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[Movie 2010] I Saw The Devil, 악마를 보았다


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up1.gifThanks to the highlight at GBW cafe.daum 6115

Friends at 'I Saw the Devil' Filming Set

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or download flv clip

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Some of the colleagues stopping by -- Directors Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan Wook, actors Song Kang Ho, Jung Woo Sung, Lee Beom Soo, Gong Hyung Jin, actress Uhm Jung Hwa and a few others that I'm not too sure. Hope someone can complete the list for us. Merci!

So sorry that some of the caps are a bit blurry..

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Captures by EverythingLBH

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The real trouble begins for I SAW THE DEVIL :sweatingbullets:

August 4, 2010

Only a Limited Release for I Saw the Devil or not at all

Upcoming summer thriller 'I Saw the Devil' may not be widely (commercially) released as the movie is deemed too violent and extremely gruesome for screening even with excellent performance by the actors. The Korean Media Ratings Board have rejected the appeals from the Production Company as well as the Distributor, in a statement today.

This makes the first for a Korean commercial movie to be given a strict restricted release.

Source: news.nate.com 1 l 2 l 3 l 4

Can't they just cut the gruesome scenes out than punish the whole movie..

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August 4, 2010, 11:43 AM ET

Korea gives 'Devil' restricted rating

Rating stays the same even after a month's worth of editing

By Park Soo-mee

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SEOUL -- “I Saw the Devil,” the director Kim Ji-woon’s new crime thriller, was given a restricted rating by the Korea Media Rating Board Wednesday. This is the second time that the film received the restricted rating after the film’s producer Peppermint and Co. asked the board to give it an 18+ rating last month.

The film’s press premiere, which was originally scheduled for Thursday, will be delayed until next week.

“This is a story of revenge from the eyes of a victim,” said Kim Hyun-woo, the film’s producer.

“The expressions of revenge were deliberately direct and realistic to make it more engaging for audiences to see the film from the victim’s point of view.”

The producer is currently adjusting "technical alternatives" to condense the controversial scenes without damaging the film’s motive, he added.

The problematic scenes raised by the board include sequences in which the film’s character throws a dead body part to a dog and keeps the remainder in the refrigerator. The board explained that the scenes “severely damage the dignity of human values.”

The film, starring a duo of top Korean actors Lee Byung-hun (“GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra”) and Choi Min-shik (“OldBoy”) is the story of a cop whose fiancé was killed by a serial killer. The film is distributed by Showbox and co-produced by Ciz Entertainment.

Restricted rating, which is officially called “limited screening” in Korea, virtually bans a film from being screened here since such films can only been played in special theaters featuring exclusively adult films and no such theater exists here. Advertising and marketing such film is also banned, which forces a commercial film director to compromise with the board's decision.

The film was originally scheduled to open on August 11.

Source: hollywoodreporter.com

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August 5, 2010

Board delays film screening for violence

For the first time, a hotly anticipated feature film produced by a major studio has been slapped by the Korea Media Ratings Board with the limited engagement rule, preventing the film from a nationwide debut.

“I Saw the Devil,” set for an Aug. 11 release was recently given the harsh ruling for several violent sequences, some of which involve cannibalism, mutilation, and specifically, a scene involving a serial killer tossing a human torso into a waste basket.

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Lee Byung-hun stars in writer-director Kim Ji-woon’s controversial new film “I Saw the Devil.” Showbox

Such decisions are usually given to avant-garde or alternative independent films, but writer-director Kim Ji-woon’s (“The Good, the Bad, and the Weird”) summer tentpole thriller which stars Lee Byung-hun and veteran Choi Min-sik has been hindered by local censors for its gratuitous screen depictions of violence.

The result has pushed the scheduled press screening back to an undisclosed date, sounding off alarm bells for the film’s producers and its studio.

The production company chief, Peppermint Company’s Kim Hyun-woo said on Thursday the reason for the KMRB’s decision was not just based on the screen violence, but that it also had to do with the film’s leading men.

“We wanted to tell the story from the eyes of the audience -- to provoke the same vengeful impulses of the film’s hero through realistic portrayals of his revenge plan,” Kim said. “Because we wanted to be as real as possible, those graphic scenes were needed and perhaps the intensity of the two actors’ performances contributed to the decision by the ratings board.”

Some might see Kim’s comments as an elaborate publicity stunt carefully orchestrated by the film’s marketing team to pique public interest through stirring the media pot with controversial coverage.

“We’re now in the process of making additional edits of our first cut within the boundaries of retaining the director’s artistic vision,” said Kim. He added, “The second cut will be re-submitted to the ratings board to ensure we keep up with the original release date.”

The film follows a special agent’s (Lee) elaborate revenge scheme against a serial killer (Choi) suspected of brutally murdering his wife.

Revenge and violence have recently become the theme of the moment for the film industry with Won Bin’s “The man from nowhere” making much noise over its screen violence and the actor’s transformation from a pretty boy to a violent madman.

Since its announcement as Kim Ji-woon’s follow up to his hugely popular “The Good, the Bad, and the Weird,” “I Saw the Devil” has been one of this year’s most anticipated films.

By Song Woong-ki (kws@heraldm.com) koreaherald.com

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Source: news.nate.com

Disclaimer: Hopefully there'll be a better English translation on this but for now the simpler gist.

August 6, 2010

Dir. Kim Ji Woon: Endless Expression from Lee Byung Hun

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Director of the controversial summer thriller 'I Saw the Devil' has nothing but high praise for Lee Byung Hun who plays the leading role alongside actor Choi Min Sik. The director commanded LBH's expressive acting that truly conveys the perfect persona of Suhyeon, the man struck by tragedy losing his love to a serial killer and in the process lost himself in the explosive revenge.

Distinctive emotions by Lee Byung Hun is leaving a strong impression to the director especially the eye-acting details and wide-range of expressive performance.

Source: news.nate.com

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August 2, 2010

I Saw the Devil and The Housemaid invited to Toronto

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Clockwise from top: Lee Byung hun, Jeon Do Yeon, Lee Jung Jae, Choi Min Sik

Two Korean features have been invited to this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The fest, which has yet to announce its full line-up, will present KIM Jee-woon’s I Saw the Devil and the North American premiere of IM Sang-soo’s The Housemaid during its run September 9 – 19.

I Saw the Devil, which has its Korean release August 11, will screen in TIFF’s Special Presentations section – a program devoted to major films from renowned directors. Director KIM is one of Korea’s top three genre masters with previous films, the Manchuria-set “kimchi” western The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008) and noirish-mafia-thriller A Bittersweet Life (2005) winning critical acclaim and broad festival play. Actor LEE Byung-hun, who starred in KIM’s last two films, takes the lead, playing a secret agent who plans gruesome revenge on a vicious serial killer, played by CHOI Min-sik.

The Housemaid, an erotic-thriller, is a remake of the 1960 KIM Ki-young classic. The 2010 version had its world premiere in competition at Cannes and stars former Cannes Best Actress winner JEON Do-yeon. TIFF officials explained that The Housemaid takes a satirical look on class structure, comparing the picture to La Ceremonie by famed French director Claude Chabrol. Korean production company and sales agent Mirovision recently signed a deal with IFC for multi-platform distribution in North America.

Credits: Nigel D’Sa (KOFIC)

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August 6, 2010

I Saw the Devil release delayed

Kim Ji-woon’s latest noir-thriller I Saw the Devil has seen just that in the form of the Korea Media Rating Board, devil69.gifdevil69.gifdevil69.gif having received a “restricted” rating, effectively banning the film, following a wrangle over problematic scenes.

The film’s production company Peppermint and Co. resubmitted the film recently after a month of re-editing in the hopes of receiving an 18+ rating. The Rating Board’s decision to re-apply the “restricted” rating resulted in the cancellation of the film’s press screening last Thursday. The thriller was originally slated for a wide release August 11.

Kim Hyun-woo, the film’s producer, defended the artistic integrity of the movie, saying it portrayed revenge from the eyes of the victim and was deliberately realistic. The Board argued that the scenes in question “severely damaged the dignity of human values.”

A “restricted” rating in Korea means the film is only eligible for limited screenings in special theaters which exclusively program adult films. As no such theaters exist in Korea, the film is effectively banned. Advertising and marketing “restricted” films are also banned.

The commercial thriller, distributed by Showbox, will have no choice but to compromise and make further cuts. The film stars top Korean actor Lee Byung-hun as a secret agent who hunts down and exacts gruesome revenge on the psychopath (played by veteran thesp Choi Min-shik) who killed his fiancé.

Credits: Nigel D’Sa (KOFIC)

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August 8, 2010

KIM JI-WOON'S I SAW THE DEVIL BANNED FROM PUBLIC THEATERS IN KOREA

by Todd Brown, August 8, 2010 4:37 PM

So, just how hard edged is Kim Ji-Woon's upcoming revenge thriller I Saw The Devil? Hard enough that producers have been planning to release it with an 18+ rating - the highest rating given to films approved for public release in Korea. The rating they've been given - and given twice, now - however is one known as 'Limited Screening', a highly restrictive rating that only allows the film to be screened in special theaters that only show adult films. Currently no such theaters exist, meaning the film has effectively been banned.

Originally submitted for ratings review a month ago, the film has undergone re-editing since first being hit by the rating but to no avail. The rating stood a second submission and distributors have now called off scheduled press screenings while they try to address the ratings board concerns and get a rating on the film that will allow them to actually release it. The official concern? Scenes that "severely damage the dignity of human values."

Kyung-chul is a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. He has committed infernal serial murders in diabolic ways that one cannot even imagine and his victims range from young women to even children. The police have chased him for a long time, but were unable to catch him. One day, Joo-yeon, daughter of a retired police chief becomes his prey and is found dead in a horrific state.

Her fiance Dae-hoon, a top secret agent, decides to track down the murderer himself. He promises himself that he will do everything in his power to take bloody vengeance against the killer, even if it means that he must become a monster himself to get this monstrous and inhumane killer
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One of the most hyped films of the year thanks to its pairing of actors Lee Byung-hyun (A Bittersweet Life, The Good The Bad And The Weird, GI Joe) and Choi Min-Sik (Oldboy) with the director of A Tale Of Two Sisters, this sort of thing will only liken heighten the anticipation for the film around the world - it premieres as part of the Toronto International Film Festival in September - but could be a huge blow to its domestic success unless they can get things sorted quickly.

Source: twitchfilm.net

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devil69.gif 'I Saw the Devil' is being reviewed for the 3rd time today with the decision soon to be out, hope for the best! pray.gif In the meantime, from the blog of koreanfilm's Tom Giammarco.

August 8, 2010

Korean Box Office: August 6-8

The Man From Nowhere, the official international title of Ajeoshi, squeaked by Inception and took the first rank spot which was vacated by Salt, now in the third tier. But the shuffling of the box office was not the big news this weekend. A far more interesting story is the battle over I Saw The Devil.

It has been a while that censorship has so visibly raised its ugly head. It is true that The Butcher, a film that played at the Pucheon International Fantastic Film festival last year, was denied a release in Korea but no one really cared about that. It was an unknown slasher film with unknown actors. However, I Saw The Devil is a big-budget thriller directed by one of the more respected film directors and starring Korea’s two biggest actors–Lee Byeong-heon and Choi Min-shik. The film was given a rating that effectively prevents it from opening in Korea. The production company had already spent a fortune on advertising and reserving theaters and they are refusing to give up the release date coming this week. Will the film open? We will know soon.

Censorship is nothing new to Korean theater, but it is something I thought was almost at an end. It was a common practice at the dawn of the age of Korean cinema, for the Japanese Colonial Government to review and censor films. Usually, this was done for political reasons and eventually, by the late 1930s, the government had completely taken control of the industry as a propaganda tool. However, they also censored for moral reasons. The Bloody Horse (1928) was a film based on the true story of an incest case. Censors took one look at it and chopped off more than 1000 feet of film. It was later denied a release and is now lost. The 60s thru 80s were infamous for the amount of censorship the government imposed on film. The Aimless Bullet (1961) was yanked from theaters after opening for its criticism of society and the government following the millitary coup thought it was too dangerous. From that point, the government put the film industry in a stranglehold that nearly killed it by the 70s. Director Yoo Hyeon-mok faced fines and jail time for his ‘flaunting’ of obsenity laws in Empty Dreams (1965) because it appeared the lead actress bared her back. She didn’t–she was wearing a nude-colored cloth. But it looked like she was nude and that was enough to offend the moral sensibilities of the censors. More recently films like Lies (1999) and Too Young To Die (2002) faced similar struggles–Lies failed, Too Young to Die managed to open–a sign of the changing times under a civilian government. What are we supposed to think now that the government is once again trying to protect our moral sensibilities? Don’t worry, I am sure the conservatives of President Lee’s government will tell us what we can think.

Source: Seen in Jeonju

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Disclaimer: Online translated simple gist by EverythingLBH

August 9, 2010

'Devil's extraordinary action was directed by instinct,' Kim Ji Woon

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Director Kim Ji Woon is once again presentating stylish action in his own unique way. If one is familiar with Dir. Kim's past work, you will not miss his distinctive and trademark movie-making style of showcasing engaging personalities and characters, sensuous visual fidelity, reinterpretation of the genre, sensible yet stylish elements that co-exist with the stunning action choreography. From the 2005 critically-acclaimed 'A Bittersweet Life' to the 2008 blockbuster 'The Good, The Bad, The Weird' and the soon to be released 'I Saw the Devil' Director Kim Ji Woon directed the visually-spectacular action and maximizing the main character's personality with emotional intensity, clearly drawing the powerful expression all through the thriller feature.

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Source: news.nate.com 1 l 2

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VERSUS

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up1.gifThanks to the highlight at ForeverLeeByunghun fan-blog, captures from http://bbs.movie.daum.net/gaia/do/movie/menu/star/read?articleId=71504&bbsId=M002

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If anyone wants to put up any of the banners as soompi siggies, resized & re-uploaded -- please use as it is blush.gif

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August 9, 2010

No gray zone for Korean films

Picking a Korean film to watch is like flipping a coin. Either you get something sweet and saccharine or you get something vicious and violent.

On the surface, local films can be categorized between the depiction of reality as an idealized, almost fairy tale universe through melodramas such as “The Classic” or the more violent, urban gothic version portrayed in thrillers like “Oldboy,” that revel in the embrace of the macabre.

This summer, it’s been the case of the latter with a slew of unapologetically violent pictures that have garnered much attention from the public -- two of those films are currently sitting atop the domestic box office charts.

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Park Hae-il (left) stars in director Kang Woo-seok’s “Moss.”

“(Korean) movie studios are trying desperately to figure out what sells and what audiences want,” said Lee Yong-kwan, director of the Pusan International Film Festival and professor of Chung-Ang University’s department of film studies. “They want to give the public something different, something they haven’t been exposed to and I think that is why this year we’ve seen so many violent pictures produced by big studios starring big movie stars -- it’s because we’ve seen it all before.”

As of this writing, “The Man from Nowhere,” Won Bin’s ultra-violent turn as a knife-wielding madman on a mission to clean out the criminal underworld, has topped the domestic box office with over a million ticket sales already notched during its opening week. The film unseated yet another violent local picture, director Kang Woo-seok’s “Moss,” as the top Korean film.

This is impressive box office performance given that the Korea Media Ratings Board slapped both with a hard 19+ rating. “Kang Woo-seok directing a picture so completely unlike his previous films reveal how desperate the local film industry is in trying to find the next big thing to get in on,” said a film producer who asked to remain anonymous.

“So far it seems to be working. Everyone seems to be talking about them.”

Writer-director Kim Ji-woon’s controversial latest, the Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik tandem, “I Saw the Devil” -- set for an Aug. 12 release -- has been scoring high in the buzz meter among local audiences not to mention attracting plenty of media attention since it was recently given a limited release judgment due to its excessive screen violence.

“I Saw the Devil” is currently being trimmed for a third submission to the KMRB.

So have filmgoers just been in a mood for some violence or has there always been a polarized preference in films from the masses?

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Veteran actor Choi Min-sik stars alongside Hallyu-star Lee Byung-hun as a serial

killer in writer-director Kim Ji-woon’s “I Saw the Devil.”

Has the recent string of heinous crimes of child rapists stirred the public enough for them to want to see on-screen revenge tales where gruesome demises are handed to murderers and rapists?

“Personally, I don’t think this recent rush toward releasing or producing violent pictures is some sort of reflection of the current social climate,” Lee said. “It’s not as complex as that. I think it has a lot to do with movie studios wanting to latch onto something new and something different.”

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Won Bin in a scene from the ultra-violent revenge thriller “The Man from Nowhere”

Lee went on to say due to the polarization of genres in the local film industry, the ones that will suffer will be filmmakers who want to tell stories about everyday folks. “This type of bandwagon mentality will eventually cut out the guys in the middle -- the ones making slice-of-life dramas and films that really reflect Korean society,” Lee said. “They might be able to carve out a niche by selling them online but I don’t see much of a place for them at multiplexes.”

If one were to look for a common thread that ties all of this together, it is of course, escapism.

“To be fair, it isn’t just Koreans that go to the movies for escapist entertainment,” Lee said. “Moviegoers from all over the world want to be entertained and want to forget about life while watching a film. But the biggest difference between our industry and theirs is that there is enough of a demand for alternative and dramatic films for those genres to survive.”

By Song Woong-ki (kws@heraldm.com) koreaherald.com

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up1.gif If my gist is not far off, late this afternoon the producers of I SAW THE DEVIL finally obtained an 18+ rating with strict rule that no children be allowed to watch after the 3rd cut finally complying the censorship. This makes the highly-anticipated movie good for screening on August 12, or is it the 13th instead? Still.. it's all good news for everyone involved and hopefully there will be a VIP Premiere scheduled tomorrow along with the media conference on the 11th. Better late than never, right.. since everything has been booked and planned beforehand. ^_^

Finally.. Mark Russell wrote about this too at his blog. *thanks!* So .. we're confirmed to a "date with the Devil" this week.

The Dev
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l You Know

The Korean press is reporting I SAW THE DEVIL just passed the KMRB. It will appear in theaters in a couple of days with an 18 rating. It took three tries to get passed by the KMRB, but no one I knew related to the movie seemed worried at all. From what people tell me, this was Kim Jee-woon’s “last hurrah” before going to Hollywood, so he just wanted to have a good time and make a crazy film that he would like. Hopefully I will see it Thursday, and will report what I think asap.

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August 11, 2010

KIM JI-WOON'S I SAW THE DEVIL CLEARED FOR RELEASE IN KOREA

by Todd Brown, August 11, 2010 9:18 AM

It was just a few days ago that we reported on the ratings problems facing Kim Ji-Woon's I Saw The Devil, the much anticipated revenge picture starring Oldboy's Choi Min-Sik and The Good The Bad And The Weird's Lee Byung-Hun having effectively been banned from release in Korea by being given a rating that only allowed release into a category of theater that doesn't actually exist.

Well, details are sparse so far but Variety's Sun Hee Han has just tweeted that whatever last minute changes the producers made were enough to get the job done and, after twice being refused a releasable rating, the film has now been cleared for release with a 'teen restricted' rating, the highest allowed in Korea's cinema chains. There is no mention yet of what was changed or removed to get this rating.

Source: twitchfilm.net

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