August 30th: THE HANDMAIDEN (Park Chan-wook, 2016)
NOTE: This film will be projected in the high-definition Blu-ray format.
In pre-war Japanese-occupied Korea, a young woman is sent to work undercover for a wealthy family as part of a long con.
Welsh author Sarah Waters is known for her lesbian-themed historical fiction, and her Victorian Era-set Fingersmith was a bestseller and critical sensation. It was turned into a BBC miniseries in 2005. South Korean director Park Chan-wook made his name with the "Vengeance trilogy" (including Cannes Grand Prix winner Oldboy), and was just coming off his English-language debut Stoker when he was recommended the novel by his producer's wife.
Park began imagining a film version of Waters's book midway through reading it, but upon learning of the previous adaptation elected to transpose the setting's location and time period to something closer to home. Working with frequent co-writer Chung Seo-kyung, Park retained the multi-act structure of alternating perspectives and the various plot twists. A lesbian friend was consulted to help authenticate the novel's specific content.
Eschewing some of his favorite actors, Park worked with a brand new cast, headed by popular, award-winning actress Kim Min-hee and newcomer Kim Tae-ri, selected from over 1,000 applicants with no previous screen credits besides TV commercials. The two main male roles are played by Cho Jin-woong, made up to look considerably older, and box office star Ha Jung-woo.
The film was shot on location in various parts of South Korea and Japan, with extensive sets built for the mansion where most of the film is set. Returning to work with Park for a sixth time is cinematographer Chung Hoon Chung, helping to execute Park's trademark bold camera movements and baroque compositions.
For the stylized and explicit sex scenes between the actresses, Park had extensive rehearsals for the choreography and to aid comfortability, and insisted on a closed set for the shooting, the only crew member present being a female boom operator, with the camera itself on remote control.
The Handmaiden (retitled due to its departure from the novel) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where it received much praise. It won various local South Korean awards as well as those from international critics, including Best Foreign Language Film honors from the Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston film critics. An extended version with 20 minutes of cut footage was released to home video.
Running time is approx. 2 hrs, 45 min.
In pre-war Japanese-occupied Korea, a young woman is sent to work undercover for a wealthy family as part of a long con.
Welsh author Sarah Waters is known for her lesbian-themed historical fiction, and her Victorian Era-set Fingersmith was a bestseller and critical sensation. It was turned into a BBC miniseries in 2005. South Korean director Park Chan-wook made his name with the "Vengeance trilogy" (including Cannes Grand Prix winner Oldboy), and was just coming off his English-language debut Stoker when he was recommended the novel by his producer's wife.
Park began imagining a film version of Waters's book midway through reading it, but upon learning of the previous adaptation elected to transpose the setting's location and time period to something closer to home. Working with frequent co-writer Chung Seo-kyung, Park retained the multi-act structure of alternating perspectives and the various plot twists. A lesbian friend was consulted to help authenticate the novel's specific content.
Eschewing some of his favorite actors, Park worked with a brand new cast, headed by popular, award-winning actress Kim Min-hee and newcomer Kim Tae-ri, selected from over 1,000 applicants with no previous screen credits besides TV commercials. The two main male roles are played by Cho Jin-woong, made up to look considerably older, and box office star Ha Jung-woo.
The film was shot on location in various parts of South Korea and Japan, with extensive sets built for the mansion where most of the film is set. Returning to work with Park for a sixth time is cinematographer Chung Hoon Chung, helping to execute Park's trademark bold camera movements and baroque compositions.
For the stylized and explicit sex scenes between the actresses, Park had extensive rehearsals for the choreography and to aid comfortability, and insisted on a closed set for the shooting, the only crew member present being a female boom operator, with the camera itself on remote control.
The Handmaiden (retitled due to its departure from the novel) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where it received much praise. It won various local South Korean awards as well as those from international critics, including Best Foreign Language Film honors from the Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston film critics. An extended version with 20 minutes of cut footage was released to home video.
Running time is approx. 2 hrs, 45 min.
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