Chunhyang (2000) User Reviews

An unusual movie experience

[angie_e45 · 8/10 · 18 October 2005]

This is a Korean film telling the story of two lovers torn apart by class. The son of a governor and the daughter of a courtesan. It has the air of a fairytale and is a very good film.

It may be difficult for some people to get into the film in the beginning if you are not familiar with pansori. Pansori is a centuries old Korean form of storytelling in which a storyteller sings the story while a drummer drums and makes short vocal sounds or words of encouragement. It is initially jarring for those of us who mostly watch American and European film, but stick with it. I first saw this in a film class and it was among two films that I wrote about for class and liked so much that I purchased on my own once the class ended.

As the film begins the viewer is placed in the position of someone watching a pansori performance. From here the film transitions from the world of Chunhyang to the pansori audience. Part of the enjoyment of the film comes from watching the reactions of the pansori audience to the story. It is akin to being in a movie theater and sharing the same experiences with everyone else watching the film.

Aside from the format, the story itself is enchanting, full of love, loyalty, and courage. The acting is very good and the actors are not bad looking themselves. The pansori performance is a song of the story so it has some poetic qualities that don't necessarily push the story forward, but are enjoyable if you are patient. All in all it is a look into Korean culture and storytelling that not many films from America, Europe, or the rest of the world do for their own cultures. Most films today just stick to the basic narrative design or are pretentious and abstract. This one creates a new experience for anyone who is willing to give it a chance.

the first chunhyang with three meanings.

[nkw88 · 8/10 · 5 January 2001]

First, this movie is the first 'Chunhyang' that is exhibited to Western movie fan even though so many 'Chunhyang's has been produced in Korea.

Second, this movie is the first 'Chunhyang' that emphasizes Mongryong rather that Chunhyang. Usually in many a love story a beautiful heroine is likely to be an element of deploying story and get mass concern. After seeing love story, movie fans remember the beauty of heroine like Olivia Hussey in "Romeo and Juliet" or Vivian Leigh in "Gone with the Wind." But, in this film you may see much more Close Ups of Mongryong than Chunhyang, and you may not remember the beauty of Hyo-Jeong Lee. In my opinion, Hyo-Jeong Lee may be one of two actresses who fail to get stardom despite her title role of Chunhyang in the history of Korean Cinema - the other one was Na-Seong Lee who played Chunhyang about fifteen years ago. Usually contemporary stars or rising stars played Chunhyang - for example, legendary Eun-Hee Choi(1961) and Mi-Hee Jang(1976).

And it is related with third factor, which is considered very important by Western critics. This film is the first Chunhyang which is combined with 'pansori,' Korean epic which is played by one singer and one drummer. The relation of Director Im Kwon-Taek's 'Chunhyang' and pansori is the same as Francis Ford Coppola's 'Dracula' and Bram Stoker's original.

One thing more, the marriage of Chunhyang, the daughter of ex-courtesan, and Mongryong, the son of high bureaucrat, can be interpreted equality between ruling class and ruled class. But this interpretation is only as available as the interpretation that the marriage of Cinderella and a Prince means equality between classes in Western culture.

Beautiful tale

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 1 September 2005]

Kwon-Taek-I'm, the talented Korean director, gives us a gorgeous film in "Chunhyang". Korean cinema rely heavily in presenting well crafted movies that rely heavily in their rich folklore. As witnessed here, this film will delight fans of Mr. I'm, as well as give the viewer an appetite to discover other films from that country that are not only beautiful to watch, but also gives us films that are original, not following well established patterns, as it's the case with most of the commercial cinema these days.

"Chunhyang" offers us a folk story in the traditional Korean style in which a singer is accompanied by a an instrument similar to our guitar and we learn about it as it enfolds mesmerized by the images one witnesses on the screen.

We saw "Chungyang" in its original release and caught with it again with it in DVD format recently. This movie is highly recommended to those looking for a different kind of story told magnificently by Kwon-Taek-I'm.

Korean culture in one very enjoyable, 2-hour lesson.

[dcdave1 · 10/10 · 18 March 2001]

There is nothing bland or pastel about Korea. It's traditional decorative colors, like the contrasts in its seasons, are vivid. In adapting social and political mores, as in the flavoring or food, Koreans tend to take things to extremes. South Korea, with its advertisements on pedestrian overpasses and across the bottom of the television screen, is in many ways more commercial and capitalistic than the archetype for such things, the United States, and its Christians are among the world's most fervent. North Korea, as we well know, has outdone Joseph Stalin and Mao Tse Tung with its rigid communist orthodoxy.

Korea's national epic, the intensely romantic Chunhyang story, a tale better known in Korea than, say, Cinderella in the West, takes place in an old Korea that was almost a caricature of Confucianist China. The king was a complete autocrat and the social order was extremely hierarchical. Confucian norms, however, were supposed to ensure that the despotism was an enlightened and high-minded one. One could not be a part of the ruling bureaucracy without passing rigorous examinations that required knowledge of the Chinese classics and an ability to employ them in artistic expression along strictly prescribed lines. Education and refinement were supposed to translate themselves into wisdom and virtue in public administration.

Although the lower orders may never have had it very good, for the most part the system worked. Strong, stable dynasties ruled for centuries in China and Korea, but no system created by man can guard against all human frailties. The temptation to abuse the power acquired through rising in the governmental organization was great, and Chunhyang, the "Cinderella" of this classic tale, runs afoul of one of the abusers. In the process, two Confucian requirements come into conflict with one another, loyalty of the wife to the husband and loyalty of the subject to the king or his duly vested agent.

This is not a straightforward David and Bathsheba, story, however. There is just enough ambiguity in the husband-wife relationship to make it a close call for Chunhyang as to which loyalty should prevail. To her worldly courtesan mother it's not a close call at all. She counsels the easier route. But our heroine takes deeper counsel from within herself and follows the harder path that we know, as generations of Koreans have known, is in closer accord with universal moral law.

To say more would be to give away the plot, but one wonders, with such a chastening tale as this as a part of their heritage, how any Korean officials could succumb to the temptation to abuse their authority and engage in corrupt practices. But East or West, the flesh is still weak, and the tale still needs retelling there as much as it needs telling here.

Plays as we know them were unknown in Korea until the first decade of the twentieth century. The Chunhyang story was typically performed by a single p'ansori artist. P'ansori, which is quite foreign to the Western ear, is a sort of stylized chant in which the rasping tones of the performer help convey the setting and the emotion of the characters. The "singer" is accompanied by one other person who occasionally interjects exclamations and encouragement but mainly keeps time with a small barrel drum. P'ansori performers had to undergo even more rigorous training than opera singers in the West, though the purpose seemed to be to tear down the vocal cords rather than to build them up. A single P'ansori performance, lasting sometimes as long as eight hours, was a prodigious feat of stamina and memory. Thought to have grown out of the shaman performances of the southwest province of Cholla, p'ansori was acted out by both men and women. For most of the twentieth century the art form was kept alive mainly by kisaengs, or females of the roughly-translated "courtesan" class of which the Chunhyang character was a part.

In the later twentieth century in Korea, while p'ansori was taken up by a broader spectrum of society interested in preserving Korea's traditions, the Chunhyang story was brought to the public in play, opera, and repeatedly in film form. In the early 60s, an Irish priest, a professor at the Jesuit Sogang University in Seoul, even wrote and directed a critically-acclaimed English-language Broadway-style musical version of the story.

Director Kwon-taek Im for the first time combines p'ansori and drama in this latest film version. In so doing, he has produced an authentic work of art worthy of a Yi Dynasty scholar-official. Also, in the best Korean tradition, he has gone Hollywood one better at tugging at our heartstrings. The Korean audience on the screen applauds the p'ansori artist at the film's conclusion, and the audience of which I was a member, in a full opening-night movie theater, found itself joining them spontaneously. I think you will, too.

Note: Don't be alarmed when the opening p'ansori monologue lacks English subtitles. They'll come soon enough. To provide them at that point would give away part of the plot. That's not a danger for the native Korean speakers, all of whom would know the plot by heart.

Interesting way to tell the story

[lingmeister · 7/10 · 8 December 2002]

With the Korean story telling tradition performed on stage, it was a interesting and novel way to tell the story. The story was beautiful and the moving. I figure it to be a Korean fairy tale given its happy ending and having a moral to the story.

I didn't find the story telling method completely successful. The music and drumming added tension to the film, but the Pansori seemed to intrude in the film too frequently, describing everything that is going on when it could be done visually, rendering many scenes as some sort of announcement, not letting the ambiance set in. The scene of the whipping seemed to be a little forced, having the camera show us various audience members crying, as if we don't know this is a dramatic situation. It might have worked better if they let the dialogue be spoken by the character Chunghyang instead of the Pansori, since the Pansori does not have much dynamic range in his voicing, being always loud. The character saying it while being whipped gives a different impression than the Pansori screaming it.

But all in all, still a good film.

A beautiful fairy tale

[freakus · 9/10 · 20 February 2001]

This is a lush and beautiful Korean fairy tale with "Romeo and Juliet" like qualities. As I understand it, it is traditionally told in "Pansori" style with a rhythmic singer/storyteller accompanied by a drummer. The film uses a pansori concert as the framework to tell the tale and interweaves the action with the singer's narration to good effect. The story is classic, star-crossed lovers separated by societies rules. A governor's son falls in love with a concubine's daughter and their love must endure long separation and an evil lord's lust. Classic story and an interesting story-telling method make for a truly entertaining film.

I fell in love with this film

[d_m_arnold · 3 May 2002]

Before video, before film, before printing, before writing -- people told and sang stories.

"Chunhyang" is a wonderful way to experience this oral tradition, listening to the music of language as chanted by a Pansori telling a Korean folk tale. For those of us without facility in the Korean language, the film paints for us the images conjured by the singer. These are beautiful images of a colorful, far-away land in ancient times -- images locked into the race memory of the Korean people familiar with the story, but now on the screen for our benefit as well.

This collision of old and new art forms generates a synergy evident, for example, in the scene in which Chunhyang is beaten for refusing to take to the evil lord's bed. Most of this takes place off-screen -- instead we see shots of the Pansori and of his audience, sitting on the edge of their seats and weeping as he tells of the heroine's defiance. It was one of the most gut-wrenching scenes I've experienced in many years.

Very beautiful and worth seeing, but I wouldn't want to see a steady diet of films in this style

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 10 April 2008]

This Korean film is told through both pansori and live-action. Pansori is a style of Korean singing/drama that consists of a singer and a drummer and very, very long epic stories are sung dramatically. Seeing the robe-clad singer gesticulate and dance about with his fan was pretty interesting and a nice lesson in Korean culture. Plus, once I got used to the style, it was interesting as he narrated large portions of the live-action story and it reminded me quite a bit of Chinese opera. However, and I know this will make me sound rather shallow to some, but after a while the singing wore me down and I really don't look forward to seeing many more films in this style. Maybe this is the Asian equivalent of sitting through one of Wagner's operas (another endurance test for the audience). In both cases, the performances may be four or more hours long!

The story itself is an 18 century legend about two young lovers, the tragedy that befalls one of them and the very uplifting and satisfying conclusion. The son of a governor falls in love with a concubine's daughter. Despite being from totally different social classes, they secretly marry. The young man wants to tell his parents, but needs to wait until he takes his civil service test, as he wants to make a name for himself before publicly acknowledging the marriage. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes when a new governor is appointed. He's exceptionally cruel and unyielding. Exactly what happens next is something you'll have to see for yourself, but I can assure you it is very exciting to watch and worth the wait--as the film improves the further along it goes.

Beautiful cinematography, this is a lovely little legend come to the screen. It's well worth a look, but I strongly doubt that many Westerners out there will quickly embraced this very unusual film. It takes a bit to get used to the style, but it's well worth it.

An Unexpectedly Inspiring Film

[dantvli · 9/10 · 27 September 2003]

Introductory lines extracted from its trailer: "It will take you to a place you've never been and wrap you in a life time you've never lived. It is a story of a governor's son favored by birth-right, and a courtesan's daughter, Chunhyang, marked from birth. beautiful, sensual, innocent, brought together by love, bound by loyalty, but torn apart by law. their life became their legacy until their names became legend." A film of epic beauty and eternal devotion of a broken heart that cannot be divided and a heart that cannot be taken where"

There are a number of lines I found particularly worth meditating and deep thoughts. I didn't think this film would be a great film especially judging from its opening introduction where chants with singing were all I heard. Of course then I must remove the mentality of what a movie should be like set by Hollywood. Having done that, Chunhyang as well as the movie, has taught me a great lot of moral values, and wisdom, and not to mention loyalty. The number of people devoted to marriage and love these days are on the declining slope and it is in my opinion that modern thinking is to be blamed. However, these are two very different contexts. Truly, Chunhyang, is a very 2 hour inspiring film, in a different way from Hollywood.

Its musics are as though playing with the strings of my heart. oh my god, so good! Enjoy!

Could have been great

[preppy-3 · 5/10 · 26 February 2001]

Beautiful Korean film of one of those country's legends--Mongryong (Cho Seung Woo) falls in love with a lower-class girl Chunhyang (Lee Hyo Jung). They marry and she vows to remain faithful to him when he must leave to finish his education. Then an evil governor takes over and wants Chunhyang for himself. The film looks absolutely stunning--gorgeous costumes, vivid color and beautiful scenery. The leads are attractive, the acting is good and the film moves quickly. But I only can give this a 5. Why? The film is (mostly) narrated by a VERY annoying man who's performing the tale in front of an audience. His voice is harsh and grating and he YELLS EVERY WORD AT FULL VOLUME! His narration is not needed--he's basically telling (actually yelling) at us about what's on the screen. Thanks bud! I can see! Also the narration is sometimes laughably out-of-place (while we see the two lovers chasing each other around the bedroom, he's screeching about food!). He single handedly almost destroyed the film for me--I considered leaving a few times, but the movie was so beautiful I couldn't. Without him, I'd give the film a 10--but I can't. Too bad.

Epic love musical

[Killer-40 · 9/10 · 5 November 2000]

Cahiers Du Cinema called this epic an "experimental film", and indeed, it is as experimental as Lars von Triers DANCER IN THE DARK by heavily relying on music and songs. On the other hand, the differences are quite obvious. Here the songs come from the off most of the time (until the camera surprisingly moves to the classic singer on a stage) and do something that usually reduces the quality of a movie: they tell you what's going on in the pictures. But those pictures are of such an elegic beauty (with the typical yellow "Im-tone") that you feel a story is told to you by your grandfather and it unfolds perfectly in front of your eyes. I saw the screening during the MIFED 2000 together with only one (!) other guest and am quite astonished that film fans and buyers might overlook this masterpiece about an exclusive one-on-one love that touches our hearts.

unforgettable...'Im' made a special musical.

[sjglory · 5/10 · 25 May 2000]

in fact,korean movie is not generally known in all over the world. 'chunhyang'is first movie that has chosen in 'cannes festival' in korean movie but if you see this musical(it's different from such musical as'westsidestory' or'fame') you'll see korean art movie in different sight. i cannot explain my touching...

Another art form.

[paulcreeden · 9/10 · 15 February 2001]

This is not just a movie, in the way that Americans, like myself, usually conceptualize contemporary film. Perhaps, it might be interesting, as a learning experience, to view "Chunghyang" with "Gladiator" to understand that these are two distinct art forms, devised by two distinct cultural traditions to tell important stories. I was thrilled to find this film so 'other', so un-American, so un-MTV. A Korean storytelling/operatic tradition is fused with beautiful filming. Dialogue, as the actors play out the story, is interlaced very comfortably with a storyteller's narrative in a sutra-chanting, poetic style, accompanied by one drummer. The storyteller's voice is a remarkable asset of the film. It has to be experienced to understand its power. I thought the film used very sophisticated editing to blend the highly operatic story line with the teller's narrative on stage and with a wonderful middle-Korean, as in middle-American, audience. This omniscient viewing perspective, affording views of several different levels of concurrent existence, was really wonderful. Then, I remembered in the middle of the film that I was reading subtitles without a trace of annoyance or distraction from the visuals. Very nicely done all around. I felt enriched, educated and entertained.

Ah, her naked ankles

[Meganeguard · 8/10 · 21 October 2006]

In one of his essays The German philosopher/critic Walter Benjamin compared film with theater stating that the lens of the camera replaces the audience as the spectator, but because the camera is emotionless the actor is unable to feed off the audience's reaction. However, in some films theatrical aspects are not only used, but become part of the film itself. For anyone who has watched Ichikawa Kon's An Actor's Revenge or Shinoda Masahiro's Double suicide this is quite evident. While not taking theater into play, Im Kwon-taek's extraordinarily popular film Chunhyang incorporates the traditional storytelling elements of the pansori, a singer and a drummer, into play. Instead of just opening the film, the viewer is treated to listening to the pansori's storytelling throughout the entire film even having his voice overdubbed over the actors and actresses. While this aspect of the film might be a bit distracting at first, especially when the film's action is cut between the stage and the visualized world of Chunhyang, it eventually sinks in and one can enjoy being told a story while seeing it acted out by actors and actresses instead of just the realm inside one's head.

Chunhyang tells the story of the lovers Lee Mongryong and Sung Chunhyang, the former the sun of the governor of Namson and the latter the daughter of a courtesan. A budding scholar who is preparing for the exams that would open to him the world of officialdom, Mongryong one day becomes bored with his hours of constant study and asks his servant Pangja to show him some areas of local interest. At one spot he notices a beautiful young girl swinging high in a swing and he falls in love at first sight. He orders Pangja to fetch the girl for him, but the servant is reluctant because Chunhyang has a reputation of turning down every man who has shown interest in her. However, Pangja does go speak to her, but instead of returning with the girl he returns with a message that Mongryong interprets as that Chunhyang wants him to come visit her at her home. On the night he visits Chunhyang, the girl eventually agrees to marry him on the promise that he would not abandon her because of their differences in social status. He agrees to do so and so they marry and they seem quite blissful at first until Mongryong's father receives a promotion which requires him to return to Seoul. Because Mongryong has to return to Seoul with his father and because he cannot take Chunhyang with him, because being married to such a lowly girl would destroy his chances of taking the exams, the young couple must part, but Mongryong promises to return for Chunhyang after he finishes the exams. However, during the time that Mongryong is away, a new, corrupt governor takes over the old governor's position and he seems to have an interest in our heroine.

Directed by the man who is considered by many to be the father of Modern South Korean Cinema and the director of nearly one hundred films, Chunhyang might not at first seem no more than a simple love story, but with its elements of traditional storytelling, its intermingling of history, romance, and melodrama, it does stand out as a great film within the ever growing number of spectacular South Korean films.

First Korean movie I have seen with a somewhat happy ending

[albsure_96266 · 31 July 2002]

I am a Korean linguist and use Korean movies to keep up on the language and have really fallen in love with them over the last few years. My current favorite is JSA, followed closely by Shiri. I just happened to catch Chunhyang on the Sundance channel and it was just not your typical "everybody dies" Korean dramatic movie. Although, what little I know of Korean culture seems to portray life as always having misfortunes,because thats just how life is, this movie was a pleasant surprise. It was kind of like Romeo and Juliet who forgot they were supposed to die. The "panjori" was excellent as well.

Chunhyang

[mircalla_lilith · 8/10 · 5 November 2005]

Korean's like most of its Asian neighbors has a very rich culture but also has its history for discriminating women because its male-dominating hierarchy. The story of Chunhyang,a true-t-life story by the way, does by far relates to it. The story, though told in a "Pansori" way was kind of different and new to international viewers like myself, but fairly gives justice to as to its expressionism for its way of telling the tale.

As a whole, the story is very romantic telling the endless tale of lovers Mongryong and Chunhyang, emphasizing their faithfulness with one another. It also depicts Chunhyang's ability to fight for her love for Mongryong in the time when women, most especially a courtesan like herself, have no say in society.

After you have watched this, and you'd like to try something new but related to this maybe you'd like to watch Sassy Girl Chunhyang. The outline of the story is kind of the same, only with a modern touch to it and contains no "pansori". ;)

Refreshingly Beautiful

[laurence-1 · 9/10 · 28 February 2001]

I found Chunhyang to be a beautiful Cinderella-like folktale. The story is very simple and universal. But I found myself suspending any skepticism and was completely caught up in the all the emotions the film took me through. The direction, acting, and cinematography was lush and beautiful. My response to the Pansori sequences was different than some reviewers who found it annoying. Granted, I wouldn't sit at home listening to Pansori opera on my stereo. But I found it to be a window into another culture that I've never been exposed to before. It was interesting to see the Korean audience also caught up in the emotion of the story as the Pansori told the tale. And the Pansori was also used effectively to reduce any graphic violence in the film during the violent beating of the heroine by the evil governor. I thought the concept of going up and back between the story and the Pansori telling the story was unique and brilliant. I'm surprised the film received an R rating. Any sexuality in the film was done very tastefully. I think it should have received a PG rating.

Visual and Aural treat

[egrams · 5 February 2001]

This movie is to be commended for the effortless interaction and interplay between the Pansori singing and the beautiful scenes of its 18th century location. The opening 3 minutes, without subtitles, are a wonderful way to pull English-speaking audiences into the unusual but compelling style of the Pansori singer. The movie itself uses colorful cinematography to tell its story. The story echoes many myths and legends from around the world and runs a bit long, but don't miss a chance to see this tribute to Korean folk traditions in a new setting. The actors are all quite good and the Pansori singer is outstanding.

Festive and charismatic

[fuxing626 · 10/10 · 14 August 2002]

This was the first movie from South Korea I saw, and I must say I'm inclined to see more films from there. It's a beautiful love story. The title character is courageous, trustworthy, and utterly honorable. I'm a little confused as to whether Chunhyang actually existed or not, but if she did, she has all my admiration. I'll never forget the scene where the executioners beat her legs and she moves her head in the Korean symbol for the number one ("one love"). Anybody who can do that deserves all my respect. I also love the lively drum music that accompanies the narrators. If you can find this movie (I saw it on the Sundance Channel, if that's any help to you) I urge you to check it out. I think you'll find it quite entertaining and very touching.

A refreshing poetic film

[phmw · 9/10 · 22 October 2002]

After China and Vietnam, it is now Korea's turn to export its film industry globally. Chunhyang is a refreshing poetic film, with fantastic scenery. Im Kwon-taek, Korea's leading director, conveys a message of love and hope by adapting a popular pansori to the screen. The pansori is performed by Cho Sang-hyun and Kim Myung-hwan: the voice and drum blend into the beautiful scenery.

At first, the uninitiated (e.g. myself) may be shocked by the continuous singing and beats; some may even be put off by it. However, once you get used to this most peculiar type of performance, you can start concentrating on the film itself. The film itself is more of a complement to the pansori. By diverging at times from the lyrics, the scenes add a further dimension to the story by providing the environment in which the story takes place. The direction is fantastic, the scenery even more. Every frame could be a masterpiece of photography. The plot delves into the traditional issues of love, faithfulness, hatred, desire, etc... without becoming too stereotypical.

See it to discover Korean art and music. See it with an open mind, as a cultural event. The rhythm and singing may put you off at first, but it is the combination of the pictures and the poetic singing that makes the beauty of this beautiful film.

Brilliant if you can stomach the pansori

[markbeardslee · 8/10 · 10 January 2006]

If your idea of high filmed entertainment involves a spoiled governor's son from a patriarchal society getting everything he wants, bullying his faithful servant, marrying and then having awkward sex with a woman he encounters on a lark and a gruff male voice "singing" everything that takes place, from the servant's illicit play in the fields to the scenery that passes by the camera to even the imaginary dialogue taking place within characters' minds, this may just be the film for you. And should that terribly long-winded sentence put you off the movie, it shouldn't, for the story of Chunhyang is a treasured Korean folk tale, the narration is presented in the time-honored tradition of pansori, an ancient Korean rhythmic narrative singing style accompanied by percussion, and the director of this version of the story is none less than the esteemed I'm Kwon Taek, perhaps Korea's grandfather of cinema with 99 films to his credit.

Lee Mong Ryong (played by Cho Seung Woo) is the local governor's son and, during a visit to the countryside village of Namwon, he observes the playful Chunhyang (Lee Hyo Jeong) swinging from a distant tree. He uses his authority (and his manservant Pangja, played with astounding relish by Kim Hak Young) to visit, woo and marry the girl, a courtesan's daughter, all within a matter of hours, and without his own father's consent. All is idyllic for a while until the two lovers encounter the real rough and ready world of Chosun-era Korea. When the staccato wailing of the pansori narrator begins to intrude even upon the dialogue of the primary actors, it becomes hard to take, and non-Koreans are apt to turn away. It is only in the recognition of the centrality of pansori to this story that I was able to stomach it. I'd like to remove pansori from my cinematic lexicon. But the vocal elements of pansori are beautiful in their precision and purity, so when it is central to the telling of a historical tale, little 21st century me refuses to argue with such history. It would be like asking directors of Shakespearian plays to do away with iambic pentameter.

And so, Mong Ryong hides his marriage from his father, who is appointed a minister for the king in Seoul and must go there. But first, as he settles affairs in his district, he sends Mong Ryong, who leaves Namwon under melodramatic circumstances, Chunhyang screaming all the while, left behind to face the full brutality of the Chosun Dynasty. She is to become a mistress to the new governor of Namwon, but she resists him, suffering torture and painful public humiliation. Eventually, she is imprisoned and sentenced to die at the new governor's third anniversary of rule.

Meanwhile, Mong Ryong rides to Seoul where he studies for and takes the royal examination. Earning the highest score, he is appointed a provincial inspector, beholden to the king. In his duties, he comes across Pangja, who tells him of Chunhyang's plight. Using Pangja's information, Mong Ryong travels back to Namwon and, disguised as a beggar, infiltrates the governorship there to win back his beloved Chunhyang.

Doubtless, this film is hokey, as its roots are so terribly old, but that does not mean it lacks enjoyment. Character interactions, clever asides and unexpected dialogue mesh with the ubiquitous pansori chanting to create an undeniably Korean masterpiece. The acting is exquisite, with Kim Hak Young standing out, but with newcomers Cho Seung Woo and Lee Hyo Jeong, in the title role, performing beautifully as well.

From ancient times, the telling of this story has been incidental to the pansori musical presentation. Director I'm is fully cognizant of this fact and determines not to depart from tradition. Instead, he focuses on imagery, color, angles, even special effects and other cinematographic treats courtesy of veteran cinematographer Jung Il Sung, to bring this film to life even for those turned off by the pansori.

A typical Western audience would fail to understand, and perhaps even be irked by this unique presentation of a very old Korean folk tale. And while Koreans themselves may be unimpressed by the film by virtue of their sheer familiarity with the story, both non-Koreans and Koreans should allow themselves a couple hours to see I'm Kwon Taek's superb rendering of this timeless folk tale.

Note: I know the director's name is I'm, not I'm. The program just sticks the apostrophe in there. Please forgive.

Surprisingly delightful portrayal of an old folk tale

[mo-20 · 14 December 2003]

I stumbled into Chunhyang through a teaser on Sundance Channel today. The story is a variation of a timeless theme of forbidden love found and lost. Or is it lost and found?

The presentation includes a staged classical Korean theater performance where a singing storyteller and a drummer (Pansori) act as the narrator. His singing punctuates and accompanies the visual story and dialog.

I was afraid that the acting would be too stylized and therefore distracting, but it was very believable and engaging.

Having recently become interested in Korean history and culture through their pottery, I was familiar with some of the images, values, and traditions, but the beauty of the costumes, architecture, and scenery were strikingly beautiful and compelling.

I'm looking forward to seeing this again. It was so visually rich that I'm certain it will continue to be a source of beauty.

Pure Beauty !

[pserve · 10 January 2001]

Im Kwon-taek was already known for being korean best director. His former film "Sopyonje" ("The Pansori's singer", 1993), amongst others, was probably the best proof of his talent. He confirms here with his new film, a pure gem ! Of course, some people (let's hope that they won't be too many !) will never be seized by the film, reluctant to Pansori melodies and tunes. They probably even won't try, their ears "offended" by this rough singing, often panting, sometimes slow-speeded or on the contrary very fast and like breathless. How wrong they will be ! Because Pansori, this traditional korean narrative song sung by only one singer who plays all the different characters of the story, with one drum (the "puk") playing, this song tears hearts and souls of those who accept to give themselves to it...

And when the tale is as a beautiful and romantic one as Chunhyang's, the singer's throaty sounds and the incredibly beautiful pictures fill us with happiness. Im Kwon-taek, great director, moves us not only through the story told by also through his direction. His numerous sequence shots, the natural way he alternates close-up and wonderful purefaces shots on one way and splendid landscapes all drowned in gold and light on the other, spreads poetry in perfect harmony with the story told.

Maybe the plot (social classes differences getting in the way of a love story which is threatened then saved by marital fidelity) doesn't bright by its originality. Asian operas, novels, films are full of that kind of stories. But that's not the important point, after all haven't all stories been already told ? The way to treat those stories makes the real difference and the one Im Kwon-taek gives to Chunhyang's legend shines bright all around ! The korean director leads two young beginners in the lovers' roles. Yi Hyo-jeong, who is the exemplary Chunhyang, is only 17 years old and it was for her, as for her partner Cho Seung-woo, her first film. She brights with sweetness and he shows real nobility.

Beautiful and sad, but in a difficult style

[meyer-8 · 17 August 2004]

This is a beautiful and sad movie, but the pansori singer, who is kind of like a Korean Homer, and who narrates the plot like a voice in the background, sings in this most unreal and grating style. His guttural voice soars high, then low, and ends on what can only be described as shrieks, even screams. It is unnerving. I had to listen with the sound muted! The one place where it is quite touching is where the pansori narrates the 10 blows on Chunhyang as she is beaten in the chair. The audience is weeping and moaning and moving around. It was quite touching. But the scenery, costumes, and actors are all quite beautiful.

Variety is the spice of life 8/10

[Ms. Lennon · 23 December 2001]

This is a wonderful and beautifully done film.

Critics of this film, at least on this website, exaggerate any negative aspects of this picture.

A little patience and willingness to accept that which does not involve Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone are a must for this film. Persons too narrow minded to appreciate a non-western culture will not be able to enjoy it.

However, if you have patience and are wanting to watch a movie that is actually worth watching, Chunhyang is a must. The picture is beautiful, and the narration is a wonderful way of including ancient Korean poetry into the picture without spoiling it. Soemtimes there are so many subtitles that it distracts from the films, but dubbing would completely ruin it, so that is the biggest negative.

The direction is good, acting good, which is to say that you don't think about the quality of acting as you watch it, which is good. Costumes, lighting, and all technical aspects are good.

The plot is very folk tale, but for those who do not know it, it is far, far, far better than what Hollywood puts out these days. By far the worst part of the experience was watching the previews.

I hope you'll take the time to go see this film and see a beautiful movie with great landscape shots. A cultural treat for those not wanting to see Not Another Teen Movie.