"The King and the Clown" is perhaps going to be looked back in twenty years and be honored for its groundbreaking artistry. Its well crafted narration, fantastic lines, beat / timing, verisimilitude, and breathtaking cinematography, breaks all conventions of what is known as Korean Cinema. Unlike many successful Korean films, it stays away from patriotism, excessive special effects, and story lines that are far from the country's true identity. It truly represents the Golden Age of film to the likes of what Kurosawa and Mizoguchi meant for Japanese and world of cinema. Simply it is the most truthful, unpretentious exhibition that Korea has made to the world about what the country is truly about.
Distant from the present and free from "Conglish" and other cues of Americanized society, it is a story about people of the lowest class of all, the street jesters of Chosun Dynasty, who are now considered to be living national treasures by the Korean government. These are the people who know the traditional dances, music, games, and embody the spirit of traditional Korean culture before the massive overtake of Americanization. This film is as educational to contemporary Korean generation as to the rest of the world because it is a tradition that is almost completely lost.
This film was a huge hit in Korea despite the blatant nature of homosexuality as one of the elements of the story. This is achieved because breaking the taboo is not the focus of the film. The audience is made to focus on the hardship of low class, social differences, and the psychological world of the characters, regardless of their class or sexual orientation. The film treats all characters as just "people." All characters' sufferings intermingle as the clowns become a part of the court, and the film is especially made rich when the antagonist King, who is the embodiment of all the high class' rights and practices, is also treated as a round character. Despite his tyranny, he is represented as a broken soul who is a product of the brutal politics of the court's high class figures.
This film is a definite must see for all art film lovers.
Distant from the present and free from "Conglish" and other cues of Americanized society, it is a story about people of the lowest class of all, the street jesters of Chosun Dynasty, who are now considered to be living national treasures by the Korean government. These are the people who know the traditional dances, music, games, and embody the spirit of traditional Korean culture before the massive overtake of Americanization. This film is as educational to contemporary Korean generation as to the rest of the world because it is a tradition that is almost completely lost.
This film was a huge hit in Korea despite the blatant nature of homosexuality as one of the elements of the story. This is achieved because breaking the taboo is not the focus of the film. The audience is made to focus on the hardship of low class, social differences, and the psychological world of the characters, regardless of their class or sexual orientation. The film treats all characters as just "people." All characters' sufferings intermingle as the clowns become a part of the court, and the film is especially made rich when the antagonist King, who is the embodiment of all the high class' rights and practices, is also treated as a round character. Despite his tyranny, he is represented as a broken soul who is a product of the brutal politics of the court's high class figures.
This film is a definite must see for all art film lovers.