Pictures Gallery For Untold Scandal

Scandal - Joseon namnyeo sangyeoljisa (2003)

Also known as "Untold Scandal, The Scandal"
Overall Score: 7 out of 10

Starring: Mi-suk Lee, Do-yeon Jeon, Yong-jun Bae, Hyeon-jae Jo, So-yeon Lee, Ha-kyeong Kim

Director: Je-yong Lee

Running Time: 124 minutes

US MPAA rating: N/A
UK BBFC rating: N/A
Comedy, Drama

Korea, towards the end of the eighteenth century. The manipulative Lady Cho (Lee Mi-Sook) challenges her louche cousin Master Cho-Won (Bae Yong-Jun) to impregnate young ingenue So-ok (Lee Soh-Yeon) before she becomes concubine to Cho's aristocratic husband. Cho-Won prefers the far greater challenge of pursuing Lady Chung (Jeon Do-Yeon), an older Christian woman renowned for her chastity and "practically a brick wall" - and agrees to Cho's wager that if he succeeds he can sleep with Cho, and if he fails he must become a monk. Soon he is wooing both Chung and So-ok, while Cho takes So-ok's young admirer In-Ho (Cho Hyeon-Jae) into her own hands - but when Cho-Won's pretended love for Chung turns into something real, Cho decides to play a heartless endgame, with tragic consequences for all.

"Should anyone sense similarities between this tale and actual historical events," states a beautifully handwritten text at the beginning of E J-Yong's 'Untold Scandal', "be reminded that it is only fiction written for personal enjoyment". Far from being merely an arch eighteenth century variation on the kind of disclaimer typically found in a film's closing credits, these words are a sophisticated allusion to the great similarity between 'Untold Scandal' and Choderlos de Laclos' French novel from 1782 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses'. For at a time when the cinema of the East has become rich pickings for the West, and recent Korean films like

It's Got: A protagonist with a fine line in tall hats; dangerous liaisons, constrained desires and cruel pursuits.

It Needs: It could be shorter - the plot is already familiar enough not to require quite so much explanation.

Alternatives: 'Dangerous Liaisons', 'Valmont', 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960', 'Cruel Intentions', The Draughtsman's Contract



Summary: In fact this old French scandal has often been told, but it looks exquisite in its perfectly fitting Korean costume. Overall Score: 7 out of 10


Review Date: 21th April 2005


Blog This

External Links

Official Web Site
Scandal - Joseon namnyeo sangyeoljisa at the IMDB

Post Your Comments

Only members can post comments.
Joining is quick, easy and FREE! Click Here.

Already a member - Log In

:
(no html, bold (<b>) strong(,<strong>) & italic (<i>)are permitted)

:

: http://

:

Where's it screening?


Choose Country (required)



Reviews


  • www
    MG
 
Welcome visitor from The United States  (IP Address: 38.103.63.61)
New Reviews
Michael Clayton
My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Dogma
The Bourne Ultimatum
3:10 to Yuma
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Superman Returns
1408
Arrested Development
Boston Legal
Heroes
Silent Hill
She's the Man
Inside Man
Material Girls
Little Miss Sunshine
Barnyard
Accepted
The Cat Returns
Airplane!
If you can see this, your browser does not support current web standards (Cascading Style Sheets). This site (and many others) will look better if you upgrade your browser.
Netflix, Inc.