Wang-ui namja (2005)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Jun-ik Lee

Writers:

Seok-Hwan Choi (writer)
Tae-woong Kim (play)

Release Date:

29 December 2005 (South Korea)

Genre:

Drama | History | Thriller

Plot:

Two clowns living in the Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution, but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh. |

Plot Keywords:

King | Gay Interest | Palace Intrigue | Gay Kiss | Korea

Cast

Woo-seong Kam	...	Jang-sang
Jin-yeong Jeong	...	King Yeonsan
Seong-Yeon Kang	...	Nok-su Jang (as Sung-Yeon Kang)
Jun-gi Lee	...	Gong-gil
Hang-Seon Jang	...	Cheo-sun
Hae-jin Yu	...	Yuk-gab
Seok-yong Jeong	...	Chil-duk
Seung-hun Lee	...	Pal-bok

Also Known As:

King and His Men (Hong Kong: English title)
The King and the Clown (International: English title)

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Australia:MA | Singapore:NC-16 | China:(Banned) | France:Unrated | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

South Korea

Company:

Eagle Pictures

Trivia:

In 2006, this film became the highest grossing Korean film to its date selling over 12 million tickets (with a total gross of over US$70 million) and surpassing the previous record holder, Taegukgi (2004). Its box office record was broken later in the year by Gwoemul (2006).

Quotes:

Jang-sang: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ahhh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
[From subtitles]
Jang-sang: You have the wrong man. I wrote it. He's innocent. The audacity of it has my signature all over it. After all, it was by audacity that I got in the palace.
Nok-su Jang: You're making this up!
Jang-sang: Well, well.
[Stands up defiantly in front of the King and Nok-su]
Jang-sang: A whore and her tongue's work is never done.
Nok-su Jang: How DARE you!

It's certainly worth watching

Also known as "The King and the Clown", this film was one of the biggest moneymakers in Corea's recent film history. Many commentators about the film often note that this is surprising due to the film's ambiguous gay context in Corea's socially conservative society. Having seen the film, I still don't fully understand why, of all the films being released, this film was the one to hit it so big, but that's not to say that it isn't a fine film. I think it is.

The story revolves around wandering performers, including two of the leads, who perform some satire of the king and consequently are caught and punished. They strike a deal: if they can make the king laugh, they're pardoned and if otherwise, they're executed. It's a pretty straightforward concept and then some twists are put into the film. First of all, the king at the time of the film is historically known for being a ruthless tyrant. Secondly, one of the male performers is extraordinarily pretty. He plays all the female roles in the various (vulgar) skits and is close to convincing in his portrayals. He's also occasionally sold for sexual favors to the occasional noble who wants some action.

The two lead clowns have a strong chemistry together that is never explicitly defined as either romantic or brotherly and could be interpreted either way, or perhaps is intentionally ambiguous since they themselves are not entirely certain what to make of their relationship. Essentially, the story is a drama about that relationship, so it's in some sense, a buddy film.

These sorts of films rely heavily on acting and fortunately, the acting keeps up with the film's needs. The protagonist is well acted and the "female" clown is very well aided by a surprising performance by the actor, who is relatively new to film acting. The crazed tyrant king is also well performed and it's surprising how he can go from mad ruler to sensitive man-child believably.

With plenty of period costumes and sets, combined with solid acting, writing and direction, the King's Man is a good film and although it's curious that it performed so well in Corea, it's certainly worth watching. Good stuff. 8/10.