[Movie 2012] Gwanghae, The Man Who Became King 광해:왕이된 남자 Masquerade

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Source: innolife.net
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Source: CINE21 twitpic l Twitter l Facebook l Website
CINE 21 No. 871

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September 11, 2012
[PREVIEW] "Masquerade": What It Takes to be a KingReporter: Lee Tae-ho Editor: Monica Suk KStar10.com
THE BOTTOM LINE
Director Choo Chang-min's delicate portrayal of a powerless commoner becoming the ruler of a nation provides a chance to think about what type of a leader people should be hoping to guide them.
“Masquerade,” actor Lee Byung-hun’s first historical movie, revolves around King Gwanghae, one of the most controversial figures in the Joseon Dynasty period. The political drama draws special public attention as the country has a presidential election coming in December.
STORYLINE
By the early 17th century, King Gwanghae of the Joseon Dynasty gets threatened by disloyal subjects that strongly object to the king's overall government policy.
The king, who was doubtful about his survival due to the threat, needed a perfect resemblance of himself to make contingency plans. His loyal courtier Heo Gyun finds Ha-sun, a low-class clown that looks exactly like the king. 
One day, the king gets poisoned by poppies and secretly moves to a temple to get healed. Worried about a possible social chaos caused by the king's vacancy in the palace, Heo determines to temporarily place Ha-sun at the throne until the real king recovers from his illness. 
While Ha-sun is being taught how to act like the king by Heo, he not only kindly treats everyone in the palace but also bravely unfolds his own policy, unlike the cold-hearted King Gwanghae.
However, after the disloyal courtiers realize the fact that Ha-sun is disguising himself as King Gwanghae, the palace gets attacked by a riot.
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE
"Masquerade" has a similar setting to “The Prince and the Pauper,” the 1881 novel by American writer Mark Twain. The two stories has a single commonality of centering around a temporary switch of social status between two people that belong to different classes. 
Unlike “The Prince and the Pauper,” however, “Masquerade” focuses the process of a man maturing into the king of a nation, rather than disclosing the irrationality of the class system.
The subtlety of the movie is in the director's implication that 'kindness' and 'good will' are not everything that make a good king. Though Ha-sun's story may seem like the director is delivering the message of a man's happy ending after going through difficult events, the film also shows Ha-sun compromising with the reality after facing his limitations. 
Choo, nevertheless, does not pinpoint what specific elements it requires to become a true leader. Amid rampant "free" welfare program proposals in Korea like the free-meal program and half tuition system, the message makes people rethink about what is a true policy of a goodwill.
In addition to such a weighty scenario written by Hwang Jo-yoon and Choo's sensitive touch, Lee's 13-year-old career perfects his character in the movie. The actor’s charismatic voice tone and facial expressions suit the role of the king so well that it is possible to expect "Masquerade" as the best pic during the latter half of 2012.
In the meantime, supporting actor Ryu Seung-ryong, who shot to stardom by starring in hit movie “All about My Wife” this year, helps the main lead Lee shine more brightly in the movie by acting out the loyal courtier Heo Gyun. 
BUT
Director Choo did an amazing job in expressing the good characters, who are represented by Ha-sun, Heo Gyun and other loyal court people in the palace. However, the point of the attraction takes the gilt off the gingerbread on the other side, the evil, as Choo omits a full background information of the bads.
Compared to the perfect harmony of Ha-sun and Heo Gyun, the disloyal courtiers in the movie are only shown as jealous and weak characters without a specific reason. Additionally, their hatred towards the King is not also described in the pic.
Putting much of the weight of the story on the main lead character caused the film's failure to bring a good twist to the movie in the ending. Though “Masquerade” is credited as a well-made movie in many local reporters' previews, it is difficult to call the film a masterpiece when the storyline is predictable throughout the whole 130 minutes.
Lee's first historical movie "Masquerade" will make its premiere in local theaters on September 13.

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Source: New King 2012 blog

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Thanks to the highlight at PlanetBH0712
Lee Byung Hun Talks About 'Gwanghae, The Man Who Became King' Novel

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Ahead of the nationwide release on September 13, Gwanghae is topping the advance ticket booking sales everywhere ^^
September 12, 2012
광해, 왕이 된 남자 ‏@newking_2012

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Another great poster with the cast of Gwanghae and new release date
광해, 왕이 된 남자 ‏@newking_2012

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rubie said:
Another great poster with the cast of Gwanghae and new release date
광해, 왕이 된 남자 ‏@newking_2012

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September 12, 2012
Lee Byung Hun's New Movie 'Masquerade' To Premier A Week EarlierBy KDRAMASTARS STAFF WRITER
The movie 'Masquerade' featuring Lee Byung Hun changed its premier date in Korea from 20th of September to the 13th.
The change was made because of Lee's absence due to his schedule. Lee Byung Hun departed on the 10th of September for Canada to film the movie 'Red 2' in which he will be starring with Bruce Willis.  
Their strategy to overcome the sudden change in the main actor's schedule is to start screening the movie earlier and keep the momentum by the holiday season of 'Chuseok' which is Korea's Thanksgiving Day.
CJ Entertainment which is the investor and distributor explained, "We decide that the 13th of September is better than the 20th when we took the consideration of the marketing damage that can be caused by the absence of the main actor." They added, "the reaction from the preview and the press conference was very hot, and the atmosphere is very good now. This must be the best time to show the movie."     On the other side, since the 'Masquerade' is the most promising movie in September, other movies such as 'London Boulevard' starring Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley and 'The Rum Diary' starring Johnny Depp quickly pushed their premier dates to be a week later. 

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September 13, 2012

'Pieta' to compete for Oscar's best foreign film award
YonhapNews

SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- "Pieta," winner of the best film award at this year's Venice International Film Festival, will be submitted to the Foreign Language Film section of the Academy Awards to represent Korean cinema, a government commission said Thursday.

   The Korean Film Commission said the new film by director Kim Ki-duk was chosen with a unanimous decision by its jury members to be an entry to the 85th Academy Awards set for February.

Four other competitors were "The Taste of Money" (2012) by director Lim Sang-soo, "In Another Country" (2011) by director Hong Sang-soo, "Nameless Gangsters" (2012) by director Yoon Jong-bin and "Gwanghae: the Man Who Became the King" (2012) by director Choo Chang-min.

   Several South Korean films have been up for the Best Foreign Language Film award in recent years but none was formally nominated.

   The film commission explained that "Pieta" is based on South Korean reality but carries a universal message that extreme greed and poverty can destroy families and other human relationships.

   Meanwhile, the movie had drawn 170,000 moviegoers as of Wednesday, boosted by the winning of the Venice prize.

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These are really nice and sweet gifts prepared by Byunghun & Rubeurs for Gwanghae, think it's Rice Cakes 
Source: RiceParty

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Meet 'Gwanghae' in the Novel version 
Source: Nate 1 l 2 l 3 l 4

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'광해, 왕이 된 남자' 프리미어 레드카펫 영상
2012.09.07 Gwanghae Red Carpet & VIP Premiere

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2012.9.14 NOW PlayingKorea JoongAng Daily
Gwanghae (15)
Historical Drama / 131 / Korean


The 15th ruler of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), King Gwanghae (Lee Byung-hun), is constantly put at risk of assassination. So he orders his councilor Heo-gyun (Ryoo Seung-ryong) to find him a double in order to avoid death. Heo-gyun finds Ha-sun, also played by Lee, a poor acrobat and relentless joker who looks like the King. 
As predicted, Gwanghae is poisoned and Ha-sun is persuaded to take the role of the king until the real one recovers. As Ha-sun is more compassionate than Gwanghae, the affection and appreciation he shows toward the youngest servants does much to improve the morale in the palace.
After a while, Gwanghae’s double takes control of the nation with real insight and fair judgment. Even the councilor is amazed by Ha-sun and is ultimately convinced that he is a better leader than Gwanghae after realizing that Ha-sun is genuinely concerned for the people. Meanwhile, the king’s main opposition, Park Chung-seo (Kim Myung-gon) notices the sudden changes in the king’s behavior and investigates. 
The movie is directed by Choo Chang-min, whose other acclaimed works include “Mapodo” (2005) and “Lost in Love” (2006), and written by Hwang Jo-yoon, who co-wrote the winner of the 57th Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Prix, “Old Boy” (2003). 

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September 14, 2012
Tickets for Lee Byung-hun's 'Masquerade' Premiere Sell Out in Los AngelesChosunIlbo

"Masquerade" will premiere at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday (local time), the first Korean film ever to debut at the venue. It was invited to be screened there by Film Independent, a non-profit arts organization that holds an event of the same title as part of the LACMA Film Series, bringing together its large community of filmmakers and wide spectrum of audiences.
After the news was announced on the LACMA website on Thursday last week, all 600 tickets soon sold out, reflecting people's high expectations of the film as well as the popularity of star Lee Byung-hun, who will step on the red carpet for the premier.
Lee made a name for himself in Hollywood with his appearance in the "G. I. Joe" series. He left the country on Monday to shoot his new film, "Red 2," starring Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOzMGw9tfU0
Genres: Drama and EpicsRunning Time: 131 min.Directed by: Choo Chang-minStarring: Lee Byung-hun, Han Hyo-joo, Ryoo Seung-ryong
Synopsis: During the confusing and conspiratorial Chosun Dynasty, King Gwanghae orders his councilor to find him a double in order to avoid the constant threat of assassination. He finds Ha-sun, a jester who looks remarkably like the king, and just as feared, Gwang-hae is poisoned. The councilor proposes Ha-sun fill the role as the king until Gwanghae recovers fully and grooms Ha-sun to look and act every bit like the king.

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September 14, 2012
Lee Byung-hun proves expectations in Korean filmMasquerade, the first Korean film rolling out the red carpet at Los Angeles County Museum of Artby Lee Eun-sun KOBIZ

Masquerade, a film spearding news about Lee Byung-hun’s double role, is going to be the first Korean film to have a red carpet premiere at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) on September 14th (GMT-8) as it was invited to Film Independent. Lee the leading actor of Masquerade, who is already been know in Hollywood with G. I. Joe series and Red 2, is expected to receive spot light on the red carpet. Soon after LACMA posted news about the premiere on their official web site on September 6th, 600 tickets have been all sold. This was an exceptional case showing how high expectations in Lee and Korean historical drama have gone up.
Starting with a red carpet event with the attendance of Hollywood’s renowned filmmakers and other people working in the film industry as well as Lee, the premiere is going to have a Q&A section with Elvis Mitchell, a film critic from the ‘New York Times’. LACMA’s Film Independent, where Masquerade was invited to, is a nonprofit artistic organization established in 1981 in order to support independent film makers and artists. Films recently invited to them include The Descendants starring George Clooney and Moneyball starring Brad Pitt. A representative of LACMA stated, “Masquerade well matched the concepts of LACMA because it deals with the history of Korea. That was a good enough reason that Film Independent was interested in the film and invited it.” Photos from JoyNews

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2012.09.14 YTN clip Lee Byung Hun Talks about Masquerade
Original Streaming l  Sendspace

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September 14, 2012
Lee Byung-hun Getting on Board For "Masquerade" L.A. ScreeningReporter: Lee Hye Ji Editor: Monica Suk KStar10
Lee Byung-hun greets reporters and fans during the V.I.P screening of his new film "Masquerade" held at the CGV movie theater in Yeoido, Seoul on September 7, 2012. [CJ E&M]
Korean top actor Lee Byung-hun’s latest film “Masquerade” will have its world premiere at one of the biggest art museums in the United States.
The pic’s distributor CJ E&M said in a press release Thursday that the costume drama is to be screened for the Film Independent program at the Los Angeles County Museum Of Art [LACMA] on Friday.
After the screening ends at the Big Theater in the evening, Lee will join the audience for Q&A session with famed American film critic Elvis Mitchell.
Proving the heightened expectation for the movie, the officials added that all 600 seats for the event have sold out.
“The film fits our goal [to spotlight the Asian culture] and our audiences’ who expect to meet the Korean history through beautiful mise-en-Scene,” an official from the LACMA was quoted as saying.
Film Independent is a non-profit art organization which has supported indie filmmakers and artists since it was founded in 1981 under the LACMA, the biggest art museum in the western America.
The King’s story, scheduled to open in selected American theaters on September 21, scored a massive opening of approximately one million U.S. dollars at the Korean box office on September 13.

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September 14, 2012
The Lee Byung Hun Effect, Gwanghae Opens at #1 Ahead of Resident Evil 5 and PietaSource: Nate

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September 14, 2012
Son suk woo @ BH_BOSS
^ ^ At CGV Yeouido ^ ^ hearing the audience laughter ^ ^ makes a manager's job a happy moment, all over the wall pics of our actors ^ ^ Be Happy! yfrog.com/odf50mqj
This image has been resized to fit in the page. Click to enlarge.
A lot of positive tweets about Gwanghae - really good response to the movie and especially about Lee Byung Hun's performance. Many are saying that they'll watch the movie again. ^^