SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE

[Ghoul]

pojavili su se prvi (p)rivjui - film ima premijeru 29. jula u Koreji. potom, možda će biti u Veneciji (  hej, to je blizu, a red bi bilo da već jednom vidim taj gradić...   )

rivju su vrlo oprezni i non-spoiler, slobodno čitajte:


"LADY VENGEANCE: initial thoughts"
Mon Jul-18-05 10:19 AM by Darcy Paquet

            Barely managed to get a ticket into this press screening... the producer apparently didn't want any of the "international press" seeing it, but I'll be writing some short impressions that will appear in Cine21 next week, so they got me in. (As part of the deal, the piece I write will appear on their website in Korean translation only instead of the usual bilingual deal, at least until the Venice film festival) Meanwhile Kyu Hyun will be writing a review for this site that will be posted shortly after the film's commercial release on the 29th.

I did like it quite a bit. It's perhaps harder to digest in one sitting than OLD BOY or MR. VENGEANCE. Even though watching it is quite intense in parts, it's the sort of film that leaves you thinking afterwards, and I imagine my feelings about it will continue to evolve over time.

I suppose the first thing to address is what people should expect after OLD BOY. It's a much different film... somewhat meandering and preoccupied with the character of Geum-ja, as opposed to the unstoppable forward narrative drive of OLD BOY (or the slower, but equally unstoppable momentum of MR. VENGEANCE). In the latter two films you get the impression that the characters' actions were not really born out of free will... like a Greek tragedy, where the end is foretold. On the other hand, Geum-ja (while just as motivated) seems to be making her own choices. In that sense, we're dealing with a completely different kind of moral landscape.

Don't get your hopes up too high regarding the appearance of Choi Min-shik. Not that he acts badly or anything (could he act badly if he tried?), but the character he portrays is very thinly characterized... He's simply evil, and that's it. I can't think of any other character appearing in a Park Chan-wook film who is presented in such black and white fashion, which leads me to believe that he's meant to be read as a symbol, rather than seen as an individual. Certainly it's intriguing to think about what he may represent. I could call him Stalin if I wanted, and that would give the film a very interesting twist.

Of course, it will come as no surprise to anyone if I say that the film is beautifully shot. Not stylish in the same way as OLD BOY, but almost. Lots of those weird, quirky Park Chan-wook touches... some funny, some bizarre in a damp, clammy sort of way. The tempo is slower. If OLD BOY was allegro and MR. VENGEANCE was largo, then this is moderato.

I'll be very, very curious to read the reviews of this in the Western press. Many critics dismissed OLD BOY as technically brilliant but thematically empty, but I don't think that will be possible with this film. It's obviously taking on real issues. However the violence -- physical and emotional -- is strong enough that many will feel that their emotions are being handled in too brutal a manner. One scene in particular contains really no onscreen violence at all, but it's the sort of scene that you can never, ever forget, especially if you are a parent.

I'm guessing that most people who were really floored by OLD BOY might feel a mild disappointment after watching this, and some will find the ending a bit flat, but I think that this is a movie that will age well and be remembered as a work by a director who was at the top of his form.

After watching this I'm also going to go back and re-watch one of the masterpieces of early German cinema, which seems to bear more than a passing resemblance to this film. (though I don't really want to say which one)

--Darcy


"RE: LADY VENGEANCE: initial thoughts"
In response to Reply # 0

            Like Darcy, I think I must also watch it 3-4 times more at least to come to full understanding of how I feel about it. It wasn't quite the kind of overwhelming experience that SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE or OLD BOY was, although it was unmistakably a Park Chan-wook film: breathtakingly beautiful, absurdly, blackly comic, insanely inventive, deeply moving, perplexing.

My biggest surprise was how Geumja's revenge sort of made the left turn in the last third of the film. Depending on how it can be interpreted, the film at that point becomes either tritely Hollywood-like, at least in spirit if not in action, or emotionally accessible to the "ordinary" viewers in the manner reminiscent of JSA, opening the film up to genuinely hardboiled reflection on the nature of justice, good and evil, and meaning of revenge and how it can become indistinguishable from acts of crime that spurred it. Those who found MILLION DOLLAR BABY no big deal might not like this film either. On the other hand, I dare any mainstream American critic to call the last third of the film "emptily stylistic" or "Tarantinoesque."

I would also be very interested in knowing the foreign viewers' response (in the US, Japan, Europe, Sinophone nations and Southeast Asia) to Lee Young-ae's performance in this film. Don't expect DAEJANGGEUM, of course, but assessment of her performance will be controversial. Some Anglophone viewers might groan again at the fact she speaks English in some scenes, even though her Korean-accented English makes sense in the context of LADY VENGEANCE. All I can say at this point is that Director Park knew exactly the strengths and weaknesses of Lee Young-ae as an actress and tried his best to place her in the best possible light.

But the bottom line is that this is a Park Chan-wook film (his sixth already!) and I won't go so far as Marlene Dietrich who claimed that people should make a sign of cross whenever they utter Orson Wells's name, but look, I know you know and we all know that this is a cinematic tour de force and you are going to have to watch it, if you have any claim on being a film fan. I already feel that I can write a 150-page book on the film and I have seen it only ONCE.

[sandman]

The D-Day is finally here, Park Chan-Wook's long awaited final part of the trilogy of vengeance had its press screening today at the CGV in Yongsan. Director Park and Lee Young-Ae answered a few questions (I edited this to avoid any minimum spoiler, which is something the Korean press is never afraid to reveal):

What are your feelings after completing the film?
Park Chan-Wook: Well, now that you've all seen it, please look at it without bias. There's nothing more to say. As the story progresses, like other movies, it turns in other directions: that's why we didn't reveal the story beforehand, so I can't really say that it doesn't have an impactful finale like Oldboy.
Lee Young-Ae: Just talking with you about what kind of person Geum-Ja was, thinking about it with the people sitting next to me is in itself a success to me. That's the reaction I wanted to happen to this film: something that makes you think about Geum-Ja

You've become an household item in Hong Kong and Taiwan thanks to your role in Dae Jang-Geum. Aren't you burdened by such a transformation?
Lee Young-Ae: If burden about the character is what you're talking about, if I had any I wouldn't have started in the first place. If you don't like the character you're about to play there's no chance you'll enjoy shooting the film, and the result will not be satisfactory. Personally, I think even if people are a little disappointed in my decision, they'll respect it as it's a sign I'm trying to improve at what I do.

The film has a lot of cameos, what was the reason for casting so many of them?
Park Chan-Wook: Some people might think of it as flaunting, but I think I had a genuine reason to do it, so I asked them to help. I didn't only call them because they're close to me, but because they appeared in one of the other Vengeance films. Thankfully, all except one accepted, the one being Bae Doo-Na who couldn't do it because she was shooting a TV Drama. It's a shame, but I'm thankful so many accepted the call. I told them it wasn't to improve box office, but because it fit with the film as it was the closing part of the trilogy.

Why Lee Young-Ae?
Park Chan-Wook: I first thought It would have been easier to bring in a strong character to play Geum-Ja; think someone like Sigourney Weaver. But I didn't want someone whose acts of violence would look right for the character, but rather someone whose acts distanced her from the image she had. That's why I wanted Lee Young-Ae, and even more than wanting her for the chance to work with her, I chose her because of the Lee Young-Ae everyone knows and likes.


Press Reactions:
Lee Sang-Yong: As widely reported, Park Chan-Wook's final part of his trilogy of vengeance completes, focusing on the exceptional transformation by Lee Young-Ae. Compared to his older films, there's more emphasis on the color and art direction, but it's not as powerful as "Oldboy." There's a strong feeling of a film becoming like a morality play. The cameos of former "Vengeance Trilogy" alumni Song Kang-Ho, Shin Ha-Gyun, Yoo Ji-Tae and others is another interesting point.

Tony Rayns: Personally, even if "Lady" is a better film than 쓰리, 몬스터 (Three....Extremes), it still isn't a good enough film for me. On top of that I don't think it represents much of a turning point for Korean Cinema. At the end, I thought I just watched a two hour Commercial. I couldn't really feel any pain, suspense or even a specific sentiment within those abstract and superficial images.

Film2.0's Choi Kwan-Hee: To me, while "Lady" is not as provocative as Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, or as impactful as Oldboy, it's as unpleasant as "Mr. Vengeance," and as difficult to understand as "Oldboy." Perhaps the logic of his revenge is that of letting only psycho-analysis students and cult film aficionados understand the film. If one thing's sure, Geum-Ja's alleged kindness does not show as much the (ed. Korean) title suggests.

[sigismundus]

hej, ghoul, ako ideš u veneziu, pa dogovorimo se, da navratiš malo kod mene. več ču ja nači nešto ghoulish, da odgledamo i odradimo.

[Ghoul]

Hej, hvala Sigi, to je svakako razlog više da počnem ozbiljno o tome da razmišljam! Upravo sam zapazio da si se registrovao na ovaj forum baš na Halloween 2002. To ne može biti slučajno!

[Ghoul]

The 62nd Venice Film Festival is likely to become a contest between Korean and Japanese movies. While the Korean movie Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, starring Lee Young-ae, is receiving wide acclaim from the international audience, its Japanese rival Takeshis, directed by Japanese filmmaking master Kitano Takeshi, is rapidly emerging as a formidable contender.

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is vying for yet another award, this time for its director Park Chan-wook, who received the Jury's Award last year in Cannes and has now grabbed the spotlight in Venice. But it is likely to face fierce competition for the Best Director and Best Picture awards from Takeshis, the To Be Announced movie of the festival.

Takeshi has won two awards in Venice so far: the Golden Lion award for his movie Hana-bi in 1997 and the Best Director award for Zatoichi in 2003. This time, he stands a good chance of winning the Best Director award for Takeshis, as the movie advanced to the main competition after being shown immediately after the opening ceremony, much like Kim Ki-deok's 3-Iron last year, which brought Kim prestigious accolade.

Takeshis is an experimental fantasy movie depicting one man's dreams. It received rave reviews from the jury after its premiere.

But Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is not lagging behind. The movie's preview and press conference held on September 2nd at the Palagalileo Theater on Lido Island drew a multitude of journalists, some of whom watched the movie from the hall due to a lack of seats.

And after the official preview at the Sala Grande Theater on September 3rd, the movie received a five-minute standing ovation. The local media even published special reports on the movie, giving it generous praise.


ROCK ON, MAN!

SHOW THEM WHAT REAL MOVIES ARE MADE OF!

[crippled_avenger]

Sympathy For Lady Vengeance

 
Lee Marshall in Venice 13 September 2005
 


Dir: Park Chan-wook. S Kor. 2005. 113mins.

Few contemporary directors are able to mix genres and moods as confidently as Park Chan-wook – and get away with it. The third and final part of the Korean director's Jacobean revenge trilogy, after Sympathy For Mr Vengeance and Oldboy, is the most daring of the lot in the way it ricochets between comedy and tragedy, realism and caricature.

Action fans turned on to Park by Oldboy may be disappointed, as there is nothing here to rival its predecessor's set pieces, like the instant-classic hammer fight in the corridor.

But Lady Vengeance is not about brute violence: though it gets physical, sometimes almost unwatchably so, the film moves beyond the obsessive revenge lust of the first two films to explore revenge as a form of redemption, or atonement.

As a result it has a more spiritual thrust, as embodied in its angel/demon heroine Geum-ja, played with steely fire by Korean film and TV star Lee Young-ae. It's also, by quite a long chalk, the funniest part of the trilogy.

On the film's Korean release in mid-July, a huge, publicity-fuelled opening weekend was followed by a steady week-by-week tail-off that has seen it pass 4m admissions.

Beyond home, the film's tonal and thematic complexity could translate into less buoyant takings than the more Tarantino-esque Oldboy. But posterity may well decree this to be the most nuanced, inventive and masterly part of the revenge trilogy – and this should give the film a long DVD afterlife, moreso when bundled together with its two companion pieces.

As in Oldboy, the fragmented time structure of the film makes the audience work to piece together the who, why and how of the revenge plot. More interestingly, we also have to make an effort to work out the heroine, Geum-ja. Choi Min-sik's character in Oldboy was fairly straightforward: a loser transformed into a single-minded killer by 15 years of solitary confinement.

Geum-ja is less easy to read: in her 13 years in a women's prison she was a model prisoner, a Samaritan always ready to help others. But on release she spurns the clergyman who saw her as a miraculous angel, and sets about taking revenge on Mr Baek (Choi Min-sik), the teacher, turned lover, who persuaded her to take the fall for his murder of a five-year-old boy.

It soon turns out that Geum-ja's good behaviour in prison was solely directed towards getting out quick and gaining herself allies (the fellow inmates she helped out in different ways) who would help her put her revenge plan into action.

Visually inventive, as always, Lady Vengeance derives its punchy look from restless, off-centre camera framing, and careful colour coding of sets and costumes (the naive print frocks Geum-ja wears at the beginning are gradually replaced by darker, more tailored clothes as the moment of revenge approaches).

There are a couple of stylised dream sequences, but overall Lady Vengeance is more natural in its settings than the studio-built Oldboy: the women's prison, the cake shop where the heroine works after coming out of gaol, or the abandoned school where the final confrontation takes place, are real places.

This grounding in reality makes the film's most harrowing movement – grainy, home-video footage of a serial killer's infant victims – even more difficult to take.

Some at Venice found Lady Vengeance nasty and exploitative. But the final scene – one of the best things the director's has ever done – pushes through the disgust towards tragic catharsis and a real sense of tenderness. Laughter, tears and the vomit reflex: they're all part of Park's rich tapestry.

Production companies
CJ Entertainment
CJ Capital Investment
Centurion Investment
TSJ Entertainment Korea Capital Investment
Ilshin Capital Investment
Samsung Venture Capital

S Korean distribution/International sales
CJ Entertainment

Executive producer
Miky Lee

Producers
Lee Tae-hun
Cho Young-wuk

Screenplay
Chung Seo-kyung
Park Chan-wook

Cinematography
Chung Chung-hoon

Production design
Cho Hwa-sung

Editors
Kim Sang-bum
Kim Jae-bum

Music
Cho Young-wuk

Main cast
Lee Young-ae
Choi Min-sik
Kwon Yea-young
Kim Si-hu
Nam Il-woo

[Ghoul]

PREDIVNO!

KAD ĆE DA GA GLEDAMO U SRBIJICI?

DA LI DISTRIBUTERI OLDBOYA NAGOVEŠTAVAJU PLANOVE U TOM PRAVCU?

i kad sam kod toga, da li je prerano maštati o nekom tentativnom spisku filmova za Pogled u svet?

[crippled_avenger]

sinoc nabavio dva diviksa sa filmom, bio preumoran da ga gledam, tonight`s the night!!!!

[crippled_avenger]

evo komentara na film

[Ghoul]

dobro je – sad mogu mirnije da čekam DVD koji mi stiže za 10ak dana...

[crippled_avenger]

samo spokojno...

film overall ostavlja bolji emotivni utisak nego sto jeste kvalitetan, winner je all around...

[crippled_avenger]

koga zanima plot i tako to, vrlo dobra kritika:

Chinjeolhan Geum-Ja-Ssi
(South Korea) A CJ Entertainment release and presentation of a Moho Film production, in association with CJ Capital Investment, Centurion Investment, TSJ Entertainment Korea Capital Investment, Ilshin Capital Investment, Samsung Venture Capital. (International sales: CJ Entertainment, Seoul.) Produced by Lee Tae-heon, Jo Yeong-wook. Executive producer, Miky Lee. Directed by Park Chan-wook. Screenplay, Jeong Seo-gyeong, Park.

Lee Geum-ja - Lee Yeong-ae
Mr. Baek - Choi Min-shik
Bakery Employee Geun-shik - Kim Shi-hu
Det. Choi - Nam Il-woo
Preacher Jeon - Kim Byeong-ok
Bakery Owner Jang - Oh Dal-su
Park Lee-jeong - Lee Seung-shin
Woo So-yeong - Kim Bu-seon
Oh Su-heui - Ra Mi-ran
"The Witch" - Go Su-heui
Kim Yang-heui - Seo Yeong-ju
Kidnappers - Song Gang-ho,
Shin Ha-gyun Weon-mo, as an Adult - Yu Ji-tae

By DEREK ELLEY
 

Revenge has a distinctly female face in South Korean helmer Park Chan-wook's darkly humorous "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance," the much-awaited third seg in a trilogy on retributions that match the shocking original crimes. Like "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" (2002) and "Old Boy" (2003), "Lady" is a wildly inventive, highly cinematic director's showcase that looks likely, at least in the West, to enthuse fans of Asian -- especially Korean -- genre movies more than general auds. But that's so long as no one goes expecting a slam-bang femme avenger a la "Kill Bill" or some kind of "Old Girl."
Though "Mr. Vengeance" flopped on Korean release, "Old Boy" was a brawny hit, with some 3.2 million admissions (around $23 million). Given pent-up expectations, "Lady" looks set for a boffo first weekend on its July 29 local opening but could lack legs against subsequent competition. Pic's first offshore play will be at the Venice fest in early September; in general, Euro auds and critics look more likely to welcome this "Lady" than North Americans.

One potential problem in the West is that "Mr. Vengeance" -- still the most accomplished movie of the three -- is relatively little known. "Lady" contains elements of both that and "Old Boy," while retaining its own, very distinct flavor, and in that respect is a clever and largely satisfying conclusion to one of the most original trilogies in mainstream cinema.

However, auds familiar only with "Old Boy" will not only miss several in-jokes but also will find "Lady" too much of an adjustment.

Lee Geum-ja (Lee Yeong-ae, lead actress in Park's DMZ drama, "JSA"), a poised, willowy woman in her early 30s, is released after 13˝ years in stir for kidnapping and murdering a 6-year-old boy. Kooky tone of the movie's first half -- enhanced by the classical-flavored score -- is set by a welcoming choir dressed as Santa Clauses outside the prison.

She's also greeted -- with a traditional plate of white tofu, meant to "cleanse" an ex-prisoner -- by a nutty preacher (Kim Byeong-ok). Said preacher, like Geum-ja's cellmates, fell for her angelic demeanor, during both her trial and imprisonment. (Pic's Korean title translates as "The Kind Miss Geum-ja.") As Geum-ja hooks up with her previous cellmates for an as-yet undisclosed plan of revenge, film cross-cuts between that and her time inside.

Geum-ja's helpers include a bank robber (Kim Bu-seon), whose garage mechanic husband helps her build an ornate double-barreled gun; and a woman (Ra Mi-ran) whom Geum-ja saved from a fat bull-dyke (Go Su-heui). Prison flashbacks are laced with a mordant humor that often tips over into pure laffs.

Outside jail, Geum-ja stays with a punky ex-con (Seo Yeong-ju), who had a crush on her, and sets about seeking spiritual "atonement" for her crimes -- the most immediately "female" aspect of the plot -- at the same time as planning her revenge. Complex plot starts to take shape after the first half-hour, as Geum-ja bumps into the cop (Nam Il-woo), who arrested her but never believed her confession, and tracks down in Australia the now-13-year-old daughter she was forced to give up. The target of her revenge finally swims into sight almost an hour into the picture: kindergarten teacher Mr. Baek (Choi Min-shik, the prisoner in "Old Boy"), whose crimes are gradually revealed.

Using a different writer than the other two segs, the script's psychology doesn't bear close examination and, like "Old Boy," owes more to Asian manga than anything more real.

Film's second half is considerably darker than the first, and sensitive viewers may find the blackly humorous approach to horrific crimes -- as well as the film's very un-Hollywood (but very Korean) lack of redemption, guilt or compassion -- an emotional turn-off. Overall, pic has far less on-screen violence than either of the preceding segs, though what's happening off-screen in the grisly final section is made pretty clear.

With one exception, performances are all aces on a slightly stylized level, and casting is first-rate. Choi, especially, carves a portrait of unrepentant evil that's remarkable considering his limited screentime, and among the large supporting cast Nam stands out as the wry cop.

It's only Lee, in the title role, who doesn't quite measure up: though always respectable, and sometimes just right, her Geum-ja lacks that extra something a more experienced actress could have brought to the role.

That lack is most notable in the final section, when the focus swerves away from Geum-ja to the relatives of Baek's victims. Their ensemble is the pic's highlight; but the film's dramatic arc, till then centered on Geum-ja, never quite recovers from this jolt to its structure. And Lee's screen presence isn't strong enough to help it do so.

Widescreen compositions are a treat throughout with detail in every part of the frame. Color palette by d.p. Jeong Joeng-hun ("Old Boy") is the most varied in the trilogy. Actor cameos include Song Kang-ho and Shin Ha-gyun (stars of "Mr. Vengeance") as kidnappers, and Yu Ji-tae (Choi's co-lead in "Old Boy") in a surprise near the end.

Camera (color, widescreen), Jeong Jeong-hun; editors, Kim Sang-beom, Kim Jae-beom; music, Jo Yeong-wook; production designer, Jo Hwa-seong; art directors, Choi Hyeon-seok, Han Ji-hyeon; concept designer, Jeong Jeom-seok; costumes, Jo Sang-gyeong; make-up and hair designer, Song Jong-heui; sound (Dolby Digital), Lee Seung-cheol, Kim Seok-weon, Kim Chang-seob; special visual effects, Lee Jeon-hyeong (Eon Digital Films); associate producers, Lee Yong-woo, Heo Dae-yeong, Jeon Sang-min, Je Min-ho, Go Jeong-seok, Kim Sang-gi; assistant director, Seok Min-woo; casting, Lee Ju-yeol. Reviewed at CGV Yongsan 4, Seoul, South Korea, July 18, 2005. (In Venice Film Festival -- competing.) Running time: 114 MIN.



With: Kim Jin-gu, Kim Ik-tae, Lee Yeong-mi, Choi Jeong-woo, Park Myeong-shin, Jang Jeong-ae, Kim Chun-gi, Lee Yong-nyeo, Weon Mi-weon, Oh Gwang-rok, Lee Dae-yeon, Im Su-gyeong, Han Jae-deok, Ryu Seung-wan.

[crippled_avenger]

Round-up infoa o CYBORG GIRL

[Ghoul]

Round-up infoa o CYBORG GIRL

tagline: What do you do when the girl you love becomes a weapon of mass destruction?

hey, I can relate to that! especially if you redefine 'mass' to refer mostly to me!