Title: Portrait of Beauty (2005)
Genre: Period Drama, Romance
Duration: 1hr 48mins
Directed by Jeon Yoon Soo
Cast:
Kim Min Su as Shin Yun Bok
Kim Nam Gil as Kang Mu
Kim Yeong Ho as Kim Hong Do
Choo Ja Hyeon as Seol Hwa
Synopsis:
Shin Yun Bok(Kim Min Su)keeps a tricky charade of posing as a man to maintain her status as a royal court painter under the tutelage of the master painter Kim Hong Do. Although it was never explained why the father held a deep grudge against the master painter, he urged Shin Yun Bok to ensure that she learn everything from him and to later on surpass the master painter and utterly destroy him in the process.
Kim Hong Do (Kim Yeong Ho) is a master painter who was greatly favoured by the king and was the envy of the other ministers. He was so impressed by Shin Yun Bok's talent that he took her in as his apprentice even with the knowledge that her father might have planned to use her to ultimately destroy him. Shin Yung Bok was so talented she becomes a royal painter after a year and is shown preference by the master painter which led the other painting students to hold a grudge against her and pick on her for being too effeminate and accuse her of sleeping with the master.
Urged by her master to find her own style in painting, she started painting controversial scenes, including naked women, mating, dogs in heat, and other questionable paintings and stirred controversy in court. In the process, she also begins her sexual awakening as she gradually falls in love with a street hustler, Kang Mu(Kim Nam Gil). In his arms, she realized that she could give up everything just to be with him.
Their love was bound to fail though as Kim Hong Do realized that he needed to posses Shin Yun Bok and needed more than her art. He forced the two lovers to separate and forces Shin Yun Bok to stay at his side to save Kang Mu. This led Seol Hwa, his courtesan lover, to be jealous of Shin Yun Bok and strived to make sure the two lovers would not be parted. She the taunted Kim Hong Do, telling him where the two lovers are and his lack of knowledge of women and of love. Kim Hong Do rushes to find his student, urging her to stay by his side but failing. He then decided to force Kang Mu to abandon Shin Yun Bok. Kim Hong Do shoots him with an arrow dipped in poison, promising to give the antidote if he would erase her from his memory, to leave and never return. Kang Mu however refuses the antidote, replying "I never loved her half-heartedly..." choosing death than abandoning Shin Yun Bok.
It's a story of moving art, love, sexual awakening, obsessive jealousy, betrayal, sacrifice and regrets.
Review:
I found it hard to relate to the film due probably to high expectation set by the reviews I've read online as well as my connection to the drama series which led me to so much tears. Compared to the tv drama, I found the film trying too hard to show depth and failed to stir any deep connection with me as an audience. I believe the movie was trying to do too much and failed to do an effective characterization and balancing of plots. Perhaps, I also found the acting lacklustre compared to the excellent performance given by the cast of the tv series. I found it hard to relate to the tragedy that befalls the main actors although I clearly understood their pains. It even showed a scene when the young Shin Yun Bok first met the great master and was given her first brush which led a deep impression to the great master. Later on, when she was presented by his father, the great painter showed that he recognized her but chose to keep her secret as well.
Perhaps, I was expecting a deeper connection between the master and his pupil that goes beyond the usual but was bound for disappointment as it only showed master's lust for his student. His emotions eventually became deep-seated jealousy and led him to kill someone. It would have been a moving plot if only there was more care given to the character development.
The beginning of the film held so much promise but fell flat in the end. I believe the movie tried to incorporate everything featured in the drama series which was a major flaw and led to the disappointing ending as it felt dry and lifeless.
I give this movie 4 out of 10 stars for the beautiful paintings, sceneries and steamy sex scenes which the film might be remembered by.
No comments:
Post a Comment