[Movie 1999] Harmonium In My Memory 내 마음의 풍금

[rubie]

yoonah, help me out ... I've got these pics for so long named "Su-ha".... it's the Su-ha from Harmonium, right... I can't remember seeing LBH like this in the movie...am I mixing it up?

clickable thumbnails, credit to the original site (sorry, I can't remember which) :blush:

[Guest yoonah]

Oh dear. I'm sorry I couldn't help you rubie. These pix are unfamiliar to me too. All I know is that Soo-Ha/Su-ha is the first name of LBH's Mr. Kang character in "Harmonium..."

[rubie]

^Seems like a mystery, huh... the girls at LBH thread doesn't know either. My hunch is that... the pics were from another drama (most probably) or a CF shooting or something. Hope someone can enlighten this for us. :blush:

Btw, I managed to make some caps... and managed to watch Harmonium halfway. :blush: I have to say... the scene Su-ha singing while cleaning his LPs was too cute! He doesn't have a record player (yet) so he sings the song from each LP. And he especially like the "woof! woof!" part, too.

oops... please excuse the amateur-caps... still learning the ropes...

[rubie]

Watching the movie the second time, LMY's character as the new female teacher is someone with her own mindset, on how to teach & spending time with the students. Her constant run-in with the senior teacher, never giving way to anything... probably intrigued Su-ha more and more about her. A lovely lady indeed, and sharing the same passion for music as Su-ha... definitely a bonus.

[rubie]

Diligently... without fail, Su-ha keeps his LP collection intact... always a passion even when he couldn't listen to the songs yet. Once he had bought the record player from a local store, they started exchanging LPs at the school... Su-ha and LMY's character... forgot her name. :blush:

[rubie]

Harmonium In My Memory 내 마음의 풍금 1999

Heartwarming first love, a sweet story of life

1999-South Korea-Romantic Comedy/Ensemble Film

Sweetest First Love of Naema-eum-ui punggeum

Director: Lee Young Jae

Starring: Lee Byung Hun, Jeon Do Yeon, Lee Mi Yeon

Screenplay: Lee Young Jae

Production Company: Art Hill

Release Date: March 27, 1999

Genre: Drama

Info: kmdb.or.kr

Hong-yeon is a 17-year old grade schooler with a heart-wrenching crush on her homeroom teacher, Soo-ha. Staying late school, putting flowers on his de나, asking pointed questions in her school diary... Nothing seems to catch his attention. Meanwhile, 21-year old Soo-ha has fallen for another teacher at their school. When Hong-yeon realizes this, she tries everything she can to discredit her rival, from ridiculing her age to stealing her shoes in class. Soo-ha appears to be beyond persuasion, however. Lee Young-jae's first feature film captures vividly the passion of youthful ideals and the torment of first love. It is set in an idyllic village grade school in the 1960's, a time thought of as the 'last decade of innocence' in the modem history of Korea.

Synopsis: Sanri, a town in Kang Won Province. Hong-Yeon, 17-year-old, is a student in an elementary school. She meets Kang Su-Ha, 21-year-old teacher, in the street by chance. He starts for his new position in Sanri elementary school. After that, she who loves him, goes around him after school to see him. She writes about him in her diary, but he does not care about it. Su-Ha likes beautiful Yang Eun-Hi, his colleague, and they come to love each other. When Hong-Yeon sees that Su-Ha and Yang Eun-Hi were together, she is exposed to rain. After a while, Yang Eun-Hi goes abroad to study with her fiancee in Seoul. While Su-Ha is disappointed in love, Hong-Yeon fills with happiness. One year after, there is fire in auditorium due to the children's mischief during the rehearsal for class day. Su-Ha runs into the auditorium to rescue the children, and Hong-Yeon follows him...

Review: The romance between the two leads is not contrived or forced in any way. It develops naturally between two people who meet together daily. Anyone who has ever experienced a crush can identify with Hong-yeon. She searches for hidden meaning in her teacher's every action which she happily interprets to suit her fantasy. This movie is filled with warmth towards all of its characters. There is no enemy per se, just every day people. The scenery is memorable and matches the emotions of the film well. Watch the ending carefully as the credits begin to roll. It is there you can find the true conclusion to the film. Excellent use of rural Korean backdrop and music, with a wonderfully believable performance by Jeon Do-yeon as a rural beauty coping with a seemingly hopeless crush and by Lee Byunghun as a new, pure-spirited young teacher.

Harmonium in My Memory

By Darcy Paquet koreanfilm.org

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

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

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

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

The setting for this film is 1962, when a young teacher from Seoul takes his first job at a village school in Kangwon Province. When he arrives, his students present him with a number of challenges: many of them are poor, and cannot write properly; classtime is interrupted by fighting or visits from relatives. Nonetheless the students seem to enjoy his caring, idealistic approach, even if they don't always do what he tells them to. At this time one of his older students begins to fall in love with him. She makes use of her daily journal assignments to comment on his teaching and ask him probing, curious questions. When she notices a romance developing between him and another teacher, she does her best to discredit her rival by harping on her age and stealing her shoes in class.

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

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

Set in 1963, Nae Maeumeui Pungguem/The Harmonium in My Memory tells the tale of Kang Su-ha (Lee Byung-heon), a 21-year-old novice schoolteacher who lands a job in the very small town of Sanri, mostly populated by illiterate families stuck in poverty, and with little interest in education. Add to this the fact that Kang is very nervous and clumsy in the extreme, and it's no wonder he has a hard time keeping his class in order. Kang makes the acquaintance of Yang Eun-hee (Lee Mi-yeon), a lovely young woman who is also on the school's faculty, and, though it takes a while, Kang eventually works up the courage to actually talk to her. However, Kang has an unexpected obstacle in this potential romance. One of his students, 17-year-old Yun Hong-yeon (Jeon Do-yeon), has a furious crush on Kang, and she isn't about to make it easy for him to him to pursue the woman of his dreams. The film was cited in the press for the fine performances of the three leads and the accurate recreation of Korea on the cusp of modernization. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide Source: MTV.com

Heart-warming story of life

16 September 2001 - 9/10 stars Author: Thomas Giammarco from Jeonju, South Korea

I am not generally a fan of romantic movies, but there are exceptions to every rule. For me, this movie is it. The romance between the two leads is not contrived or forced in any way. It develops naturally between two people who meet together daily. Anyone who has ever experienced a crush can identify with Hong-yeon. She searches for hidden meaning in her teacher's every action which she happily interprets to suit her fantasy. This movie is filled with warmth towards all of its characters. There is no enemy per se, just every day people. The scenery is memorable and matches the emotions of the film well. Watch the ending carefully as the credits begin to roll. It is there you can find the true conclusion to the film. Source: imdb

Related links imdb l wikipedia l dvdtalk.com l hancinema.net l rottentomatoes.com l kwintessential.co.uk l amazon.com

Movie trailer

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Music Clip

<object ><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAV4wcYyUqc?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

[rubie]

The Harmonium in My Memory

a k a Nae Maeumeui Punggeum

1999-South Korea-Romantic Comedy/Ensemble Film

PLOT DESCRIPTION

Set in 1963, Nae Maeumeui Pungguem/The Harmonium in My Memory tells the tale of Kang Su-ha (Lee Byung-heon), a 21-year-old novice schoolteacher who lands a job in the very small town of Sanri, mostly populated by illiterate families stuck in poverty, and with little interest in education. Add to this the fact that Kang is very nervous and clumsy in the extreme, and it's no wonder he has a hard time keeping his class in order. Kang makes the acquaintance of Yang Eun-hee (Lee Mi-yeon), a lovely young woman who is also on the school's faculty, and, though it takes a while, Kang eventually works up the courage to actually talk to her. However, Kang has an unexpected obstacle in this potential romance. One of his students, 17-year-old Yun Hong-yeon (Jeon Do-yeon), has a furious crush on Kang, and she isn't about to make it easy for him to him to pursue the woman of his dreams. The film was cited in the press for the fine performances of the three leads and the accurate recreation of Korea on the cusp of modernization. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Source: http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=180117

Nae maeumui punggeum (1998)

Heart-warming story of life

16 September 2001 - 9/10 stars

Author: Thomas Giammarco from Jeonju, South Korea

I am not generally a fan of romantic movies, but there are exceptions to every rule. For me, this movie is it. The romance between the two leads is not contrived or forced in any way. It develops naturally between two people who meet together daily. Anyone who has ever experienced a crush can identify with Hong-yeon. She searches for hidden meaning in her teacher's every action which she happily interprets to suit her fantasy. This movie is filled with warmth towards all of its characters. There is no enemy per se, just every day people. The scenery is memorable and matches the emotions of the film well. Watch the ending carefully as the credits begin to roll. It is there you can find the true conclusion to the film.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235452/

[rubie]

The student's really getting married, CONGRATULATIONS TO JEON DO YEON! :blush: yoonah... where are you?

Mar 6, 2007

Movie Star to Tie Knot in Private Ceremony

Film star Jeon Do-yeon (34) will marry a businessman only identified as Kang (40) this month in a private ceremony.

Jeon's agency SidusHQ said on Monday she wants her wedding to be quiet and will therefore close it to the public. The company did not disclose the groom’s name or the date, time and place of the wedding. Jeon reportedly met the businessman in November last year through an acquaintance.

Source: englishnews@chosun.com

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/new...0703060020.html

[rubie]

03-06-2007

Happy Marriage of Musicals, Cinema?

By Chung Ah-young

Staff Reporter

Are musicals and cinema friends or foes? It may all depend on how you look at it.

The symbiotic relationship between the two genres has been already tested between Broadway and Hollywood.

Broadway and the West End have successfully produced musicals such as "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King" in 1990, based on Disney movies.

The Korean musical industry is now also looking to translate hit films into musicals, making the best use of the boom in the local musical scene.

"Movical," a combination word consisting of "movie and musical," is emerging as a Korean slang buzzword on the local musical scene.

The interaction between the two industries dates back to a local film, "Waikiki Brothers," (2001) directed by Im Soon-rye, which was adapted for the stage in 2004.

This year, about five or six musicals based on films will be staged.

"Dancing Princess," a film starring actress Moon Geun-young and actor Park Kun-hyung in 2005, will go to the stage on March 29-July 1. It dealt with dance sports, where a couple performs competitively in flamboyant modern and Latin dances.

It is the combination of the dance and sports, which is key to the musical factors, based on the storyline of the film.

Singer-turned-actress Eugene who was a member of girl group SES will play Moon's role in the musical version.

The musical version of "Singles" is planning to cast Kim Yoon-a of the band Jaurim, or singer and actress Uhm Jung-hwa who starred in the film in the main role, but the decision is yet to be made.

"Singles" based on Kamata Toshio's novel, titled "Christmas at Twenty-Nine," will be reborn as a light-hearted musical showing four single characters in their late 20s, pursuing their careers and at the same time their loves.

"Singles" will be presented at Dongsoong Hall of the Dongsoong Art Center from June 8- July 29.

Lee Sun-young, a senior official of PMC Production, which is also considering adapting two musicals from films, said that it is a kind of a trend in Broadway and the West End.

"More and more producers are turning their eyes to major hit films to diversify the contents and secure popularity as local original musicals are gaining popularity," Lee said.

The film "The General's Son" (1990) by veteran director Im Kwon-taek will be revived as a musical.

The plot is based on the real life of the late Korean independence activist and fighter Kim Du-han, beginning with his early years in Chongno area in central Seoul, which many saw as being the symbolic heart of the country during the Japanese colonial period. The film attracted more than one million people when it was shown, a remarkable feat at that time.

``The major character Kim Du-han who fought against the Japanese colonial rule and its historic backgrounds will appeal to a wide variety of fans, not only old film fans but also the new generation,’’ Kim Hak-muk, head of the Sonagi Arts, said.

The musical to be staged next year will offer the same well-textured storyline and dynamic action.

Beside these pieces, other local films _ "The Harmonium in My Memory," "The Ginkgo Bed" and "Love So Divine" _ will also be made into the musicals.

The local musical industry's rush to Korean cinema for content is for a good reason.

In the last several years, Korean musicals have flourished, by relying heavily on imported works or licensed musicals since the blockbuster hit musical "The Phantom of the Opera."

But the quantum leap of the musical markets has created over-heated competition, leading to a steep rise in the price of copyright of licensed musicals. This inevitably raised ticket prices. Thus, homegrown musical companies are forced to come up with contents themselves, without having to pay higher royalties for foreign musicals, critics said.

Because of the lack of homegrown contents and themes, it is natural for producers to use proven name value hit films.

However, Won Jong-won, a musical critic, said that it is not always successful for the film-adapted musicals to just represent the same stories and formats on the stage.

"The musicals should reinterpret the original works in a new form beyond the films," Won said.

chungay@koreatimes.co.kr

Source: The Korea Times

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/20...18202711690.htm

[rubie]

May 16, 2007

Actress without ambition gets it all

'For the first time in my acting career, I told the director I couldn't do it.'

Versatile actress Jeon Do-youn will attend the Cannes

International Film Festival with her latest film, “Secret Sunshine.” By Park Jong-geun

Jeon Do-youn is one of the most versatile actors in Korea. From a hillbilly teenager with rustic clothing in “The Harmonium in My Memory” to a housewife who lost her mind as the result of an extramarital affair in “Happy End,” Jeon has moved from one role to another and has become a jewel in the Korean movie scene.

Today, Jeon will be on the red carpet at the Cannes International Film Festival in France, promoting her role in “Secret Sunshine.”

In an interview before she left for the French resort city to attend one of the world’s most important film festivals, Jeon said she was not that confident about her role in “Secret Sunshine,” in which she plays Sin-ae, a woman who loses her husband in a traffic accident and her son to a kidnapper.

Her character lives in a country town with a name whose Chinese characters mean “Secret Sunshine,” Sin-ae almost finds relief by devoting herself to religion. Yet she loses her faith in God when she confronts the kidnapper of her son, who tells her that he has already been saved by God.

“After reading the script, I felt I could not do it,” Jeon said. “And the director said he appreciated my honesty.” But Jeon eventually decided to accept the role, thinking, “Why don’t I test myself and go beyond my limits?”

It was not easy. The hardest part was the scene where Sin-ae gets a call from the kidnapper. “For the first time in my acting career, I told the director that I couldn’t do it,” Jeon said. The director understood, waited for her to find her pace and got the scene on film.

Jeon doesn’t scream or act crazy. Instead, she swallows her grief. In a scene where Sin-ae leaves the prison after confronting the kidnapper, she simply collapses on the ground. This is director Lee Chang-dong’s way of conveying realism without sympathy. He draws the cruelty of life as it is. “I had this feeling that all the energy went out of me. I was physically awake yet mentally in a coma,” Jeon said, referring to her emotions after shooting the scene.

“Lee doesn’t give much direction, and I was sometimes angry and defiant,” Jeon continued. “Yet I now understand that the director wanted the actors to find answers for themselves.” She said the director’s style helped her stay away from the tried-and-trusted methods she had used in the past.

Film critics hailed Jeon’s performance. The film is scheduled to open next week, but critics are already giving her rave reviews. One said, “We thought Jeon Do-youn had nothing left to offer. We were wrong.”

Lee is sharing in the success, fuelling his comeback to the movie scene after years of serving as the culture minister.

A scene from “Secret Sunshine,”starring Jeon Do-youn.

Provided by the company

Song Gang-ho, who plays a supporting role in “Secret Sunshine,” said, “This film is the best production ever from the director, and it is all about Jeon.”

The filming went on for five months and Jeon found it physically and emotionally exhausting.

She coped, in part, because, she met and married her husband. “It was during the final stages of filming that I met my husband and I guess I needed some consoling from the stress of my role in the film,” Jeon said. “I usually go out with a person for at least four seasons to get to know him. But this time, everything went so fast, and I surprised myself.”

Jeon describes herself as an “actress without ambitions.” “I didn’t know I would be successful, because I thought I didn’t have what it takes to be an actress,” Jeon said. Her dream was to be a “good wife,” so now she says she has everything ― a great career and a happy married life.

What brought her this far?

“I have a strong will and I never want to lose,” she said. “Once I decide to do something, I clench my teeth and fight until I win.”

In a recent survey by the film magazine Cine 21, Jeon was placed third on a list of best actors. Among actresses, she was number one.

By Yang Sung-hee JoongAng Ilbo [sujiney@joongang.co.kr]

Source: English JoongAng Daily

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2875578

[Guest ladymac]

I LOVE this movie!!! Although, it freaked me out the 1st time I saw it, because she looked like she was about 12 yrs old (she's supposed to be about 18 or 19)and I was like Then my friend told me, NO, there's only about 3-4 yrs. difference in her and the teacher's ages LOL!!

[rubie]

I LOVE this movie!!! Although, it freaked me out the 1st time I saw it, because she looked like she was about 12 yrs old (she's supposed to be about 18 or 19)and I was like Then my friend told me, NO, there's only about 3-4 yrs. difference in her and the teacher's ages LOL!!

Hi ladymac, good to see you here... hahaa... who wouldn't freaked out? JDY was already 26 when she did Harmonium and yet she doesn't look like she's over 15. The only difference from the other children was that she's a bit taller but still a kid. But then... most girls at that age are already 'old' enough to be married. And LBH as the fresh graduate at 20-yrs old... if one is not familiar with the production... the movie could have been mistaken for a 60s or 70s film... not just in the storyline.

The simple yet sweet story of first love is a surprise actually... everything in it definitely brings back that bygone innocence.

[rubie]

May 27, 2007

'Secret Sunshine' Steals Limelight in Cannes

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia

Staff Reporter

Actress Jeon Do-youn, left, and actor Song Gang-ho,

stars in director Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine,"

smile brightly for the cameras at Cannes.

The 60th Cannes Film Festival closed Sunday. / Yonhap

Korean actress Jeon Do-youn is reaping critical acclaim from foreign critics, for her role in "Secret Sunshine" (Miryang) which was screened at the prestigious 60th Cannes Film Festival.

Since it was screened last week, "Secret Sunshine" has emerged as one of the leading contenders for the top prize, the Palme d'Or. Winners will be announced when the event ends on Sunday evening in France.

A New York Times article heaped praises on the film directed by Lee Chang-dong, a former culture minister.

Jeon was singled out for her depiction of a young widow who moves to her late husband's hometown. The article said Jeon gave one of the strongest female performances in the festival, hinting she may even win the best female performance award. "Jeon's portrayal of a meek soul in torment is a tour de force," the New York Times said.

Film industry journal Variety described Jeon's performance as "finely detailed." "Jeon's convinced playing, a trademark of the chameleon actress, keeps 'Sunshine' watchable but can't inject real tension and drama on its own. On screen almost the whole time, Jeon carries the picture virtually single-handedly," it said.

If Jeon wins, she will be the first Korean actress to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival. Jeon is already a popular and multi-awarded actress in Korea, but is little known overseas.

There have been a handful of Korean actresses who have won awards in international film festivals. Kang Soo-yeon won the best actress award for the film "Sibaji" at the 1987 Venice International Film Festival.

Moon So-ri also won the best new actress award for her role in "Oasis" at the 2002 Venice International Film Festival. Moon received good reviews for her role as a woman with cerebral palsy in the film, which was also directed by Lee Chang-dong.

Jeon has won several domestic acting awards for her roles in films such as "Harmonium in My Memory" and "My Mother The Mermaid." She also appeared in the hit SBS drama "Lovers in Prague" in 2005.

In 2006, Jeon received the best leading actress award at the 43rd Taejong (Grand Bell) Film Festival for her role as a HIV/AIDS-stricken waitress in and "You are My Sunshine!" directed by Park Jin-pyo.

The local film industry is expecting that should either Jeon or the film win, it will provide a great boost to local cinema, which has been sliding recently.

Aside from "Secret Sunshine," another Korean film "Breath" by director Kim Ki-duk is also vying for the Palme d'Or. There are over 20 films competing for the top prize at Cannes.

In 2004, the film "Old Boy," directed by Park Chan-wook, won the Grand Prix, the second place honor at the Cannes. It was the first Korean film to win one of the top prizes at the prestigious festival.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

Source: The Korea Times

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2...5/135_3612.html

[rubie]

The first time seeing JDY on the big screen was in Harmonium... the 26-year old actress as the 15-year old persona and getting away with it, I'd believe her as 15 but not 26, her real age... totally making the character so real.

Way to go, JDY... Cannes salutes you.

05-28-2007 17:39

Jeon Shines on Nation With Cannes Award

By Seo Dong-shin

Staff Reporter

Jeon Do-youn smiles for the camera

in this recent file photo. / Korea Times

On Sunday, Jeon Do-youn became the first South Korean actress to garner the Best Actress Award at the 60th Cannes International Film Festival for her role in the Korean film "Secret Sunshine," directed by Lee Chang-dong.

It was the second time for an Asian actress to win the award at the Festival. Chinese actress Maggie Cheung received the award in 2004 with "Clean," French director Olivier Assayas' film about a woman rebuilding her life. Cheung served on this year's jury.

The prize also became another welcome recognition given to a Korean actress on the international level, 20 years after Kang Soo-yeon won the best actress award for her role in "Sibaji," or "The Surrogate Woman," at the Venice International Film Festival in 1987. Actress Moon So-ri won the Marcello Mastroianni Award as best newcomer in 2002 at Venice with her role in "Oasis," another film directed by Lee.

Jeon was predicted to be a strong candidate since "Secret Sunshine" screened at the Riviera festival in France last week. The New York Times called her portrayal of the character Shin-ae a "tour de force," while Variety.com praised her "finely detailed performance."

At home, Jeon has been continuously heaped with critics' praises as well as long-standing popularity. The 34-year-old looms large in the Korean cinema, known for her devotion to her character in each film.

Having started out as a model in a cosmetics commercial in 1990, Jeon starred in several popular TV drama series during the early 1990s, including "General Hospital." It was the role of the heroine in the 1997 movie "The Contact" that shot her to silver screen stardom.

After reaping newcomer awards with the film, she set out to explore diverse genres of films, ranging from the melodrama film "A Promise" in 1998, action drama "No Blood No Tears" in 2002 to historical drama "The Scandal" in 2003 and another melodrama "You Are My Sunshine" in 2005.

By the late 1990s, she was virtually dividing the local film industry and fan base into two with Shim Eun-ha, who was also a prominent actress at that time with films like "Christmas in August" and "Art Museum by the Zoo." Shim retired after her marriage in October 2005. But Jeon continued to pursue her career, marrying a businessman in March this year.

The news of Jeon's win at Cannes put the entire nation as well as industry people into a celebratory mood.

President Roh Moo Hyun on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Jeon and the entire staff of "Secret Sunshine" for "showing once again the Korean movie's strength and potential." Roh also praised Jeon's passion and hard work resulting in the outstanding performance.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Kim Jong-min also called the staff in Cannes to deliver his congratulations. Recalling watching the "The Contact" premier at the ministry 10 years ago, Kim said he knew Jeon would achieve a feat some day for her outstanding performance. The minister also thanked director Lee for "doing great work at a difficult time for Korean cinema."

The celebratory mood also caught on with people in the city of Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, where some 90 percent of "Secret Sunshine" was filmed. "Miryang" literally means "Secret Sunshine."

"It's a great pleasure and honor for our city," Um Yong-su, mayor of the city, was quoted as saying by Yonhap News. "I'm grateful for the production staff for letting the name of our small city become known across the world."

The city plans to preserve the film location spots and use them to boost tourism, he said.

"Residents all welcome the news and are delighted," Lee Bong-dae, village headman of Gagok-dong, the primary backdrop for the movie, was also quoted as saying. "We hope foreigners as well as people from other regions will feel curious about this place and come visit."

Film industry also expressed hopes of a windfall.

According to Cinema Service, which released "Secret Sunshine" locally on May 23, about 400,000 have watched the film up until May 27.

"While it's not satisfactory, it has fared well against the craze involving the 'Pirates of the Caribbean 3,'" an official from the company said.

Lee, Jeon and actor Song Gang-ho, who also starred in the film, will hold a press conference on May 30 upon returning to Seoul. They will also embark on a nationwide promotion of the film.

The prospects look bright, considering the rate of online ticket reservations soared immediately after the news of Jeon's award spread. As of Monday morning, "Secret Sunshine" ranked on top of the list along with the "Pirates," taking 32.4 percent of the ticket reservation share.

Officials at CJ Entertainment, which is in charge of distributing the film overseas, also appeared upbeat. Negotiations are underway with companies in Japan, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Italy and Germany, according to the company.

saltwall@koreatimes.co.kr

Source: The Korea Times

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2...5/135_3668.html

[rubie]

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Jeon wins Cannes best actress prize

CANNES, France -- Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon, who stars in a tragic movie on death and faith, "Secret Sunshine," won the Cannes film fest's best actress award Sunday.

The 34-year-old actress was acclaimed for her brave performance as a grieving wife and mother in the Korean melodrama, the first picture in four years by Lee Chang-dong, a former Korean culture minister.

"I can't believe I'm here," said Jeon, wearing a silver evening gown.

"There are many fabulous actresses here at the festival, and I would like to represent them all here tonight. It is a great honor for me to have this prize."

She appears in nearly every scene of Lee's two-and-a-half-hour-long film, portraying Shin-ae, a piano teacher who moves with her son to the hometown of her late husband, whose death is still the source of nearly unbearable pain.

She dotes on her young son as a link to his father, and the two have a palpably close relationship.

When, in a cruel and unexpected twist in the story, the small boy is abducted and killed, Shin-ae turns to evangelical Christianity on the advice of her pharmacist, a devout believer, as a means of dealing with her grief. Filled with religious fervor, she decides to visit her son's murderer in prison to tell him she has forgiven him. But she is horrified when the killer tells her with a serene smile that he has repented and God has already offered him absolution.

"Who is God to forgive him before I have?" she asks her Christian friends in a rage.

Jeon is known in Korean cinema as a chameleon who fully inhabits her roles. She shot to stardom at home with her debut in the 1997 romance "The Contact."

The following year she starred as a schoolgirl in "Harmonium in My Memory" and picked up Korea's prestigious Blue Dragon and Grand Bell prizes for best actress.

Jeon scored a box office hit in 2003 with a remake of "Dangerous Liaisons" and won rave reviews in 2005 for her portrayal of a prostitute who contracts AIDS in "You're My Sunshine."

"Secret Sunshine" was one of two Korean movies competing for the Palme d'Or. Kim Ki-duk presented "Breath," starring Taiwanese actor Chang Chen as a man on death row who falls in love with a scorned wife.

The Cannes Film Festival's top prize went to a harrowing film about illegal abortion in Communist-era Romania, which beat 21 movies by well-known directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Ethan and Joel Coen, and Wong Kar-wai.

Romanian director Cristian Mungiu's low-budget film, "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days," depicts the horrors a student goes through to ensure her friend can have a secret abortion.

Mungiu, who was awarded the Palme d'Or by actress Jane Fonda, said he didn't even have enough money to shoot the film just six months ago. He hoped the win would inspire other "small filmmakers from small countries."

"You don't necessarily need a big budget and big stars to tell a story that everyone will listen to," said 39-year-old Mungiu, the first Romanian to win Cannes' top prize.

The films shown at Cannes' 60th anniversary edition ran the gamut of weighty subjects, from death and loss to abortion and aging. The winners of the awards, announced by jury president Stephen Frears (director of "The Queen"), reflected the darker themes. Japanese director Naomi Kawase's "Mogari No Mori" ("The Mourning Forest") took the festival's grand prize, the second-highest award, in a surprise. The film is about two people -- a retirement home resident and a caretaker at the center -- struggling to overcome the deaths of loved ones.

The prize for best director went to American Julian Schnabel for his French-language film "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," based on a memoir by a French magazine editor who became paralyzed after a stroke and learned to write again by painstakingly blinking his eyelid.

The movie is Schnabel's third, after "Basquiat" and "Before Night Falls."

The jury awarded a special prize to director Gus Van Sant for his impressionistic "Paranoid Park," which depicts a teenage skateboarder whose life is turned upside down when he accidentally kills a security guard. Van Sant, who won the festival's top prize in 2003 for "Elephant," recruited untrained actors on MySpace.com and shot the film in just a few weeks.

Two films shared the jury prize: "Persepolis," Marjane Satrapi's moving and humorous adaptation of her graphic novels about growing up during and after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, which she co-directed with Vincent Paronnaud; and "Stellet Licht" ("Silent Light"), Carlos Reygadas' tale of forbidden love set among Mennonite farmers of northern Mexico.

The prize for best actor went to Russia's Konstantin Lavronenko, who played a troubled husband in "The Banishment," a drama about a couple whose marriage disintegrates during a stay in the countryside.

German writer and director Fatih Akin's "The Edge of Heaven," a German-Turkish cross-cultural tale of loss, mourning and forgiveness, won the prize for best screenplay.

Several high-profile movies that screened at Cannes were not in the running for prizes, including Michael Moore's "Sicko," "Ocean's Thirteen" starring George Clooney and Matt Damon, and "A Mighty Heart," featuring Angelina Jolie as the widow of slain journalist Daniel Pearl.

The Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men," a bloody, darkly funny tale about a ruthless killer in Texas, was hailed by critics but snubbed by the jury. Other films up for the top prize included Tarantino's "Death Proof," Wong's "My Blueberry Nights," and David Fincher's "Zodiac."

In a big weekend for Romania, another film from the country took honors in a secondary competition called "Un Certain Regard." Director Cristian Nemescu died in a car crash last year at age 27, leaving his "California Dreamin'" incomplete. Jurors had initially decided not to judge the film, about U.S. soldiers in a small Romanian village, but changed their minds when they saw it.

On Saturday night, festival organizers screened the late Henry Fonda's "Twelve Angry Men," then surprised his daughter, Jane Fonda, with a special lifetime achievement award at a gala dinner.

Festival president Gilles Jacob recounted Fonda's career highs and lows, including her controversial trip to North Vietnam in 1972, joking that he never thought the festival would honor someone who had been "spied on and hounded by the FBI."

The 69-year-old Fonda, visibly moved, put the focus back on her father, responding in excellent French, "For my father, his films were his way of representing justice, quality and democracy." She added her hope that one day, "the United States will again become the country that he stood for."

From news reports, The Korea Herald

https://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/htm...00705290021.asp

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Sunday, June 17, 2007

Hit movies revisit audiences as musicals

Creating a new catch phrase "moviecal boom" in the country's entertainment industry, a number of musicals based on hit movies will be staged in the coming months. Smash-hit Korean movies, including "200 Pound Beauty," "Singles," "Love, So Divine," "My Love My Bride" and "The Parade of the Youth," are a few examples among many moviecals already announced for a rebirth on stage. The moviecal boom doesn't stop there. Older hit movies like "Gingko Bed" (2001), which starred Han Suk-hyu and Shim Hye-jin, "The Harmonium In My Memory" (1999), featuring Lee Byung-heon and Jeon Do-yeon, winner of this year's Canne Film Festival, and internationally acclaimed director Im Kwon-taek's "The General's Son (1990)" are also to be staged next year.

Among a number of moviecals, the musical adaptation of the movie "200 Pound Beauty," is already grabbing media attention in and out of the country. The movie based on a transformation story of an extremely fat singer produced an impressive box-office result last year, selling 6.62 million tickets. The number surpassed the Korean Wave hit "Shiri" (6.21 million admissions) to secure the No. 8 slot in the country's top movie rankings in terms of total ticket sales. The question is now being asked whether the musical version of the movie will make a huge success like the movie did.

Shownote, a local musical production company which is to produce the musical adaptation of "200 Pound Beauty," said they are quite confident of the success of the musical because the movie has a refined story and amazing songs that already have grabbed the eyes and ears of Korean fans.

"We decided to stage the musical version of '200 Pound Beauty' because not only was it a surprising hit across the nation, but also its story and songs are quite suitable to a musical," said Lee Ga-young, publicist of the production company. "The musical version will have a taste and style different from the movie. And it is scheduled to be staged late next year."

Although media attention is much focused on moviecals, however, ticket sales demonstrate low public interest for moviecals.

A musical version of "Singles," which features singer-turned-actor Lee Hyun-woo, and the musical "Innocent Steps," also starring Eugene, a former member of popular girl group S.E.S., have received media attention because the two both have the story of the hit movies and versatile celebrities to make the musical known to the audience.

However, ticket sales haven't been that good.

According to Interpark, one of the major online shopping malls, "Singles" marked 23rd and "Innocent Steps" 46th in sales ranking.

The producer of the musical said musical sales can't be the same as movies.

"I thought I was the filmmaker who was thinking about making musicals based on the movie. And I thought it would be easier to stage the musical version of the movie because I was the one who made the movie. However, I was wrong. Making a musical was a different story," said Choi Soon-sik, president of Culturecap Media, in an interview with a local magazine.

Culturecap media is a production company that produced both the movie and musical versions of "Innocent Steps."

"The success of the movie has little to do with the musical. The ticket price for the musical costs much more than buying movie tickets. In other words, there should be a clear reason to lure audiences to the theater rather than just depending on the popularity of the title," said Choi.

By Cho Chung-un

Source: christory@heraldm.com

https://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/htm...00706180012.asp

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October 3, 2007

Cannes winner takes her next step

Jeon Do-yeon

What’s next? This was the question Jeon Do-yeon has faced since she won the best actress award at the Cannes International Film Festival in May for her performance in “Milyang,” or “Secret Sunshine,” directed by Lee Chang-dong. But after a months-long wait, fans will be glad to hear that Jeon’s next film will be “Meotjin Haru” (or “One Fine Day”) to be directed by Lee Yoon-ki.

Jeon is to star as an unemployed spinster. One day, she meets up with her ex-boyfriend and spends a day full of adventure with subtle shades of feelings. Director Lee has been a darling of international film festivals with films like “This Charming Girl” (2004) and “Love Talk” (2005), which provided a sophisticated, warm look at female sensibilities. Jeon’s male counterpart in the new film has yet to be decided. The movie is slated to start filming next month and open early next year.

The first Korean actress to win the award at Cannes, Jeon has cemented her fame at home with versatile performances, from a naive teenager in “The Harmonium in My Memory” to a housewife in a fatal affair in “Happy End.”

Jeon, meanwhile, received another award from the Asia Producers Network at its launch conference yesterday. The network aims to foster cooperation among Asian film producers, and more than 40 producers from seven Asian countries attended the launch conference.

By Chun Su-jin

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2881026

[rubie]

Found this at naver.. but not sure what it's really about.. concerning Harmonium..

Would appreciate any gist..

[공연]그 영화, 무비컬로 재회하시죠

Article at http://www.donga.com/fbin/output?n=200801090126

[rubie]

Finally, the real gist of the article above.. from Korea Times.

---

January 14, 2008

Marriage of Movies, Musicals in 2008

By Chung Ah-young

Staff Reporter

"Musical Singles"

Koreans are using the word "movical" more and more these days. It is an apparent keyword to define a trend in the local musical industry.

"Movical," a combination of "movie" and "musical," refers to interaction between the two industries. It started with a local film, "Waikiki Brothers," (2001) directed by Im Soon-rye, which was adapted for the musical stage in 2004.

For this year alone, about seven or eight musicals based on films are expected to be put on stage.

"Singles," the musical based on the namesake local film, which premiered last year, will launch its second season, starring singer-turned-actor Son Ho-young, former member of all-men pop group G.O.D. starting from Jan. 15 to Feb. 24 at Hoam Art Hall.

"Radio Star," based on the film featuring Park Joong-hoon and Ahn Sung-ki, will now be made into the musical, starring comedian-turned-actor Jung Sung-hwa who stole the limelight in last year's excellent performance of "Man of La Mancha." Seo Beom-seok will alternate performing the role with Jung. "Radio Star" will take to the stage at Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul from Jan. 26 to March 2.

"200 Pounds Beauty," a film starring Kim A-jung that had attracted 6.6 million theatergoers, will be re-created into a musical at Chungmu Arts Hall in November. The original work featured Kim who played the double role ― a chubby girl and a beautiful lady with a slim body. It is interesting to see how the musical version will portray the different characters performed by the same actress in the movie.

Clockwise, from top: Radio Star, 200 Pounds Beauty, My Scary Girl, Harmonium in My Memory

"The Harmonium in My Memory," featuring award-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon and hallyu star Lee Byung-hun, will be adapted into the musical show, starring Oh Man-seok. Oh will alternate playing the leading role with Cho Jung-seok. The musical will be put on stage at Hoam Arts Hall from July 22 to Sept. 11.

Also, there is the Korean production of "Nine." The original musical is based on a play by Mario Fratti inspired by Federico Fellini's autobiographical film "8 1/2." The original musical premiered in 1982 on Broadway and was nominated in 10 categories of Tony Awards and won five of them, including the Best Revival award.

In the Korean production of the musical, popular actor Hwang Jung-min will play the lead male role and award-winning actress Kim Sun-young will play the part of Luisa, Guido Contini's wife. Kang Pil-suk will alternate playing the role of Guido with Hwang. The musical will be staged at LG Arts Center in southern Seoul Jan. 22, running through March 2.

Also, the film, "My Scary Girl" directed by Son Jae-gon will become a musical in November. The musical will take part in the New York Musical Theater Festival and then will debut in the local musical scene.

The combination of movie and musicals have proved a success formula in the Broadway and West End musicals such as "Producers," "Billy Elliot" and "Lord of the Rings" from 1990s.

This boom cashes on the success of the proven contents of the hit films. Yet these musicals are often vulnerable as the audience can easily compare the two productions.

Won Jong-won, a musical critic, said that through the use of the name values of the hit films the lack of the awareness about homegrown musicals is being altered by the movical boom.

"But the movical boom is expected to continue because the use of one content for diverse purposes is a growing trend," said Won.

Cho Haeng-deok, head of the Aga Entertainment & Contents Group, said that the success of the musical "Singles" lies in its distinctive reinterpretation of the original work.

"The audience might feel bored if the musical simply follows the same storyline of the film. So the musical used many musical numbers and more sophisticated stage sets to better entertain the audience," Cho said.

Credits: chungay@koreatimes.co.kr, image from donga.com

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2.../135_17246.html

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January 16, 2008

Korean movies morphed into musicals

Musicals based on hit movies are set to dominate the local entertainment industry this year.

Of the musicals scheduled to be staged this year, more than 30 percent are based on or related to movies. There are already many Korean adaptations of Broadway musicals based on Hollywood films. But what makes this year remarkable is that there will be more musicals based on Korean movies.

Why are Korean production companies turning to "moviecals"? The answer is quite simple. Audiences already know and like the storylines of hit movies, and are therefore more likely to watch musicals that have been adapted from movies.

Moviecal productions in Korea are following in Broadway's footsteps.

Like Disney, MGM and Warner Brothers staged musicals based on the smash-hit movies they produced, Korean moviecals are mostly created by companies who hold the copyrights of scripts and titles. This allows companies to invest more in castings or employing famous composers as they don't need to fork out extra cash to create storylines and characters.

The first moviecal to hit the stage this year is "Singles," featuring Son Ho-young, a former member of the boy band g.o.d. The musical vividly describes the younger generation's thoughts on love and marriage. In the musical, which runs through Feb. 24 at the Hoam Art Hall in Seoul, Son plays the role of Park Soo-heon, a not-so-sophisticated but warm-hearted 30-something man working in the finance industry.

Next week, "Radio Star" will be staged at the Towol Theater of the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul.

Like the film directed by Lee Jun-ik, the musical version depicts the dramatic friendship between a popular rock singer in the mid-1980s -- who descended into notoriety after getting involved in a couple of crimes -- and his long-time manager who tries to find ways of restoring his reputation.

The musical version of the film "200-Pound Beauty," which starred Kim A-jung and Joo Jin-mo, is scheduled to hit the stage in November, while several other romance movies including as "My Scary Girl" and "Gold Digger Miss Shin" are also being adapted.

In July, the musical "My Love, My Bride" hits the stage at the PMC Ja-u Theater in Daehangno while "The Harmonium in My Memory" turns into a musical piece at the Hoam Art Hall.

The upgraded version of the musical "Daejanggeum" -- a remake of a drama series about a royal chef-turned-physician -- will be staged at Gyeonghui Palace outdoor theater in September.

Korean adaptations of foreign movie-based musicals are also scheduled to go on stage this year.

On Jan. 22, "Nine" will begin a seven-week run at the LG Arts Center in Yeoksam-dong, southern Seoul. Based on an Italian play by Mario Fratti, which was inspired by Federico Fellini's autobiographical film "8 1/2," the musical tells the story of a 40-year-old man entangled in a web of romantic difficulties in early-1960s Venice. Versatile actor Hwang Jung-min takes the role of Guido Contini, a film director facing a midlife crisis.

The off-Broadway musical "Evil Dead" will also be staged in Korean in March, featuring musical star Ryu Jung-han, while the Korean rendition of "Spitfire Grill" hits the stage in April.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldm.com)

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/