Untold Scandal
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[edit] Profile
- Movie: Untold Scandal
- Hangul: 스캔들 - 조선남녀상열지사
- Revised Romanization: Scandal - Joseon namnyeo sangyeoljisa
- Director: Je-yong Lee
- Producer: Kang-bok Lee, Jung-wan Oh, Eu-gene Lee
- Writer: Dae-woo Kim, Hyeon-jeong Kim
- Cinematographer: Byung-il Kim
- Release Date: October 2, 2003
- Runtime : 124 min
- Production Budget: US$ 5M
- Country: South Korea
- Language: Korean
[edit] Plot
The end of the Chosun dynasty-a period when rigid Confucianism clashed with encroaching new beliefs.
Lady Cho is a brilliant woman who mastered the classics on her own, and she resents the limited life she must lead as a woman. A devoted wife on the surface, she secretly entertains herself with sexual conquests.
On the other hand, her younger cousin Jo-won is accomplished both as a scholar and in martial arts, but rejects a high government post as if he disdains the hierarchical and patriarchal conventions of the time. He indulges in the pleasures of the flesh with as many women as he can seduce. Lady Cho was his first love, and they become co-conspirators in a high-stakes game of love and intrigue while hiding their true feelings for each other.
One day, Lady Cho asks Jo-won to deflower the innocent young Soh-ok, who is to become her husband's concubine, but his attentions are elsewhere: Lady Sook. Graceful and aloof, Lady Sook lives according to her convictions as a Catholic. Jo-won becomes obsessed with seducing her, a woman who has remained chaste for nine years since her husband's death. However, it proves to be more difficult than he expected when Chosun's greatest playboy sets out to conquer the most virtuous woman in the land¡¦
[edit] Director's Notes
"One day, when I was listening to some Baroque music, I wondered what kind of dissonance would occur if that kind of music appeared in the background of a Korean historical drama. In most period dramas, you would hear traditional stringed instruments like the kayagum, or see broad humor in the style of folk characters like Bang-ja, stories about power factions in the palace or a wronged woman's lamentations, that kind of thing. I wanted to break out of the cliches and create a historical drama that was more stylish and sophisticated, visually and narratively, than movies set in contemporary times-like classic foreign films. 'Untold Scandal' is basically a love story, but it will be a unique amalgam of elegant eroticism and a new perspective on Chosun culture." – E J-yong
[edit] The Characters
BAE Yong-jun on Jo-won Though adept in the scholarly arts of poetry, calligraphy and painting, Jo-won rejects a life in government for a hedonistic life. The most charming rake in all of Chosun seduces the ladies with his honeyed words, sharp wit and forceful personality. It is impossible to hate this calculating and ruthless philanderer because, deep down inside, he yearns for true love. He forms a secret alliance with his first love, Lady Cho, and turns on all of his intense charms and sexual magnetism to pursue the virtuous widow Lady Sook.
"Jo-won is fully qualified for a government post but rejects it for a life of freedom, indulging in the pleasure of women. The way that he pursues his own lifestyle no matter what the rest of the world says is quite similar to the tendencies of the present generation. I'm certainly making a huge change from my sensitive image from past television series, but I really enjoy revealing different aspects of my personality. I hope to be seen solely as my character Jo-won in the movie instead of my image as actor BAE Yong-Jun."
LEE Mi-sook on Lady Cho Lady Cho is a brilliant woman who mastered the classics on her own, and she is deeply resentful of the limited life she must lead as a woman. On the surface, she is a model wife of the nobility, while discreetly enjoying making sexual conquests. She controls the elaborate game of sex and intrigue with her commanding intelligence and sexual magnetism from behind the scenes.
"While shooting 'The Affair,' E J-Yong told me about 'Untold Scandal.' I instinctively felt that no one else could play the character of Lady Cho. In the context of the period, Lady Cho would have been seen as a wanton woman, but I think in today's point of view, she could be seen as a daring, admirable woman who was born in the wrong time and never got the chance to fully utilize her talents. As filming continues, I think of her more and more as an extraordinary woman."
JEON Do-yeon on Lady Sook After nine years as a chaste widow, who does not remarry and remains faithful to her late husband's memory, the government rewards her with a Gate of Devotion in recognition of her strict adherence to Confucian beliefs. Aloof and graceful like a white crane, this refined beauty holds strong convictions that belie her fragile exterior, such as her forbidden Catholic faith. As she gradually succumbs to Jo-won's advances, she discovers the passion that she had kept buried deep within her heart.
"I've played a lot of strong characters in the past, but I've always wanted to play a woman like Sook, who appears tranquil on the surface but has a lot of fire and passion inside. Her love is pure, and she takes dangerous risks as a woman of her class for this love. I've been completely charmed by her personality, the way that she is deceptively weak on the outside but strong as steel on the inside."
CHO Hyeon-jae on KWON In-ho The youngest son of Lady Cho's next-door neighbor and high-ranking government official, In-ho is also Lady Sook's cousin. Unaware that he's playing right into Lady Cho's hand, he falls in love at first sight with Soh-ok and succumbs to Lady Cho's dangerous temptations.
Broadening his horizons as a young actor in his first film role, Cho Hyun-jae seems to be reflected in the character of In-ho, who experiences love and temptation for the first time and learns some hard life lessons in "Untold Scandal." As innocent as In-ho is at the beginning, his wounds are deep, and his character's development holds the key to the movie's unexpected outcome.
[edit] Cast
- Mi-suk Lee - Madam Jo
- Do-yeon Jeon - Suk
- Yong-jun Bae - Jo-won
- Hyeon-jae Jo - Kwon In-ho
- So-yeon Lee - So-ok
- Ban-ya Choi
- Ha-kyeong Kim
- Seong-min Choi
- Yun-ah Seo
[edit] Trailer
