. ``Night and Day'' marks Hong's first project shot outside of Korea. It is set in Paris where Hong himself had resided temporarily. While the film is thoroughly Korean in nature, it has that dash of ``je ne sais quoi'' inherent to French films. It recently premiered at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival, earning positive reviews from international critics. Actor Kim Young-ho stars as Seung-nam, a painter in his early 40s who is about to get arrested for smoking marijuana. Scared, he flees to Paris, leaving behind his beloved wife (Hwang Su-jung). He finds lodging at a small bed and breakfast run by a Korean, and so begins his so-called fugitive life. During the day he lounges around, wandering the streets and prowling parks, while at night he cries with his wife over the phone. He runs into a former girlfriend, but when she tries to seduce him, it doesn't ignite any interest for him. He's much too worried about his wife. But as days go by, he begins to settle down, befriending other lodgers and exploring the city with ease. Here, Hong depicts not so much the touristy landmarks of Paris but rather the small wonders of living there: small galleries tucked away in obscure alleyways, cheap attics rented out by students, the cafe around the corner and water sweeping down the filth of the street. Seung-nam becomes a sort of cartoon character, donning pretty much the same outfit and backpack, and always carrying around some sort of small plastic bag. Nobody suspects Seung-nam, a ``free-spirited'' artist, and his ``spontaneous trip.'' He is even introduced to the small community of Korean artists around the 14th district. Among them is Yu-jeong (Park Eun-hye), a beautiful and talented young art student, to whom he grows increasingly attracted. He finally does manage to win Yu-jeong's heart, and engages in a dreamy romance. But his unsuspecting, but increasingly anxious, wife brings him back to Korea and back to reality ― which isn't so bad either. While men may find Seung-nam tolerable ― and can even sympathize with him ― women may despise him, as his mindless philandering leaves several women in despair. For example, his former girlfriend reveals that she had six abortions while they dated, but he fails to do anything about it. He wrongs her again when he doesn't have the guts to reject her advances directly ― he takes her to a hotel room and reads her a passage from the Bible. Likewise, with Yu-jeong, he pursues her aggressively, but his so-called love for her is more like an adolescent infatuation. He's just simple-minded and indecisive, and above all faithful to his current situation ― and his fleeting feelings ― and submits to sexual cravings. The movie is charmingly anticlimactic as it walks the blurred line between night and day, reality and dreams, tragedy and comedy, and love and lust. It captures the movie-like moments of our lives, making it a life-like movie. By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter
Hong Sang-soo’s Film Vies for Berlin Award
While Korea celebrated Seollal on Feb. 7, on the far side of the globe, Germany greeted cineaste and cinephiles from all over the world for the 58th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), which runs through Sunday. This year, Hong Sang-soo's ``Night and Day'' competes for the Golden Bear award while three other Korean films make their mark at one of the most exciting and large-scale film events. ``Night and Day'' is Hong's eighth feature film and it is the first time the acclaimed director competes at the Berlinale. Known as an innovative minimalist, Hong had competed in Cannes with ``Woman is the Future of Man'' (2004) and ``Tale of Cinema'' (2005). Before flying to Berlin, he stopped by Geneva earlier this month because ``Woman on the Beach'' (2006) was invited to the Black Movie Festival. A recipient of the 2005 Korean Film Council Production Support for Art Films, ``Night and Day'' was mostly shot in Paris. It is about a successful artist (Kim Young-ho) who, about to be arrested for smoking marijuana, flees to France, leaving behind his beloved wife (Hwang Su-jung). He meets a pretty art student (Park Eun-hye), and falls head over heals for the beauty and mystery of Paris and the young woman. For the makers of ``Night and Day,'' however, it was a rocky road to Berlin. There were deep financial hardships, and it became recently known that leading lady Park Eun-hye volunteered to star in the film with no guarantees given. Park said in a statement that appearing in Hong's film itself was a great honor. The popular actress, who became well known through the hit TV series ``Jewel in the Palace,'' had auditioned ― and failed ― thrice for Hong's previous works. She finally makes her big screen debut with Hong's piece. ``Night and Day'' will be released in Korea Feb. 28. Three other films have been invited to various sections of the Berlinale. In the Panorama division, newcomer Juhn Jai-hong presents his feature debut piece ``Beautiful,'' which is about how a woman's mesmerizing beauty results in her own tragic downfall. Celebrated director Kim Ki-duk, who also produced the work, wrote the original story. Juhn has made a name for himself with his short films, among which ``Fish'' competed at Venice last year. ``Beautiful'' will come to theaters here Feb. 14. In addition, the documentary ``Grandmother's Flower'' by Mun Jeong-hyun is being screened in the Forum section. The diaries of Mun's late grandmother reveal not only secrets of his family's past, but embody all the tragedies of Korea's modern history. Last but not least, Lee J.P.'s short film ``Light My Fire'' is part of Berlinale's Generation 14 Plus. The 30-minute flick is about a North Korean boy who loves Jim Morrison's rock music and escapes the country with a guitar to come to South Korea. Korean cinema is taking part of the world film feast, with the Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival (PIFF) and Korean Film Council hosting a party and major Korean film companies participating in Berlin's European Film Market. On sale include last year's box office hits like ``Le Grand Chef'' (SHOW EAST) and critically acclaimed pieces like ``Happiness'' (Showbox/Mediaplex). Particularly notable in the Film Market is the participation of INDIESTORY. It is the first time for Korea's leading distributor of independent films, and the opportunity is hoped to heighten attention to domestic independent films. Movies for sale include ``Life track,'' a Chinese-Korean co-production that won the top prize at the 2007 PIFF, and as the omnibus film ``Fantastic Parasuicides,'' which screened in Busan and the Rotterdam International Film Festival. hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter
‘Night and Day’ to Be Screened at Berlinale
Actress Park Eun-hye (left) and actor Kim Yong-ho in director Hong Sansg-soo’s new film “Night and Day”/ courtesy of production Bom Film Director Hong Sang-soo’s new film “Night and Day” will participate in the competition of the 58th Berlin Int....
New HONG Sangsoo film starts shooting in Paris
Well-known director HONG Sangsoo has opened shooting on his eighth film, which will be 80% set in Paris. Titled Bam-gwa nat in Korean, which translates as "Night and Day", the film centers around a painter who takes an unexpected trip to Paris and....
