Jeon Do-Yeon 전도연 [Drama “Crash Course in Romance” | Movie “Kill Boksoon” (NETFLIX)]

[rubie]

Not exactly the latest news update of JDY but something to share at her thread

Credit: News translated by CindyW88

http://www.soompi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=868&st=300

11/29/05 – Jun Do Yun signs a CF contract (500 million Won / 1 year) with “Chungkwang Construction (청광건설)” as the spokesperson for its apartment brand “Chung Kwang Plus One (청광 플러스 원)”. The CF emphasizes female elegance and expresses the easiness of living. The representative of “Chungkwang Construction” states, “We select JDY due to her success in movie and drama. Also, her lively image matches our brand.” The CF is scheduled to be aired on TV in mid December. JDY joins other actresses including Lee Young Ae, Kim Nam Joo, and Go Hyun Jung advertising for apartments.

http://sports.hankooki.com/lpage/entv/2005...10592558390.htm

http://www.mydaily.co.kr/news/read.html?ne...511291020381110

[Guest yoonah]

I have only see a couple of Jeon Do Yeon's movies, namely "Untold Scandal" and "My Mother, The Mermaid". But her performance in the latter was enough to turn me into a fan. Look, I luv Son Ye Jin and all, but her portrayal of Ji Hae and her mother in "The Classic" didn't show much distinction between the two characters. Whereas in "My Mother, The Mermaid", Na-young and her mother, Yeon-soon, were so different from each other... and so different are the two of them from Jeon Do Yeon's other roles. It was in retrospect that I got to appreciate her in "Untold Scandal". I thought Lady Sook paled in comparison to the sophisticated and glitzy Lady Cho. But I realized that it was the character that was plain and boring, NOT JDY. She takes on her roles so well, that one doesn't see her in the characters she play. She just doesn't act out her characters. SHE BECOMES THEM!!!!

[Guest yoonah]

No problem! Glad to help!

Oops.. I watched Happy Together but can't remember the girl you mentioned. Could she be JDY?

In Harmonium in My Memory, she was already 26-27 at the time but looked so 16! I had a hard time believing that she was actually older.

I wanna see "Harmonium In My Memory" too, since it stars 2 of Korea's finest actors--and my favorites too--Lee Byung Hun and Jeon Do Yeon.

--> Cute! Hehe.

[Guest yoonah]

A Promise (1998)

Starring: Park Shin Yang, Jeon Do Yeon, Jeong Jin Yeong

Director: Kim Yu Jin

Genre: Romance

Official Site: http://welcome.to/apromise/

http://www.shincine.com/promise/

http://movie.naver.com/

http://www.movist.com/

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This film, directed by Kim Yoo-Jin, was the top grossing Korean feature of 1998. It attracted roughly 720,000 viewers in Seoul alone, outgrossing such films as Godzilla, Lethal Weapon 4 and Deep Impact by a significant margin. Overall it was the 5th highest grossing film in 1998.

A Promise features two actors who starred in similarly popular films in 1997: Park Shin-yang (The Letter) and Jeon Do-yeon (The Contact). In this film, Jeon Do-yeon is a doctor who is called upon to treat a severely injured gang leader. After her initial indignation at the special treatment he receives, she begins to fall in love with him, and the two begin what would seem to be a doomed relationship.

Melodrama has long been the dominant genre in Korean popular cinema, and A Promise makes use of this tradition while exercising a bit more restraint than 1997's biggest feature, The Letter. The marketing of this film relied heavily on references to successful melodramas from past years, and was also closely tied to a remake of a song by Air Supply, "Goodbye", sung by Korean pop star Jessica. The success of this song no doubt added to the film's popularity, just as a rerelease of Sarah Vaughn's "Lovers' Concerto" propelled the 1997 feature The Contact into public consciousness.

A Promise more than anything else is shaped around the character of the doctor; a bright, confident woman who demands as much from her relationship as she is willing to put into it. The performance given by Jeon Do-yeon is, in my opinion, the main factor in this film's popular success. In return, the film has made her into one of the industry's most recognized and biggest new stars. (Darcy Paquet)

[Guest yoonah]

Harmonium in My Memory (1999)

Starring: Lee Byeong Heon, Jeon Do Yeon, Lee Mi-yeon

Screenplay: Bang Jang Ho, Je Yoon Sin, Lee Yeong Jae, Oh Eun Hee, Seo Byeong Chae

Director: Lee Yeong Jae

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Official Site: http://www.bluescreen.co.kr/myheart/

http://movie.naver.com/

http://www.movist.com/

Soompi thread: http://www.soompi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=87728

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The setting for this film is 1962, when a young teacher from Seoul takes his first job at a village school in Kangwon Province. When he arrives, his students present him with a number of challenges: many of them are poor, and cannot write properly; classtime is interrupted by fighting or visits from relatives. Nonetheless the students seem to enjoy his caring, idealistic approach, even if they don't always do what he tells them to.

At this time one of his older students begins to fall in love with him. She makes use of her daily journal assignments to comment on his teaching and ask him probing, curious questions. When she notices a romance developing between him and another teacher, she does her best to discredit her rival by harping on her age and stealing her shoes in class.

Director Lee Young-jae takes a lighthearted approach to this film, as evidenced by his casual jokes and the stereotyped portrayals of the older teachers at the school. This humor helps to put the ideals of the teachers and the passions of first love into perspective, without detracting from the underlying seriousness behind them. Jeon Do-yeon (The Contact, A Promise) is wonderful here once again as the 17-year old schoolgirl who battles with her timidity to make passes at her teacher. The teacher is played by Lee Byung-heon, a popular TV, stage and film actor. Lee Mi-yeon (Whispering Corridors, No. 3) acts as Jeon's rival, an idealistic young teacher who arrives from Seoul to teach at the same school.

As a teacher I've been subjected to a great many films that mythologize teaching and spin touching but ingenuine tales of success in the classroom. What I like best about this film is its lack of a triumphant breakthrough. Its honesty and light humor make us believe in the characters and care about what happens to them. By the time we reach the end of the film, it hits us with more power than we ever expected. (Darcy Paquet)

[Guest yoonah]

Happy End (1999)

Starring: Jeon Do Yeon, Choi Min Sik, Joo Jin Mo

Director: Jeong Ji Wu

Genre: Suspense, Romance

http://www.movist.com/

Trailer: http://www.gaga.ne.jp/happyend/tr/happyend_1000k.wmv

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When the making of this film was first announced, most assumed it would be fairly conventional, the story of an extramarital affair. As it neared release, however, it became apparent that the film would have teeth, and it has emerged as one of the strongest art films of the past several years.

Happy End is the debut work of director Jung Ji-woo, who won acclaim with an earlier short film titled A Bit Bitter (literal translation: "Ginger"). This new work focuses on three characters: a banker who loses his job but finds a sense of fulfillment in his new life at home, taking care of his daughter and reading mysteries in the park; his wife, a successful career woman who manages a language institute; and her ex-boyfriend, with whom she became separated years earlier when he was drafted into the army.

Happy End marks the maturation of a new generation of filmmakers who began their careers in short film. Although Jung is obviously not the first director to follow up a successful career in short film with an acclaimed debut (other notable examples include E J-Yong with An Affair, Park Ki-hyung with Whispering Corridors, and Hur Jin-ho with Christmas in August), he is nonetheless the first to infuse a full-length feature with the aesthetics and vitality of Korean short film. The tight form and emotional intensity of Happy End, together with the ambiguous manner of its resolution, give audiences a more concentrated viewing experience than most feature films.

The acting in this movie deserves special mention, with two of Korea's most talented actors giving virtuoso performances. Following up his popular success in the movie Shiri, Choi Min-shik takes on a hugely difficult role as the husband who discovers his wife's infidelity. In addition to the emotional range required by the part, it is also clear that the situation faced by the husband carries a symbolic weight in the film. Choi's haunted, suffering eyes bring forth an tremendous empathy in the viewer. Opposite him, actress Jeon Do-yeon shatters her earlier screen image with a daring, mesmerizing performance that sets her on a level apart from other actresses of her generation.

Happy End pulls no punches in its delivery, straining its viewers' emotions as well as pushing the limits of the film's form. In its art and its impact, it is an unforgettable film. (Darcy Paquet)

[Guest soiree99]

Thanks yoonah for starting this thread for JDY - she deserves it

[Guest yoonah]

I Wish I Had a Wife (2001)

Starring: Jeon Do Yeon, Seol Kyeong Gu

Screenplay, Director: Park Heung Sik

Official Site:http://www.sidus.net/movie/i_want_wife/i_want_w/index.asp

http://movie.naver.com/

http://www.movist.com/

Trailer

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Long before this film hit the theaters, I Wish I Had a Wife drew interest for its pairing of two of Korea's most respected stars: Sol Kyung-gu (Peppermint Candy) and Jeon Do-yeon (Happy End). In their first crack at romantic comedy, Sol and Jeon take on parts which, although lacking the emotional extremes of their previous roles, form the very heart of this charming film.

Sol plays a lovesick bank teller who can't get marriage off his mind. He records videos for his future wife, telling her how curious he is to find out who she will turn out to be. When he meets a former classmate (played by Jin Hee-kyung), he thinks he's finally found his match. Jeon, meanwhile, plays a teacher who works across the street from his bank. After a few accidental meetings, she works up the courage to ask him out, but is rudely rebuffed.

This is the debut work of director Park Heung-shik, who worked as assistant director to Hur Jin-ho for Christmas in August (1998). The influence of the latter film can be seen in I Wish I Had a Wife: in its visual style, its grounding in everyday life, and also in a subtle reworking of Christmas's famous umbrella scene.

At times the film's music recalls a Sleepless in Seattle or When Harry Met Sally, but I Wish I Had a Wife is a much different kind of movie. Content to revel in the ordinary, it lingers on unimportant details and its heroes' various quirks. Although at times this comes at the expense of plot, it imparts to the film a sense of honesty, as well as an unhurried pleasure. By the latter half of the film we begin to feel quite intimate with the characters.

Ultimately this movie feels like a comfortable old pair of jeans. While it makes little effort to leap out and grab one's attention, viewers will be pulled in by its light humor and the way it makes its characters' lives feel so familiar. (Darcy Paquet)

[Guest yoonah]

^^ yeheeey!!!

wow! a soompi thread about jdy. thanks yoonah! props! props!

It's about time for a JDY thread, good for you... yoonah, for taking the lead. She's a chameleon indeed.

thanks so much for starting this thread! she is hands down, one of THE best actors in korea.

Thanks yoonah for starting this thread for JDY - she deserves it

You're all welcome, fellow Jeon Do Yeon fans! Keep the posts coming! And thanks to rubie for the news and shirley for the goods.

[Guest yoonah]

No Blood No Tears (2002)

Starring: Jeon Do Yeon, Lee Hye Yeong, Jeong Jae Yeong, Ryoo Seung Beom

Screenplay: Jeong Jin Wan, Ryoo Seung Wan

Director: Ryoo Seung Wan

Genre: Action

Official Site: http://my.netian.com/~noblood/

http://movie.naver.com/

http://www.movist.com/

Trailer: mms://stream.cineseoul.com/hepk/hepk004148.wmv

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In summer 2000, young director Ryu Seung-wan became the talk of the Korean film industry for Die Bad, his debut film pieced together from four thematically-related 16mm short films. Die Bad's pacing, humor, and adrenaline-charged violence impressed even veteran directors, and it ended up becoming one of the most widely praised films of the year. A few months later, Ryu made a further impression with Dazimawa Lee, a 30-minute comedy shot on digital video and released over the internet, where it became a runaway hit. The film recorded over 1.5 million views and attracted a cult following for its grossly overstated spoof of 1970s action films.

So when Ryu finally got around to making his first feature-length film, he was already somewhat of an industry darling. No Blood No Tears is the story of two tough women who get sick of being kicked around by the crooks in their life, and decide to steal a bagful of money. Starring one of today's top actresses in Jeon Do-yeon and a major star from the 1980s in Lee Hye-young, the two promised to deliver Korea's first "women's action buddy movie", and the film was expected to become a popular hit.

It was not to be so. Although certainly not a bomb at the box-office, it did less than what most people were expecting, and it seems to have been quickly forgotten. This is a shame, because even though it wasn't a crowd-pleaser, No Blood No Tears is forceful, well-crafted, and distinctively grim.

Perhaps the film's biggest achievement is the look and mood it creates. Marketed as a "pulp noir", the movie features gorgeous dark lighting and colors, with strong doses of violence. At first, the story jumps about from past to present before settling down to present its complex plot filled with detours and reversals.

It also features a rich array of unique and twisted personalities. The obsessed boyfriend hell-bent on revenge is played masterfully by Jung Jae-young from Guns & Talks. Making an impressive acting debut is Jung Du-hong, Korea's most accomplished action director who has worked on a wide number of films from Musa to The Foul King. His moves in this film show clearly why he is so respected. The director's younger brother Ryu Seung-beom, one of the hottest acting talents in the industry, also takes a role, together with a number of older actors who became famous for their action roles in the 1970s.

One thing the film does not have is the amount of humor seen in Ryu's previous works. It also fails somewhat to deliver on its claim of being a women's action movie, with the women getting roundly beaten up for just about the whole film. In this sense the finished product has not been what people were expecting, but it is nonetheless an entertaining, visceral treat. (Darcy Paquet)

[Guest yoonah]

Untold Scandal (2003)

Starring: Jeon Do Yeon, Lee Mi Seok, Bae Yong Joon

Screenplay: Kim Dae Woo, Kim Hyeon Jeong, Lee Jae Young

Director: Lee Jae Young

Genre: Romance, Drama, Art House

Official Site: http://www.thescandal.co.kr/

http://www.movist.com/

http://www.koreafilm.co.kr/

http://movie.naver.com/

Trailer: mms://stream.cineseoul.com/hepk/hepk017289.wmv

MV: mms://stream.cineseoul.com/hmusic/hmusic017289.wmv

Movie Posters

Eighteenth-century epistolary novels don't generally form the basis for record-breaking opening weekends at the box-office. This rule is no less true in Korea than in other countries, but 2003 has been a year of surprises. After a resounding flop with his second film Asako in Ruby Shoes in 2001, director E J-yong has taken French novelist Choderlos de Laclos' Les Liaisons Dangereuses and moved it not forward in time -- as with the 1999 Hollywood film Cruel Intentions -- but laterally to the other side of the planet to Korea's Chosun Dynasty. This weird fusion of 18th century French and Korean cultures has resulted in a stimulating and convincing adaptation. It's not hard to imagine a hypocritical and double-faced Chosun society that could rival the characters in Laclos' book.

First: if you've seen Stephen Frears' Dangerous Liaisons or read the original novel, then don't go into Untold Scandal expecting major departures in the plot. The basic narrative and characterization are more or less the same, with only small adjustments made to broker a neat fit with 18th-century Korean society. Instead, approach the film as you would a new, contemporary staging of your favorite classic play. You've already memorized your favorite lines, but you'd like to experience it again and see what the new setting will do for the overall effect.

The new setting in Untold Scandal is striking. The vibrant, gently clashing colors of the costumes and sets give a visual counterpoint to the sensuality of the story. Sex scenes -- far more explicit than in previous film adaptations -- collide with our preconceived images of old Korea. In contrast, the movements of the characters in day to day life are elegant in their restraint, echoing the strict moral code of Chosun society around which our characters must negotiate. The dialogue is also elegant and rich in color, an extra bonus for native speakers of Korean.

A recent internet poll posed the question of why the film was so commercially successful (over 3 million admissions nationwide), and respondents gave primary credit to the cast. The movie's women are proven acting talents: Lee Mi-sook, a star of the 1980s (in such films as Bae Chang-ho's Whale Hunting) who resurrected her career with director E's first film An Affair (1998), has already earned a Best Actress citation from the Korean Critics Awards for her portrayal of Lady Cho (the "Glenn Close character"). She has more than enough poise, presence and sensuality to excel in the role. Chameleon Jeon Do-yeon, reknowned for choosing widely diverse roles and playing them all equally well, takes the film's most serious part, and gives it great depth. Most attention was focused on male lead Bae Yong-joon, however. Having reached the pinnacle of fame in the TV drama sector with his clean-cut, nice boy image, he surprised many people by landing such a risque part for his cinematic debut. Some predicted disaster; he actually pulled off the part better than expected, though in many ways he is overshadowed by the women in the film. Memories of John Malkovich also set a high standard to live up to.

If Scandal is primarily about execution, however, then director E J-yong must be given the most credit (an interview with the director is also available on this site). He keeps a familiar story interesting by virtue of unexpected juxtapositions (for example in the soundtrack, a mix of classical European and Korean music), visual elegence, and efficient storytelling. He stays true to the spirit of the original novel while giving it an entirely new aesthetic. More than anything else, it is entertaining. Not intended as an art film, Scandal is a notable example of fashioning a modern-day blockbuster from a completely unexpected set of ingredients. (Darcy Paquet)

[Guest yoonah]

My Mother, the Mermaid (2004)

Starring: Jeon Do Yeon, Park Hae Il

Screenplay, Director: Park Heung Sik

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Official Site: http://www.2004fantasy.co.kr/

http://www.koreafilm.co.kr/

http://movie.naver.com/

http://www.movist.com/

Trailer: mms://stream.cineseoul.com/hepk/hepk018738.wmv

MV: mms://stream.cineseoul.com/hmusic/hmusic018738.wmv

Movie Posters

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This sophomore effort by director Park Heung-shik (I Wish I Had a Wife) has all the markings of a crowd-pleasing romantic comedy. The big draw is top star Jeon Do-yeon taking on a dual role for the first time, paired with Pak Hae-il (hot from Memories of Murder).

Na-young (Jeon Do-yeon) is a pretty but demure travel agent, living with her parents. Her mother Yeon-soon, played by the veteran actress Ko Doo-sim (Saving My Hubby), is a former haenyeo (female divers who make a living by catching shellfish) and now a back-scrubber in a public bath. She is a barely literate, tough-as-nails fiftysomething who spits everywhere and cusses like a macho gangster in an Oliver Stone movie. (The film opens with a cleverly staged sequence in which Yeon-soon is seemingly grieving over someone's death during a funeral service, only to be revealed as accusing the dead man of "dying irresponsibly" after having borrowed her husband's money) Na-young is desperately embarrassed by her mother's shameless, money-grubbing behavior and equally disillusioned by her father's refusal to fully engage with his life. When her father, sentenced to a terminal disease, disappears, Na-young traces him back to Yeon-soon's hometown, a remote island in Southwest (Even though the haenyeo is usually associated with Cheju Island, director Park made the characters converse in Cholla Province dialect. The authentic Cheju Island dialect would have been nearly incomprehensible to most Koreans). There, she is caught in a time slip, a la Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) and befriends her own mother as a young diver, courted by the younger version of her father, a postal worker.

When I first saw My Mother, The Mermaid, I was greatly impressed by Jeon Do-yeon and Ko Doo-sim's powerhouse performances, but a bit disappointed by the film itself. At the initial glance, it appeared too gentle and too dependent on its brilliant actors to carry the film forward, making half-hearted attempts at squeezing the viewer's tear ducts but not really presenting a powerful narrative in command of the viewer's undivided attention.

The second and third viewings have not changed my opinion that the whole of the film seems less than the sum total of its parts. Fortunately, they have made me realize that the pleasure derived from the parts is considerable. Freed from the need to follow the plot and chart the character arc, we can sit back and let our hearts resonate with the stirringly intricate and nuanced performances of the principal performers.

I hate sounding like a skipping CD, but Jeon Do-yeon is absolutely brilliant here as she is anywhere. She is no less impressive essaying the role of soft-hearted and introverted Na-young than playing an uncultured but spunky Yeon-soon. It would have been so easy to turn the former into an annoyingly self-centered twerp, and the latter into a cartoon caricature defined by her funny accent, tanned skin and "cute" pigtails. Jeon resists all the easy choices and paints her characters in layers and layers of shadings, so much so that the range of her performance is difficult to appreciate in just one viewing.

Pak Hae-il is dashing and handsome, devoid of the lethal and metallic beauty that he displayed in Memories of Murder. However, his presence is still so striking that we have trouble believing that he would age into the spineless old man depicted in the film: this disjuncture between Jin-guk (father)'s young and old selves is one of the film's major weaknesses.

Ko Doo-sim is also simply wonderful, matching Jeon stroke by stroke in technical adeptness and restraint. She projects life force of her own whenever she is on screen, and when Yeon-soon tearfully berates her husband for not standing up to his illness, Ko effortlessly communicates a lifetime of unarticulated disappointment, pathos and love without a shred of affectation.

It must be admitted, too, that the sensitive direction by Park Heung-shik and the warm and effusive cinematography by Choe Yeong-taek (Oasis, Volcano High), almost entirely done with natural lighting, collaborate well with the actors in mounting effective set pieces.

Despite its star wattage, My Mother, The Mermaid is neither a mainstream romantic comedy nor a well-calculated tear-jerker. Instead, it turns out to be a soulful tribute to motherhood, especially those Korean mothers who have foregone respect and understanding in their efforts to survive and care for their (indeed often totally useless) husbands and (indeed often totally unappreciative) children. Perhaps the best thing about the film is that it is not one of those disgustingly hypocritical melodramas that portray the grown children weeping over their (dead) mothers (and the meals that the mothers cooked for them, like the indentured servants that they were), whom they have exploited and kept silenced throughout the latter's lives.

As played by the beautiful-in-her-crow's-feet Ko Doo-sim, this Mother does not need the patronizing "appreciation" from her children, thank you very much. (Kyu Hyun Kim)

[rubie]

Wah... yoonah, you've been really busy... collecting JDY's movies. Really appreciate what you're doing... good thinking, too. It's much easier to see JDY's past work, all in one page. And JDY really had performed in various roles... she's truly a chameleon! Just see all the roles she had played!

I've only seen Harmonium, Untold Scandal, Happy End and You are My Sunshine... even in this limited choices the movies tells a lot of her versatility. I Wish I Had a Wife sounds like a nice movie... wonder if we could find a copy to watch.

Keep up the good work, the thread's doing great! *thumbs up!*

[Guest yoonah]

You Are My Sunshine (2005)

Starring: Jeon Do Yeon, Hwang Jeong Min

Screenplay, Director: Park Jin Pyo

Official Site: http://www.mysunshine.co.kr/

www.cineseoul.com

http://movie.naver.com/

http://www.movist.com/

Soompi thread: http://www.soompi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5588

Movie Posters

One of the nastiest putdowns wielded by Korean film critics is the term 'shinpa'. If a film drives you crazy with its histrionic, sappy, overblown plot machinations, there's no need to write paragraphs picking apart its many faults. One word will do: call it shinpa. The word originally referred to a type of stage play that appeared in Japan in the 1880s ('shimpa' in Japanese), which adapted the Western melodrama -- particularly tales about scandalous romance -- into a form that local audiences could relate to. They were introduced into Korea in the 1910s and quickly became popular with general audiences, but highbrow critics attacked the plays for their escapist character and supposed appeal to base instincts and emotions. The term was later adopted into film criticism and it is used often today to refer to TV dramas or to melodramas like The Letter (1997) and A Moment To Remember (2004).

Most directors who aspire to auteur status would sooner quit filmmaking than make a work that could be branded as shinpa. Yet Park Jin-pyo, who proved he had guts enough to tackle septuagenarian sex in 2002 with Too Young To Die, now proves he has guts enough to tackle the most villified, banal genre in Korean cinema. The latter probably required more courage.

You Are My Sunshine (yes, the song does make an appearance) tells the story of a 36-year old farmer named Seok-joong who, apart from his cow and his mother, has difficulty relating to women. After backing out of a scheme that would have set him up with a Philippine bride, he decides to make do without a wife, until the day Eun-ha drives past him on her scooter. (Cue slow motion, music, and Seok-joong's mouth hanging wide open... he's in love) Eun-ha, meanwhile, is employed as a sex worker at the local coffee shop, delivering beverages and a variety of services to whoever in town pays for them. She reacts with bemusement at first when the awkward, stammering Seok-joong presents himself, delivering free bottles of milk and roses to her on a daily basis. As time passes, though, she begins to wonder if life with him might be a better option than her current day-to-day routine.

You Are My Sunshine leaves no stone unturned in the shinpa book of techniques, with all the plot twists you'd expect in any 1970s Korean hostess film. The film even admits as such, in a scene where a reporter calls his boss to summarize the situation facing our heroes, saying "This is even better than I thought... it's total shinpa!" And yet there's a world of difference between this film and a work like The Letter. Like Hur Jin-ho (whose feature One Fine Spring Day is referenced several times within the text), Park presents a host of realistic details to support the film's sentiment, and characterizes his leads so well that they seem to exist outside the film as well as in it. Without preaching, the film also manages to slip in some cutting observances about rural life and societal prejudice. The film is unfortunately too long, meandering a bit in the middle, but when the requisite disasters set in towards the end, they carry their share of emotional force.

Much of the the credit for that emotional force has to be shared with the actors. Hwang Jeong-min's portrayal of the physically imposing but somewhat childish Seok-joong is the more acrobatic of the two performances, with Hwang enacting a 180-degree turnaround from the gangster he played in A Bittersweet Life. His character is the one who will be most discussed and noticed among Korean viewers. Nonetheless this film confirms for me that Jeon Do-yeon simply operates on another plane from her contemporaries. She has so much visceral talent, and she's so convincing in her role that, ironically, it's easy to overlook her performance. She never looks like she's acting, she just morphs into the character. Also deserving of major praise is Na Moon-hee, who is fantastic as Seok-joong's mother.

Some might argue that Park has sold out with this film, after making such a subversive debut in 2002. Certainly this is a more commercial venture -- at the time of this writing, it's scheduled to be released on 450 screens, a new record for a melodrama. But one can't help but admire the unpredictability of the director's vision, and the way in which he tackles a maligned genre in so straightforward a fashion. Sometimes, the most conventional artistic choices are the most radical. (Darcy Paquet)

[Guest yoonah]

Wah... yoonah, you've been really busy... collecting JDY's movies. Really appreciate what you're doing... good thinking, too. It's much easier to see JDY's past work, all in one page. And JDY really had performed in various roles... she's truly a chameleon! Just see all the roles she had played!

I've only seen Harmonium, Untold Scandal, Happy End and You are My Sunshine... even in this limited choices the movies tells a lot of her versatility. I Wish I Had a Wife sounds like a nice movie... wonder if we could find a copy to watch.

Keep up the good work, the thread's doing great! *thumbs up!*

Gee thanks rubie! It really is hard work, having to download the pix and then upload them again so as not to steal bandwidth. And with dial-up, it's taking me forever to upload the pix! But I'm just glad to be doing this for Jeon Do Yeon. As soiree99 puts it, JDY deserves it!

I hope to be able to complete her filmography. I especially want to see "Harmonium In My Memory". It was actually what catalyzed this thread's creation. My friend was telling me about the movie and about Jeon Do Yeon's dazzling performace. But she won't tell me how it ended, so spoiler princess that I am decided to search online for the movie's conclusion. I thought I'd check soompi, but to my surprise, there is no thread on "Harmonium..." nor Jeon Do Yeon. So there, I made this!

See you around.

[Guest misspipi]

Yes! Finally, there is a thread about JDY. She can really act! )

[melusine]

She takes on her roles so well, that one doesn't see her in the characters she play. She just doesn't act out her characters. SHE BECOMES THEM!!!!

So true. I'll join in the chorus of gratitude for starting this thread, yoonah.

Jeon DoYeon's not only THE BEST DAMNED ACTRESS Korea has right now; I predict that she'll also be remembered as one of the greatest in the history of her country's cinema. Been trying really hard to complete her filmography, (I'm only missing her early movie "A Promise", yay! Then "Shooting Stars" and "Lovers in Prague" are next on my list) because I can be absolutely certain that just her presence elevates the movie/drama she's in a couple of notches--that's how good she is. She's fabulous in EVERYTHING I've seen her in. I cannot think of enough superlatives to describe her talent... it just awes me.

Love love love her.

http://www.cyworld.com/jdoyoun

A really nice dl (Clubbox): JDY's Photo Documentary

[melusine]

Movieweek article

Movieweek article

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credit: NOA

Premiere

Vogue article

credit: http://blog.naver.com/sugarbaby21/80030870042

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Cosmopolitan

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[shirley]

YES!!! JDY got a new movie ! with song kang ho !!^^

http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/006550.html

[melusine]

OMG. OMG. OMG.

So that was what their "flirting" (to my overactive imagination ) on the "The Host" set was all about! You know, shirley, while watching that clip, I was wondering when JDY would get to work with Song KangHo. After all, she's worked with Choi MinShik ("Happy End") and Seol KyungGu ("I Wish I Had A Wife"), so that left SKH as the only one among Korea's Big 3 who hasn't been her costar. And I was thinking idly, "Gosh, I hope she works with him soon." I SWEAR I WAS THINKING THAT! I WAS, I SWEAR!

And now this.

Plus with Lee ChangDong as director! I haven't seen "Peppermint Candy" yet (can't seem to find a copy) but "Oasis" was amazing.

The combination is just... just... Ahhhhhhh *hyperventilates*

circa 2001