[drama 2006] Yeongae Somun 연개소문

[Luv]

[sBS] Historical Drama Starring: Yoo Dong-Geun, Kim Gab-Soo, Na Han-Il

I just want to make some quick comments on this drama but couldn't find the thread anywhere...so I guess I need to create one

연개소문 YEONGAE SOMUN

Showing every Saturday and Sunday on SBS at 8:45 PM Korean Time.

All info courtesy of Mr. X @ twitchfilm.net

"Yeon Gae Somun is the general who killed the penultimate King of Goguryeo, Yeongnyu, in 642. It was a period of tremendous instability, both because of the pressure by Shilla, but also because the political situation in Goguryeo was very confusing. After General Yeon put Yeongnyu's nephew Bojang as his puppet on the throne following his coup d'etat, he tried with little success to calm down Yeon's two sons in trying to gain power, and started repressing Buddhism (the Kingdom's official religion) in favour of Taoism."

Cast: Yoo Dong-Geun, Kim Gab-Soo, Na Han-Il, Seo In-Seok, Hwang In-Young, Lee Tae-Gon, Lee Jung-Gil, Lee Hyo-Jung, Park In-Hwan, Jung Dong-Hwan, Kim Sung-Gyum, Lee Gye-In, Yoo Tae-Woong, Jang Hang-Seon

Official Website * Photo Gallery * Wallpapers * Flash Teaser

Clubbox Downloads:

http://clubbox.co.kr/creidesca

http://clubbox.co.kr/iyagi

This drama doesn't have the same appeal as Jumong...the cast are mostly veteran actors so they're really good at acting but they don't look anything like the cast of Jumong I finished most of episode 1 and it's pretty good so far...I like some of the characters in here...especially the main girl...she's very strong, cold and mysterious. There's another character that I like...the one guy who has short hair...maybe he's a monk...I'm not sure...but his character is also very intriguing. All the fightings are pretty good since they did a lot of close up and use special techniques to film...it's quite enjoyable to watch. The battle scenes are good also...nicely done...the costumes in here seem uncomfortable and pretty heavy for the actors. It could be because of the war so they need all the armors to protect themselves..

[Guest bshater1]

Do you know where i can download the first episode Luv? it seems interesting.

[Luv]

bshater1...you can download it at:

http://clubbox.co.kr/creidesca

She has both HQ & LQ available. It started yesterday so we have 2 episodes now.

[Guest bshater1]

thanks for info Luv. will check it out now.

[Luv]

This drama did very well in ratings...It started out really high and continue to go up...

Episode 1:

3. 대하사극<연개소문> SBS 22.2 Nationwide

2. 대하사극<연개소문> SBS 22.4 Seoul

Episode 2:

2. 대하사극<연개소문> SBS 24.7 Nationwide

2. 대하사극<연개소문> SBS 25.4 Seoul

I'll try to upload the LQ versions for the first 2 episodes to get everyone started

[Luv]

More info from Mr. X @ twitchfilm.net

연개소문 (Yeon Gae Somun)

SBS - Historical Drama, 100 Episodes (Budget: 35 Billion Won)

PD: 7

이종한 (Lee Jong-Han)

Lee's last work 토지 (Land) suffered from miscasting, and frankly had been adapted for the screen one too many times. But the guy seems to associate with good writers, as he worked with Noh Hee-Kyung on 2001's 화려한 시절 (Wonderful Days) and 1998's 빗물처럼 (Like Rainwater), so I think we should be fairly safe.

WRITER: 7

이환경 (Lee Hwan-Kyung)

A big question mark for me personally, but I'm sure other Sageuk buffs could disagree. I think Lee's career has taken a huge downward spiral, after his amazing works in the mid 90s: he wrote one of my favorite Dramas of all time, 1996's 용의 눈물 (Tears of the Dragon), and then 태조왕건 (Wang Gun) which certainly isn't as good, but still excellent. Then started the problems. I don't think 제국의 아침 (Dawn of the Empire) [another Goryeo Drama, a sort of follow up to 'Wang Gun'] was up to his standards despite being quite solid, and 야인시대 (The Rustic Era) felt like waking up in a 70s action film, complete with unintentionally hilarious dialogue and machismo-drenched characters. Of course the first half is pretty bearable, but once we move to the second half and Kim Young-Cheol joins the proceedings as Kim Doo-Han, then it all becomes a farce. His first movie script, the 2002 film 싸울아비 (Saulabi) was not only historically laughable, but wasted a cast of Sageuk veterans for one of the worst Korean films of the last decade. And then came 영웅시대 (The Age of Heroes), which looked as promising as anything released in the last few years, but ended up glamourizing its (very controversial) figures to an extent nobody could imagine. So, again, a question mark. If this looks even half as good as his earlier works, we might be dealing with a classic. But the moment I heard Lee talking about 'righting wrongs when it comes to Goguryeo history' (Chinese controversy included) I started worrying. I hope this won't just be a flag-waving exercise in over-the-top histrionics, but I have my doubts it will be able to recreate the magic of 'Tears of The Dragon', or even 'Wang Gun'.

CAST: 7

유동근 (Yoo Dong-Geun), 나한일 (Na Han-Il), 황인영 (Hwang In-Young), 김갑수 (Kim Gab-Soo), 이정길 (Lee Jung-Gil), 원구연 (Won Gu-Yeon)

A lot of the 'Wang Gun' team is back, most importantly Na Han-Il, and of course Yoo Dong-Geun, Kim Gab-Soo and Lee Jung-Gil are great Sageuk veterans. Still, for some reason this cast doesn't really excite me that much. Yoo has been dabbling in comedies on the big screen -- 가문의 영광 (Marrying The Mafia) and 어깨동무 (Where's The Tape?) -- where his acting seemed a little too relaxed, but he's had so many great roles in Historical Dramas in the past, I'm willing to trust he's still got it. Of course I'll watch anything with Kim Gab-Soo, as he's pretty much perfect in every role he takes, and Lee Jung-Gil found a huge rebound from the average 'gentle daddy' and 'Sageuk red shirt' roles of the past with his great performance in 부활 (Rebirth). But the rest of the cast just doesn't cut it: Hwang In-Young has never really shown anything of note, and the loss of Jeon In-Hwa might be significant, especially if her replacement is not up to the standard. It's still a good cast, but it doesn't seem to jump at the viewers like the other contenders in this Summer's Historical Drama battle.

OUTLINE: 9

We're not really dealing with your average outline, as this is history, but of course there's always a good portion of fictitious characters mixed with real historical figures. General Yeon Gae Somun was played on the big screen by Lee Won-Jong at the beginning of Lee Joon-Ik's 황산벌 (Once Upon a Time in the Battlefield), and by veteran Jo Kyung-Hwan in Ahn Yeon-Dong's 1992 KBS TV Drama 삼국기 (The Three Kingdoms). We're dealing with late Goguryeo here, right as the Tang-Shilla alliance started having an influence on the Kingdom. Yeon Gae Somun is the general who killed the penultimate King of Goguryeo, Yeongnyu, in 642. It was a period of tremendous instability, both because of the pressure by Shilla, but also because the political situation in Goguryeo was very confusing. After General Yeon put Yeongnyu's nephew Bojang as his puppet on the throne following his coup d'etat, he tried with little success to calm down Yeon's two sons in trying to gain power, and started repressing Buddhism (the Kingdom's official religion) in favour of Taoism. The key here will be seeing who gets the role of Bojang, and especially the antagonists from Shilla's side, but we're certainly dealing with an interesting period, full of intrigue and corruption. The interesting thing is that General Yeon is regarded in historical records as a very cruel and arrogant man, so we'll see how writer Lee deals with the issue.

RATINGS POTENTIAL: 8

I'll go safe and predict somewhere in between 25 and 30%, just because Historical Dramas tend to do well. Of course KBS' efforts in the early years of this decade were recording ratings often doubling that figure, which shows how much traditional historical dramas have fallen out of favour with the TV audience. The biggest reason why I still think this will do well is that the usual audience for Historical Dramas tends to be older males, who will surely remember Yoo's roles in the past, and will probably trust him, at least at the beginning. But even though this is much shorter than the Goryeo series, and SBS tends to offer a mix of MBC's new age style with KBS' more traditional approach (at least the works by Lee Hwan-Kyung), it still should have a pretty good impact on the public.

OVERALL: 7.60

[Guest polaris]

Wow! looks good. =) I'm glad this is a SAT/SUN drama so I can watch this while I wait each long week for Jumong (MON/TUES)

[Guest chibifry]

I hope someone can upload an MU link or non clubbox for this drama :] After Jumong, I'm watching this. Haha.

[Luv]

^^ Yeah...I'm starting to have some interests in historical drama... something different from all the love stories we see again and again. I'm uploading episode 1 & 2 but the connections are so slow today.

Some pictures from episode 1...

My favorite character so far...he's the guy under general Yeon Gae Somun... he didn't come out much though

[Luv]

Episode 1:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=H11GZ1KT

Episode 2:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/tbrycx

Episode 2 is all about the war between 2 sides...lots of battle scenes...the beginning is very rough...very real.

At this point...I'm not sure if I'll like this drama or not...it's still too early to tell because ...so far it's all about war so they didn't have a chance to "zoom in" to the characters yet.

The most interesting difference between the 2 sides is the way they look Everyone under general Yeon Gae Somun is young and good looking...hehe...but it's the opposite for the people of the other side. So naturally...I favor general Yeon's side...hehe...

My favorites are the CGI shots... They did a good job with those.

Some pictures from episode 2...

More pictures from episode 2...

Another link for episode 1:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/i2oipa

[Luv]

I'm looking forward to next week's episodes because I want to see this boy again...hehe...

The preview looks good.

[Guest xosandy]

I'm looking forward to next week's episodes because I want to see this boy again...hehe...

The preview looks good.

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/2765/bscap0165sl.jpg

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/3415/bscap0275lk.jpg

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2771/bscap0989ma.jpg

Isn't he in Spring Waltz? I think he played the younger version of Jae Ha?

Hmm.. still deciding whether or not to watch it. I'm also watching Ju-mong. Ratings are pretty good though. 20+%

[Luv]

Hehe...since I started this thread...I feel some obligations to "push" this drama...hehe...

I'm sure all the male viewers would love the first 2 episodes of this drama...

As for me...it was something different and refreshing...I'm interested in it because I want to see the differences between this drama and Jumong since they happened around the same period in history Jumong has an all star cast...great love stories... This drama has a totally different feel to it...very raw...very strong. All the battle scenes were filmed nicely...definitely is a great contrast to Jumong.

Yes...that little boy is the cute boy from Fashion 70's and Spring Waltz...I'm looking forward to next week just to see him...He's a great child actor .

________________________________________________________________________________

A news article from rubie @ the news thread:

Big-budget historical dramas popular

Seoul Broadcasting System's epic drama "Yeongaesomun" garnered over 20 percent of viewing rate Saturday with its first episode that depicted the historical battle between Goguryeo (37 B.C.-A.D. 668) and China's Tang Dynasty (618-907) at Ansi Castle.

This is the first of 100 episodes that will dramatize the latter period of Goguryeo, which was the first to be established and developed into the largest, of Korea's three ancient kingdoms.

The $40 million-budget drama is competing against another much-hyped TV drama "Jumong" also set in the same era. However, the drama declares that it is more thoroughly based on the historical facts, although there is not much of record on its hero, Yeongaesomun (played by veteran actor Yoo Dong-geun).

"Yeongaesomun"

The drama will shed light on the heroic side of Yeongaesomun who has been painted more as a tyrant that seized power through a coup, than a general who waged seven battles successfully against the invaders of Tang Dynasty. On the other hand, "Jumong" is based more on imagination since it tells a story of founding myth of the kingdom. Jumong (played by Song Il-guk) was born between the heavenly emperor and the god of water, and was named so for his exceptional archery skills.

Introduced in May, the 60-episode drama (14th will air tonight) of Munhwa Broadcasting Company has seen its viewing rate soaring near to 40 percent, boosted by its legendary character and concoction of romance.

"Jumong" will be aired overseas starting in September, as it has been sold to five countries, including Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, at the Shanhai TV Festival last month.

"Yeongaesomun" and "Jumong" will face stiff competition for viewers when Korean Broadcasting System's "Daejoyoung," also set in Goguyreo, will begin airing in early September. Featuring another veteran actor Choi Su-jong as general Daejoyoung from Goguryeo, who founded Balhae Kingdom (698-926), the large-scale drama will also be aired on weekends.

After the demise of Goguryeo by Tang Dynasty, Daejoyoung founded Balhae whose territory spanned over the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, eastern Manchuria and the Russian Far East.

The last to join the Goguryeo fad is "Taewangsasingi," currently being made and scheduled to be unveiled in October. The 20-episode drama will chronicle the history of Goguryeo Kingdom from the beginning through its heyday, highlighting the reign of King Gwanggaeto.

The king, played by none other than Bae Yong-joon, the pioneer of Korean Wave, who will return to TV screen for the first time in six years, is credited to have expanded Goguryeo as far as Manchuria.

As for the identical setting in Goguryeo, some attribute it to the fact that drama writers have exhausted stories set in Joseon Dynasty, as most of the past historical dramas were based in the era.

However, it is hard to deny that the heated dispute over the history of Goguryeo between China and Korea has peaked interest in the era, leading to the making of these dramas.

The last time for a television drama set in Goguryeo to be produced was mid-1960s.

Writer Lee Hwan-gyeong of "Yeongaesomun" openly stated that one of the reasons the drama was made was to counter China's claim over the history of Goguyreo.

Nonetheless, there are voices of concern that these dramas," which combine historical facts and figures with fictional plots, might result in biased understanding of history, especially when there is not much historical documents or records on Goguryeo.

The grand battle scene at Ansi Castle from "Yeongaesomun," enhanced by computer graphics and presented with kind subtitles on historical, military glossaries, was spectacular, but has stirred controversy among viewers. Many questioned why General Yang Man-chun was reduced to a supporting role for Yeongaesomun when the historical record said Yang headed the battle into a victory, shooting the emperor of Tang in his eyes with an arrow.

(glamazon@heraldm.com)

By Hwang You-mee

Source: http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/htm...00607100026.asp

[Guest Touya]

You can feel the difference in the skill of the crew who made the dramas and the money put into it =p

Jumong is petit compared to this drama, imo. :3

[Luv]

Hehe...Thanks Touya for coming here to support this thread...it's pretty dead here...hehe...

This drama definitely stands out...so far it's all about war...and they did a really good job with those wars.

From the preview...we can expect more well known veteran actors to appear. I'm watching this raw so I can't say much...hehe...except for the obvious...hehe...

If you have any comments...please post...hehe...

[Guest Knov1]

I watched the first 2 episodes and I like the drama so far. I don't know if I'll continue watching it though. This is going to be a long drama and my Korean is limited so I have a harder time understanding historical dramas. I find modern dramas much easier to follow. YDG is the best when it comes to historical dramas so I'll try watching a few more episodes and see how it goes.

[Luv]

Some pictures from hankooki...

Continue...

[Luv]

More pictures from SBS...

[Guest Jangoon]

Oh sweet its out!

Monday - Tuesday is Jumong day

Wed- Thurs is Yuongae day =D

and Sunday is X-man Day w00t lol

kinda funny.. im watching the Rise of Goguruh and the Fall of it! LOL

and alot of good actors/ess too! This looks good.. and better actor casting than (Land)!

[Guest Jangoon]

wow just finished episode 1.. it was awesome.. the battle scenes were A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!! now watching episode 2 omg its funn!

OMG WTF

TANG KING ATE HIS EYEBALL WDFFFFFFFFFFFF

and I guess goguruh is popular because of china's move to rewrite history about goguruh and i want to watch Daejoyoung also.. I love goguruh!