[movie 2009] A Good Rain Knows / Season Of Good Rain 호우시절

In the film "Notting Hill", William (played by Hugh Grant) expressed his encounter with worldwide star Anna (Julia Roberts) as a surreal experience. Meeting Jung Woo-sung in Korea may be a similar experience. Having a conversation while sitting across Jung who held a cigar in his hand is no different than meeting Santa Claus. But the moment it all becomes even more surreal is when he expresses his realistic concerns regarding shooting a film. Below is the record of 10Asia's realistic, yet even more so unrealistic interview with the actor.

Actor Jung Woo-sung [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

10: This is your first time working with director Hur Jin-ho. Do you like his style?

Jung Woo-sung: I really like "Christmas in August" and "One Fine Spring Day" but "April Snow" and "Happiness", not so much.

10: Why is that?

Jung: "April Snow" felt as if an extremely naive Korean language teacher was trying to teach his students sex education. As if someone who doesn't know about obscenity trying to put on that feeling in his work? And the main character in "Happiness" was too gloomy.

10: Then did you see the Hur that you like in the scenario for "A Good Rain Knows"?

Jung: There was the 'Hur-ness' to it. People may usually remember the film "One Fine Spring Day" for its lines such as "How can love change" but I liked it when Sang-woo (played by Yoo Ji-tae) silently stands on a prairie to collect sound or when in "Christmas in August", the two main characters just sat across from each other eating ice cream without saying a word. You know, those moments that really shine although they're mere trifles. I felt that in "Rain".

10: Weren't you moved even more because it's difficult for you to enjoy such daily occurences?

Jung: I think so. And I really like those kind of things. I'm someone who likes to walk down streets and just watch people absentmindedly but it's become hard for me to do that after becoming a star and living as Jung Woo-sung. I tell myself that I don't care about trying to limit my actions to fit myself into the image people see me as, but my outward emotions and daily life have become simplified because of it. If I think about it, I always go to the same places and meet the same people. I stopped walking on streets from a certain point. Such things have disappeared for me.

10: Then would you say that you fulfilled such deficiencies in your life through your role this time?

Jung: I guess I could say I did. I did feel the daily moments and emotions that were delivered through the scenario. I got a taste of what it is to maximize the trifling emotions tossed in daily life rather than emotions forced for something dramatic.

10: You said at a press conference that one who meets Hur will "have a hell of a time" -- did you feel difficulty in the ways he attempted to pull out such emotions?

Jung: I don't know if it's his way of pulling out normality but it was just a different style from what I had experienced before. The previous films I had worked on contained a lot of action and a lot of cuts so if we had to shoot several cuts, we would do it all in one day. If from so to so is one take, I usually filmed everything that happens within it. It all moves very fast. And in such times, even if I try not to calculate my acting, I have to decide what emotions and expressions I'll show in certain parts of the cut. That means I have to be that much more precise. I have to know what I need to do more of, what I need to take out, and what is no good at which point. In other words, I'm calculating but not anything in particular. But it's not like that with Hur. He continuously sets forth questions in front of the camera and actor. 'What is it that we have to do here?' he would ask. Which would make me think 'What is he trying to do with me? Does he really want to shoot or not?' And it would be because we would actually have to finish filming everything in just a month. But when I look back on it, I myself am someone who doesn't like to be caught within set rules but I realized that I had gotten myself into it at a certain point.

10: It seems that Hur isn't the type that gives set directions right away.

Jung: That's right. He doesn't even decide on from where to where he will shoot the cuts.

Actor Jung Woo-sung [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

10: It must have been tough but I think it must have also been a chance for you to express your possibility and opinions.

Jung: For example, I missed the timing of taking off a flower petal from May's hair while acting and then took it off after that. I think such things happened more often in the process of me asking myself what the answer is to Hur's questions. And at the same time, I naturally was able to immerse myself more into Dong-ha's character.

10: And that's how your natural acting came out. When May said she was married, it was impressive how you didn't reveal your emotion explicitly but we were able to see something give way within you.

Jung: That emotion right there is a very interesting one. It's actually the first question that should have been asked, isn't it? "Do you have a boyfriend? A lover? Are you married?" But it never was. He hadn't wanted to. But he was hoping she would say something if they crossed a line they shouldn't, and they eventually did cross the line but she said it so suddenly afterwards that he felt sort of a queer disappointment and resentment he couldn't blame her for. Director Hur and I spent a very long time -- compared to the time it took to film the scene -- discussing and closing in on our opinions on why Dong-ha and May felt such feelings at that moment there. I think the feelings I felt while discussing it came out in my acting too.

10: Such things are different from the more manly characters we saw of you in "Beat" or "Musa". Is the reason you took on Dong-ha more because you wanted to challenge yourself in something you want to be good at rather than actually being good at it?

Jung: Not really. For sure, there are things I'm good at and things I want to be good at. But an actor doesn't limit himself by such ideas when acting. Of course, I do have to recognize what the image is of me that the public want. I used to reject having to do so when I was younger, thinking I could do whatever I want. Like falling in love when I was in my 20s. Back then, I used to think that love was about expressing my love and giving it, but it's actually about listening to the other person and taking it in. And you have to know how to observe that other person's love too. I've started to become able to look back on myself and what is happening as I grow older. And start realizing what image the public want. I actually tried this and that to try to break myself from that image because I didn't want to be defined for a set image, but the timing was bad. The public was already sure of what image they wanted to see in me. A handsome Jung Woo-sung, or something like that. So now I've decided to try to deliver slightly modified images of myself to the public by using different types of speech.

10: Like you once said on the "Park Joong-hoon Show" that you continuously think in order to survive, it seems you have a lot of concerns about yourself. As who you are as a star, as an actor.

Jung: I think I think more about myself rather than who I am as a star. Of course, I do take Jung Woo-sung into consideration when choosing a film, but that's just work. There's a part of me that can't be satisfied by that and I think about that part of me a lot. I think if I do my best at where I am right now, I will be able to keep my position even if I don't think about it too hard.

10: Such sincerity, your looks, and acting have all combined to created sort of the proper noun "The Jung Woo-sung". Do you feel such response yourself too?

Jung: Of course. At one point, you just have to know it, feel it, acknowledge it and just take it all in. That ultimately links directly to the image of when I act. And like I said earlier, it's the image the audience want to see from me. Hur wanted me to use less fluent Korean-style English when acting the part of Dong-ha for this film, but I thought differently. People would see me as Jung Woo-sung before actually falling into Dong-ha's character. Then people will think that I speak English, but it's weird. Then they'll stop empathizing with my character and automatically take out their radars to evaluate my English. Then there is no empathizing or whatsoever.

10: And like you said, it's all because of "The Jung Woo-sung". You must have many concerns as an actor.

Jung: That's the extent to which I worry. After that I just have to study my character. I'll remove everything which proves as an obstacle to watching the film and after that, the audience will be sucked into the film if it's good.

10: There are people who just do away with what is laid forth in front of their eyes, and those who look at the big picture and work hard. I think you're the latter type. Has your perspective widened as you age?

Jung: Since young, I've been the type that observes the whole flow of a situation. I wasn't just thinking about my role when I debuted in films. The main thing that came into sight was the pains the staff had to go through. I became increasingly interested in what each of their jobs were on set. That's why I developed a passion for movies and learned a lot on set. Then naturally, with the staff I would start to think about what the problems are within the film industry. Because I became attached to it. And I think that's how I came to look at everything as a whole.

Actor Jung Woo-sung [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

10: You also showed us a quite comical side to you in "A Good Rain Knows". The scene where you pretend to impersonate May's Chinese and ask her what she's talking about. Was it ad-lib?

Jung: It was. I came up with it while rehearsing. People usually talk in their own language when they're in a hurry. So I came up with it thinking of that.

10: "Rain", Jang Dong-gun's "Good Morning President" and Lee Byung-hun's "I Come with the Rain" will all be released at similar times. You must feel some sort of competition.

Jung: There is no competition because a movie is what it is for itself. We're not playing a sport such as running a 100-meter race. Could films which aim at delivering different emotions be considered competing against each other? Like "Haeundae" and "Take Off" did, I hope all of us also do well and deliver the emotions we want to the audience. It's great news on behalf of the Korean film industry.

10: But there must be some competition between the actors. For example, what is the meaning of Jang Dong-gun to you? He is the one who you are most often compared to.

Jung: I think people say Jang is good looking and that I look handsome. I talked about this recently during an interview with TV personality Park Kyung-lim too but I think it's good that we can be compared. I think I would be lonely if I was unchallenged. There is a sort of stimulus I get from feeling that there is someone other than myself who is recognized. Of course, I sometimes say "Shoot!" when he takes away a TV commercial I used to do. (laugh)

10: But on the other hand, you took away a commercial from him -- Chung Jung-won. (laugh) So we're curious to know what the image you have of Jung-won. What sort of woman do you hope she is?

Jung: A woman who looks pretty but in an average sort of way. I think it would be possible for her to be expressed into a variety of looks. That's it for now. I can't really answer too easily to that question because I'm getting cornered.

10: Since you mentioned that you're being cornered, when on earth are you planning on getting married?

Jung: Well, there's a baby in the picture which means I'll be a father so I do have an idea of how old we'll both be when it happens. That's why I feel like I'm being cornered and feel like I'm sort of starting to rush.

10: Do you have an urge to raise a happy family?

Jung: Yes, I want to be the father of a happy family.

10: I think you'd make a great single man even in your 40s and 50s.

Jung: It may seem like that on the outside but I think it would be depressing living alone at that age. I know because there are a lot of bachelors around me. (laugh)

Actor Jung Woo-sung [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

10: It's because you look younger than your age. You don't seem human to us, the way we consider Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp.

Jung: Well, they're not aliens either, right? And they have families. Would that mean their children are from Andromeda? (laugh)

10: Well, it seems you're aging but in what aspects do you think you're different from when you were in your 20s versus being in your 30s?

10: People say I seem to be more at ease now but I don't think I've changed that much. My values and establishment of my self were things I had thought about since I was young because I thought they were the only things which could protect me and make me who I am when I had nothing else to boast about. But who would take me seriously back then, talking about such serious matters at a young age? The reaction wasn't so great -- as if they thought I was pretending to be cool -- and I too ended up acting sensitively toward them. Now people take me seriously since I'm older. And it's been a while we've all kept an eye on each other. That's why the conversations are natural.

10: You seem to think a lot. Are there any particular scenes or endings you would like to show when you become a movie director?

Jung: I'm an actor so I don't think up images just for the image itself. Rather I think about how an actor will show an image when he turns around feeling a certain emotion or the angle on his face when he does so. I've always liked imagining stories. Even before I debuted, I used to snicker to myself imagining that I was the main character in a movie. That's how I ended up writing the narration for the character Min in the movie "Beat" and fearlessly jumped into scenario-writing. Then I thought I want to become a director as I started thinking up actual images.

10: Is there a particular actor you would want to use as the main character?

Jung: I'm not sure. I don't know who it will be but they won't have an easy time working for a director who has worked with some of the toughest directors such as Kim Sung-soo or Hur Jin-ho. (laugh) I'm going to play the main character. The level of acting is not going to be easy so I think I'll be in a better mind doing it myself.

10: Lastly, I'm curious to know whether you could still put on the nervous look in your eyes like you did with Min from "Beat", although you are much more at ease.

Jung: Would it be better if I sat in a classroom? (laugh) The film ended with Min dying but I personally didn't let go of him. I was always disgruntled with the fact that he was killed in a way which sort of makes him a hero but doesn't give us any answers although he was a character who represented a class in society which has been shunned from reality. So many people like him have overcome their pains and come out into society. So I too have let Min continue to mature inside my heart.

10: Then do you think you're acting the part of a grown-up Min?

Jung: He could be inside me or we could have become synchronized.

Reporter : Wee Geun-woo eight@10asia.co.kr

Photographer : Chae ki-won ten@10asia.co.kr

Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr, Jang Kyung-Jin three@10asia.co.kr

[10Asia FOCUS] The 16 stars of 2009 - Part 3

I met with Jung Woo-sung. This is all that really needs to be said regarding the meaning of my interview with him. And it is not just because of the great aura he exudes as one of the top actors in South Korea alongside Jang Dong-gun. He was like a philosophical book written over a long period with much care -- he knew the meaning of what he was saying and each word fell in place with his appearance, name value and filmography as an actor. In other words, his acknowledgement of his position as 'The Jung Woo-sung' and his recognition of 'the image the public wants of Jung Woo-sung' linked well with his decision to take on film "A Good Rain Knows". The clear image the public has of Jung and the substance that fill up that image -- that is what makes him 'The Jung Woo-sung.'

melusine · October 16, 2009

http://www.arirangtv.com/TV2/Star_Focus.as...mp;sys_lang=Eng

Jung Woo-sung

MAR 20, 1973

187cm (6.1ft) / O

1994 through the movie 'The Fox with Nine Tails'

2009 3rd Asian Film Awards, Best supporting actor award

Video mms://s3.arirang.co.kr/StarFocus_Vod/Showbiz_300k_2009-10-19_1047_StarFocus.asf [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIGA8IoDdc0]

He's the role model for all the males out these, and the 'Mr. Perfect' all women want to meet, at least once in their lifetimes. It's actor Jung Woo-sung, and our special story about this actor starts right this minute!

Jung Woo-sung (정우성) is the top romantist of this generation and he's back into the out-stretched arms of his fans with 'Season of Good Rain,' a movie just perfect for the fall season. The premiere of this movie was extremely successful and is now waiting to be released to the public.

The name of the movie 'Season of Good Rain' comes from 'the good rain that knows when to come,' a verse written by Du Fu, a prominent Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty. It's about a couple who, during their studies in the States, go their separate ways without knowing that what they had was love, but by chance, meet up once again and restart their love for one another.

What's standing out about this production is that it's made by Director Huh Jin-ho (허진호) who is known for his sensitive melodrama movies such as 'Christmas in August' and 'One Fine Spring Day.' We found out that Jung Woo-sung's (정우성) friendship with director Huh Jin-ho (허진호) goes back a long time.

In addition, through this movie Jung Woo-sung (정우성) showed off his acting skills in English, a first since his debut. He spoke fluently in the movie, and stated that it wasn't easy to express his emotions in another language that's not his mother tongue.

The main actress who gave Jung Woo-sung (정우성) the shivers was China's top actress Yuanyuan Gao. The two communicated in poor English, but later on, they shared each other's feeling by just looking at each other.

In this movie, Jung Woo-sung falls in borderless love. He states that regardless of the language barriers and different living environments, love is a common emotion felt by everyone.

Actor Jung Woo-sung (정우성) is always in the spotlight, but what gave him the top-notch actor status was the movie 'Beat' released in 1997. With sadness in his eyes, he became the self-portrait of the wandering teenagers back then, but now, he's at an age where he can reminiscence and smile about his past.

Jung Woo-sung (정우성) debuted in 1994 through the movie 'The Fox with Nine Tails' and since then, he hasn't let go of his top status. We could see his tough side at times, and his soft sides at other times through numerous productions, where he showed his diverse attractions.

Thanks to the Korean wave craze that started in 2000, Jung Woo-sung (정우성) became the top-notch Korean wave star. In particular, his recent piece 'The Good, The Bad, The Weird' was in the non-competition category of last year's Cannes International Film Festival, and received outstanding acclaim.

Meanwhile, Jung Woo-sung (정우성) has dreamt for a long time of becoming a movie director. Starting with the group g.o.d's music video production in 2000, he's slowly paving his way towards becoming a movie director.

As an actor and a director, the 37 year old Jung Woo-sung is giving all he has into his career. In a recent interview, he left a profound answer by saying that he'll get married when he turns '40.'

Even though he's really fussy about his 'Ms. Right,' we can't complain. We hope he remains besides everyone as an actor all his life, and what might Jung Woo-sung's (정우성) ultimate goals be?

Actor Jung Woo-sung (정우성) knew the right timing to come back! There's a time and place for everything, we think the ideal timing in Jung Woo-sung's (정우성) acting career is right now, this moment.

melusine · October 16, 2009

(L to R) Directors Choi Dong-Hoon, Hur Jin-Ho, Ryu Jang-Ha and Hwang Gyu-Deok attend the Meet the Guest 'Korean Directors-In Good Company' (아주담담-최선의 동료들) during the 14th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) at the QOOK TV PIFF Audience Lounge on October 12, 2009 in Busan, South Korea.

via 10Asia, Yonhap News, My Daily, My Daily, Joy News, No Cut News, Asia Economy, Asia Economy, Mk.co.kr, Mk.co.kr

credit as labelled + Yahoo

melusine · October 16, 2009

Popular actor Jung Woo-sung and Chinese model/actress Gao Yuan-yuan will also host an Open Talk session on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. for "A Good Rain Knows" by Hur Jin-ho.

Source: [Korea Times] Stars Fall Upon Haeundae for Busan Film Festival

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA2WsCGeKS4] [Video] [Video] [Video] [Video] [Video]

via 10Asia

melusine · October 16, 2009

10/16/09 @ Busan Yatching Center - PIFF Closing Ceremony [Video]

credit as labelled

melusine · October 18, 2009

melusine · October 22, 2009

(Movie Review) Few words, no tragic twist, but Korean auteur Hur manages again to touch hearts

By Shin Hae-in (hayney@yna.co.kr), Yonhap News

2009/09/23 10:11 KST

SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- For many, it isn't for lack of affection or romance that first love fails. It's a matter of timing.

"A Good Rain Knows (Howusijeol)," a Korea-China co-production directed by Korea's leading filmmaker Hur Jin-ho, features two college sweethearts, hopeful yet hesitant about giving their romance another chance in a different place and time.

Dong-ha (Jung Woo-sung), an aspiring South Korean architect who goes to China on a business trip, runs into his college sweetheart May (Gao Yuanyuan), a Chinese woman with whom he had lost touch for years after their brief romance in the United States.

Recalling their good old days in the city of Chengdu in China's Sichuan province, the two are surprised yet delighted to find conflicting details in their memories -- a product of their decade-long separation.

With a flurry of returning memories and surrounded by Chinese cuisine and scenery, Dong-ha and May find their feelings slowly building again.

Now both in their 30s and mature enough to distrust initial feelings, the two are reluctant to believe what they had back then was really love and whether their emotions are ready to fully blossom again.

Their reunion is like "a good rain that knows when to come," a phrase from Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu's poem, but Dong-ha's three-day stay in China appears too short and abrupt, especially for May who appears to be hiding a sad memory she is not yet ready to share with her old love. Dong-ha, likewise unsure but the more determined of the two, extends his stay in China just one more day, asking May out on a long-delayed "real" date.

Hur, now in his late 40s, is renowned for creating refined yet touching love stories including "Christmas in August (1998)," "One Fine Spring Day (2001)" and "Happiness (2007)," which all portrayed the complex interplay of sadness and romance in relationships.

His fifth feature appears unique among his creations, not only for the exotic touch coming from the Chinese co-production, but for his choice to go light on the tragic and mournful aspect and instead focus on the hope and strength of love.

"In my past works, I focused on the emotions that come after the happiness love initially brings. In this movie, I wanted to reverse the process and talk about what happens after two people find each other again," Hur said during the film's Seoul preview Tuesday. "I hope the audience will remember something after this movie and have faith in love again."

The only catch in this tranquil film appears to be the somewhat stumbling English acting with the language unfamiliar to both Jung and Gao, two of the most popular performers from their countries.

But Hur manages to turn even the minor factor into strength, using simple dialogues that somehow maximize the unspoken feelings between the two characters. The supporting characters' desperate mix of three languages -- English, Korean and Mandarin -- also draws laughter from the audience from time to time.

Inspired by Du Fu's poem "Basking in Rain on a Spring Night," the movie blends different languages and cultures into a potent melodrama, and although the genre has underperformed in the South Korean cinema for years, it may prove to be the season's dark horse.

"A Good Rain…" was originally part of an omnibus feature "Chengdu I Love You" (Chengdu wo ai ni)," an homage to the Chinese city which was hit by a devastating earthquake in May last year. Premiering at the Venice Film Festival this year, the film was recognized for its commercial appeal and was developed into a full feature.

Co-produced by Korea's Pancinema Corp. and China's Zonbo Media, the movie will be released on Oct. 8 simultaneously in Korea, China and Japan.

melusine · October 27, 2009

Jung, Gao show fine chemistry in new film

By Yang Sung-jin (insight@heraldm.com), Korea Herald

2009.10.09

A Korean businessman encounters a Chinese woman he used to know. He cannot speak Chinese. She doesn't understand Korean, either. The only common language they share is English. Remarkably, not much gets lost in translation, an intriguing feat that underscores the strength of director Hur Jin-ho's latest film, "A Good Rain Knows."

Jung Woo-sung, who plays Dong-ha for the romantic film, said he started sharpening his English skills last year, vaguely aware that he might join a foreign project some day. After all, considering his high status in the Korean film industry, it is a surprise that he hasn't joined a Hollywood project yet.

"I didn't really expect to make a debut as an English-speaking actor in a film made by director Hur," Jung said in an interview with The Korea Herald. "And Hur initially wanted me to speak the so-called Konglish for the reality of the film, but I tried to speak as naturally as possible."

Gao Yuanyuan, a top-rated Chinese actress who plays opposite Jung, said Jung definitely has a talent in picking up a foreign language. "Throughout the film, we spoke in English, but there was not a problem communicating with him at all. And he quickly learned the expressions I taught, and that's how the sentence 'Wo xiang ni' (I miss you) got included in the film on the spot," Gao said.

The chemistry between the two stars bolsters the film's otherwise simple plot in a way that opens up new possibilities in a joint project between Korea and China. It is nothing new that a Korean filmmaker sets up a joint project that recruits Korean and Chinese actors, but it is rare to see a seamless integration of actors' performances and cinematic skills that can appeal to audiences in both countries.

"A Good Rain Knows" is basically concerned about romantic emotions that people want to keep and cherish. Despite long distances or a wide gap in timeline, something delicate tends to linger deep within.

Director Hur presents a set-up in which Dong-ha flies to China on a business trip and comes across May (Gao Yuanyuan), a Chinese friend he got to know when he was studying in the United States some years ago. She is now working as a tour guide in China but her real interest lies in a great Chinese poet, whose work has inspired the movie's nuanced title.

For Jung, working with a Chinese counterpart was nothing if not inspiring. "First of all, Chinese actors tend to show different reactions compared to Korean actors," Jung said. He noted that Korean actors usually react in an expected way, making it easier to follow some patterns, but this rule did not apply when he was working with Gao.

"Her unexpected reaction came as a pleasant surprise, and I tried to understand why she responded that way, and this kind of communication was, I believe, reflected in the performances for the film," Jung said.

Jung, a representative Korean star whose iconic image inspired other top stars such as Cho In-sung, said his latest take on a normal Korean businessman was part of efforts to seek some breakthrough in his acting career.

In previous movies, critics pointed out that Jung's silver screen image is stuck with a handsome guy whose expressiveness remains stolid at best. But in the new film, Jung's Dong-ha is refreshingly removed from his superstar image.

For instance, at a cramped hotel room, Dong-ha revises the trip expenses, changing the cost for a meal from 60,000 won to 90,000 won, an extremely minor detail that goes against Jung's trademark picture-perfect image. Yet Jung's performance as a "normal businessman" seems convincing enough.

"The twentysomething image I created years ago had some impact on Korean youth in their teens. For the thirtysomething image, I think I have to put together my value and other people's life," Jung said.

Gao, who drew keen media attention here in Korea for her impressive acting in "A Good Rain Knows," said she's willing to join a joint project as long as she plays a Chinese character.

"I don't think I can play a Korean character in a film, but I can take up a role for a Chinese character," Gao said. "This is my first role in a Korean film, but it's really an honor to work with director Hur because I began to watch Korean movies through Hur's films," she said.

Gao said, however, she got an impression that the majority of Korean moviegoers are not familiar with Chinese filmmakers and actors. "A lot of Chinese people are watching Korean television dramas and movies, and I hope more Korean people would watch Chinese movies," she said.

"A Good Rain Knows," distributed by N.E.W, is hitting local theaters today.

melusine · October 30, 2009

A Good Rain Knows -- Film Review

By Maggie Lee, Hollywood Reporter

October 13, 2009 06:15 ET

Bottom Line: A cadenced cross-cultural romance set in Sichuan.

BUSAN, South Korea -- Spring rain, bamboo groves, Chinese poetry and stinky noodles are the piquant ingredients that season a pair of lovers' surprise reunion in "A Good Rain Knows." Hur Jin-ho's latest film set in Sichuan marks the first time he has shot outside Korea. This is probably his most conventional film to date, but he hasn't sold out or disappointed fans. Mostly, it is bashfully romantic and laced with broad humor, but at critical moments, Hur evokes love with a touch as soft and sure as a heartbeat, and coaxes affecting performances from mainland Chinese actress Gao Yuanyuan and Korean heartthrob Jung Woo-sung.

The Korean-Chinese co-production has sold to Japan and Chinese speaking territories. Korean theatrical release kicked off last week collecting about $150,000. The film can expect decent niche distribution in Europe.

Korean executive Park Dong-ho (Jung) goes to Sichuan for a business meeting. While strolling through a park dedicated to Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu, he runs into college alumna May (Gao). They enjoy a few days together sharing poetry and local food in spite of the hilarious interceptions of his gooseberry colleague Nam.

The lovers' courtship is conducted in the slow, slow, quick rhythm of a social dance. They reminisce, test the waters, flirt, lunge into passionate expression, and hold back again. Toward the end, one finds out May has her reasons for blowing hot and cold towards Park's advances.

Hur has the ability to make superstars look as natural as ordinary people onscreen. He applies this to location shooting, retaining the real crowds and chaotic noises. The scene where Park and May join a street dance reflects his spontaneity, while a shot of a site ravished by the Wenchuan earthquake puts their little amorous interlude in perspective.

Hur is obviously as enchanted with the beautifully understated Gao as Park is with May. In Hur's past works, the angle always tilts towards his invariably precious and indecisive male protagonists. "A Good Rain" also introduces the chaos and excitement of Sichuan through Park's newcomer's eyes, but as soon as May appears, focus shifts to her. May conceals an emotional undercurrent that goes deeper than the impromptu feelings rekindled by Park, and it is her fragility and strength in overcoming much greater trauma (symbolized by her forgetting, and relearning how to ride a bike) that makes this more than just a love story or scenic impressions of Sichuan.

Camera movements also reflect their mood swings by following a cadenced pattern of intensely emotional close-ups, serene long shots of natural backdrops, punctuated with startling movement, like the exhilarating continuous take of May running breathlessly towards Park at the airport and a traffic incident filmed with effects of an earthquake. Hur's characteristically limpid lighting is especially noticeable in capturing outdoor locations glistening with the drizzle of rain.

Venue: Asia Film Market Screening

Sales: Pancinema

Production: Pancinema, Zonbo Media, Ho Films, Taurus Films

Cast: Jung Woo-sung, Gao Yuanyuan

Director-screenwriter: Hur Jin-ho

Screenwriter: Lee Han-eol

Producers: Myungsun Pack, Chen Wei Ming, Hur Jin-ho, Yim Yeon-hak

Executive producers: Myungsun Pack, Chen Wei Ming, Lee Kang-bok

Director of photography: Kim Byung-seo

Art director: Lv Dong

Music: Lee Jae-jin

Editor: Choi Jai-keun

No rating, 102 minutes

melusine · October 31, 2009

A Good Rain Knows

Ho woo shijeol (South Korea-China)

By Derek Elley, Variety

Posted: Sun., Nov. 1, 2009, 4:42pm PT

An NEW (in South Korea)/Zonbo Media (in China) release of a Pancinema (South Korea)/Zonbo Media (China) presentation of a Pancinema, Ho Films, Taurus Films (South Korea)/Zonbo Media (China) production. (International sales: Pancinema, Seoul.) Produced by Paek Myeong-seon, Chen Weiming, Hur Jin-ho, Kim Yeon-hak. Executive producers, Park, Chen. Co-executive producer, Lee Gang-bok. Directed by Hur Jin-ho. Screenplay, Lee Han-eol, Hur.

With: Jeong Woo-seong, Gao Yuanyuan, Kim Sang-ho, Ma Shaohua, Li Fenghua, Yan Feng.

(English, Korean, Chinese dialogue)

The good news is that Hur Jin-ho, South Korea's master of meller minutiae ("Christmas in August"), has bounced back with one of his finest pictures, after the soupy "April Snow" and flawed "Happiness." The bad news is that, at least in Anglophone territories, "A Good Rain Knows" is virtually DOA, due to the stiff acting in English of the two leads in this Korean-Chinese co-production. Subtitled in non-Anglo markets, this could still have some arthouse chances, though locally it failed to make much of a B.O. mark on its October release.

The film began as the present-day episode in "Chengdu, I Love You," a three-part portmanteau movie inspired by last year's earthquake in Sichuan province, China. Along the way, Hur decided he needed a canvas larger than 30 minutes and went his own way with a standalone feature.

The dismembered version of "Chengdu" preemed at this year's Venice fest with only Cui Jian's and Fruit Chan's segs. (Hur did a half-hour demo cut of his seg, to prove his point to producers, but this was never shown to outsiders.) In China, "Rain" will be marketed as part two of the "Chengdu" stories.

It's spring in the Sichuan capital, and Park Dong-ha (Jeong Woo-seong) arrives on a brief business trip involving the job of rebuilding after the 2008 earthquake. While there, he bumps into Mei (Gao Yuanyuan), an English-speaking tourist guide with whom he once had a relationship when both were studying in the U.S. Thrown together for a short, intense period, they reinvestigate their feelings for each other.

With almost zero plot, the film is built entirely on emotional texture. Mei playfully claims they never actually dated at the time; Park claims they did. Meanwhile, she has to come to a painful decision when he leaves for the airport the next day -- which leads to her revealing something she's kept secret during their friendly flirtation.

The clumsy English title refers to a text by Tang dynasty poet Du Fu, about how spring rain "knows" when to fall and bring nature back to life. Hur seeps the movie in imagery -- succulently lensed in crisp colors by Kim Byeong-seo -- that could have been purely touristy wrapping but here supports the story's theme of metaphysical renewal: walks in bamboo-forested Du Fu Park, locals dancing at night, street life in the Sichuan capital. And at the center is the ever-smiling face of Mei, whose bright exterior conceals an emotional vacuum.

Given that the pair can communicate only in English, Hur wisely keeps dialogue between the two to a minimum, but their exchanges (and especially Gao's English) are so arch that the delicate atmosphere fractures whenever they open their mouths. When acting in their own languages, the thesps are fine.

Culturally, the pic is fascinating. Though wholly set in China, it has a totally Korean feel in look and rhythm. Even Gao ("City of Life and Death," "Shanghai Dreams"), who's never looked more beautiful, has been given the cute look of a South Korean actress. And between the jokes (for Korean auds) about Chinese food and driving, at least one drinking sequence -- between Dong-ha and his Korean liaison (Kim Sang-ho) -- might just as well have been set in a Seoul bar.

Handsome, besuited Jeong, the "Good" in "The Good the Bad the Weird," shows the problems of melding more formal Korean with looser Chinese acting styles, and often looks stiff opposite the enchanting Gao. Kim provides some boisterous character color in his several scenes.

Technical package is immaculate on all levels, with Lee Jae-jin's fretted score adding further delicate texture. Original title means "Season of Good Rain."

Camera (color, widescreen), Kim Byeong-seo; editor, Choi Jae-geun; music, Lee Jae-jin; art director, Lu Dong; sound (Dolby SRD), Gao Ying, Seong Woon-yong, Lee In-gyu; sound designers, Lee Ho-jun, Lee Dong-hwan. Reviewed at Pusan Film Festival (market), Oct. 12, 2009. Running time: 100 MIN.

melusine · November 3, 2009

Director’s talents buried in Korea-China film project

Jainnie's cine korea

By Cho Jae-eun [jainnie@joongang.co.kr], JoongAng Daily

February 12, 2010

Gao Yuan Yuan, left, and Jung Woo-sung attempt romance in ‘A Good Rain Knows.’[JoongAng Ilbo]

Speaking as one who’s been there, Chengdu, China, might not be the prettiest city in the world. But in “A Good Rain Knows,” director Hur Jin-ho manages to mold the city into a subtly exotic backdrop of a bashful romance.

Creating a mood through scenery is one of Hur’s fortes, whether it is the bamboo forest in “One Fine Spring Day” (2001) or the shabby photo shop in “Christmas in August” (1998).

The movie is a joint production between production companies in Korea and China, and there were reportedly a number of requests by the partner firms in China that Hur include Chinese elements in the movie. The city might not have been Hur’s first choice but the director brings out a charming picture of the city including a scenic park dedicated to Chinese poet Du Fu and a city center where the old and young gather to dance.

Korean actor Jung Woo-sung plays Park Dong-ha, a Doosan employee on a business trip to the Chinese city. There, he meets May, played by Chinese actress Gao Yuan Yuan, a former college friend who works as a tour guide in Du Fu park, and the two have a brief romantic encounter there.

Picturing the statuesque Jung as a nine-to-five businessman is tough, which is probably why he is portrayed as a former aspiring poet who succumbs to the corporate life. In one scene, Dong-ha says, “Initially, I was just going to work [at the company] for a short time. But the checks came in, and I got promoted... and it got hard to quit.”

As such, Dong-ha’s uncertainty and disillusionment about his job translate well into the general awkwardness of his relationship with May. Except for some short lines spoken in English, there isn’t much dialogue throughout the movie. Rather more is said in the hesitant moments of silence between the two characters.

Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn’t quite live up to the ethereal beauty of Hur’s Chengdu. The “joint” project fails to create harmony and instead, feels like a fusion dish gone bland. Reportedly, Hur’s team was asked to incorporate the Sichuan earthquake into the movie. This request becomes apparent, but not in a good way, when we see May’s pain after she loses her husband in the earthquake come off as strained and unoriginal.

Instead of telling Dong-ha the truth about her loss, May takes the route characteristic of Korean melodramas and keeps the secret to herself, lying to Dong-ha and saying she’s married. Later, we see May crying in front of her deceased husband’s picture.

With a female role that is contrived and the lackluster chemistry between the two actors, Hur’s talents in creating atmosphere is buried, with the audience left to wonder why the two fall for each other in the first place. Eventually, we’re too bored to care.

A Good Rain Knows

Drama / English, Korean, Mandarin

100 min.

Out on DVD

melusine · November 7, 2009

Hur's melodrama touches the heart of Chinese people

Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA)

2009-10-30

"I bought one of them as kind of souvenir after finding my movies are sold in the form of illegally copied DVDs on the street of Shanghai. Many Chinese people know my movies."

Getting positive comments from moviegoers in China, director Hur Jin-ho, who is famous for <Christmas in August> and <April Snow>, visited Beijing to attend 'Hur Jin-ho Special.' Organized by Korean Cultural Service, China and Beijing Film Academy, this special event takes place from Oct 27-28.

"Chinese audiences seemed to totally understand what I wanted to say through my movie. Feelings and emotions can be delivered regardless of cultural differences," said director Hur at a press conference on the night of Oct. 27.

CCTV filmed a special report on him on Oct. 27 and he had 'Talks with Director' time with students in the film academy. <A Good Rain Knows> is slated to open in 1200 theaters in China in December. Half of the total investment came from Korea and the remaining half from China.

A Korean man and a Chinese woman rekindle their romance in <A Good Rain Knows>. Commenting on the filming process, he said, "language was a barrier. Chinese actress Gao Yuan-yuan's acting and attitude were great. Staff from China well understood what I wanted to say through the movie. So it was good to work with them." He said that he expected movies co-produced with foreign partners could be a 'breakthrough' to help the Korean movies advance into the global market beyond the small Korean film market. "There might be trials and errors in the initial stage. But it is right to make a foray into new markets such as China and Japan through co-production," he added

Hur Jin-Ho retrospective

http://www.bfa.edu.cn/yx/yjs/xshd/djt/2009...ntent_30561.htm

10/27/09 - Presscon

via Mk.co.kr, Herald Biz, Herald Biz, Asia Economic Daily, Hankyoreh, Segye

10/28/09 - Lecture

http://www.bfa.edu.cn/news/2009-10/30/content_30897.htm

melusine · November 14, 2009

http://www.ifc.or.kr/board/view.php?code=d...p;cat=&sq=5

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[movie 2009] A Good Rain Knows / Season Of Good Rain 호우시절

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