음란서생 (淫亂書生, Forbidden Quest) Production Meeting Report (+ Video)

jackie-chan
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The Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) has always been represented as this docile, cordial, peaceful little animal. Also known as the 'Hermit Kingdom', for its insular policies but also for never invading other lands, or sticking their feet in shoes which didn't belong to them, Joseon seemed like the model to follow. It was one of the most important periods in Korean history in terms of technological and artistic development, with many innovative new techniques and inventions coming to the surface. Yet, there's a reason modern Koreans are so fascinated with Joseon, save for the obvious (plenty of information available compared to older periods): it's the most decadent dynasty in Korean history, by far. From Prince Yeonsan's purges of 양반 (yangban, literati) and his relationship with Jang Nok-Soo, one of Korea's most famous concubines -- whose story is setting the Korean box office on fire recently, in Lee Joon-Ik's 왕의 남자 (The King and The Clown) -- to Prince Sado's tragic death at the hands of his father, King YoungJo, the history of Joseon is full of betrayals, tyrannical abuses of power, intrigue, murders, and political strife. Joseon was ripe with decadence, a wild tiger inside the docile little cat it appeared to be. It would even make good material for 'that' quote by Orson Welles in The Third Man, after all, although it might not be as immediate as the Borgias or Switzerland.

Amongst the most interesting examples of this decadence were paintings and novels of the era. Although full of great artists, perhaps the most important painters of Joseon were the three Won: Ohwon, Danwon, and Hyewon. Danwon (real name Kim Hong-Do), in contrast with past 'colleagues', avoided the cliche of depicting court life, and was the first to get closer to the people, showing the lives of average Koreans, 쌍놈 (ssangnom, commoners) and yangban not affiliated with the Royal family alike. Ohwon might be a little more familiar to fans of Korean Cinema, under his real name Jang Seung-Eop, whose life was the basis for Im Kwon-Taek's 취화선 (Chihwaseon). Although those famous painters excelled in all genres, part of their depiction of everyday life was sex and eroticism.

Yet, it's the other Won, Hyewon (real name Shin Yoon-Bok) who will be forever remember as the most representative painter of erotic art (of course he didn't only paint that) of the period. More realistic than most artists of his period, Shin's work featuring yangban in one of their favorite activities (guess which!) ended up causing his expulsion from the 도화서, the royal painting institute, making him even more popular with the people. Those often satiric, very graphic erotic paintings have been part of Korean History for quite a long time, so it's only inevitable that they'd eventually make their way to the big screen. I'm obviously talking about Lee Jae-Yong's 스캔들 (Untold Scandal), which featured Bae Yong-Joon as Jowon (again with the Won), a Casanova who used these erotic paintings as a sort of diary for his romantic escapades, with two amazing actresses -- Lee Mi-Sook, who ironically became famous playing an historical figure on TV, Jang Heebin; and Jeon Do-Yeon, fantastic as always -- playing the other two angles of this curious 삼각관계 (love triangle).

Lee's 'Untold Scandal' was one of the first 'Fusion Dramas' to come to Chungmuro shores, along with Lee Joon-Ik's 환상벌 (Once Upon a Time in The Battlefield). A mix of different genres, using tropes of melodramas, comedies, action films all rolled into one, with the stunning visual background which makes Historical Dramas so pleasing to the eye, many of these Fusion Dramas were successful. 'Untold Scandal' was Lee Jae-Yong's third film, again exploring how sexual affinity shapes relationships, after 1998's 정사 (An Affair), one of the most solid melodramas of the 90s, which rejuvenated Lee Mi-Sook's career after a decade, and displayed great sexual intensity without the need to be explicit. Although Director Lee has moved on to something else -- 다세포 소녀 (Dasepo Naughty Girls), adapted from a raunchy, sexy and hilarious online manhwa -- the man who wrote both 'An Affair' and 'Untold Scandal' will soon debut with his first film. He's writer and now director Kim Dae-Woo

Comedy, drama, the visual allure of costumes and art of the Joseon Dynasty will be once again his canvas, with which he'll paint his first solo work: 음란서생 (淫亂書生, Forbidden Quest). A direct and simple (Korean) title, just like those novels and paintings. 음란서생, a scholar whose favorite subject is... raunchy, lascivious erotic art. The film stars Han Suk-Gyu as the troubled yangban who, for the first time in his life, discovers the wild world of erotic novels and painting, and falls completely for it, starting a career of his own; destiny will allow him to meet Lee Beom-Soo, who will help him become the most important erotic author of the period. Somewhere in the middle stands beautiful Jang Bin (Kim Min-Jung), the King's favorite concubine. Did they talk about and show something they weren't supposed to, the secret life of someone too powerful for their own good? Ouch...

One of the most promising films of the year, and recently voted by Korean netizens as the most awaited of this early 2006, Kim Dae-Woo's debut film 'Forbidden Quest' had its Production Meeting yesterday at the Seoul Plaza Hotel. Present at the meeting the director and stars Han Suk-Gyu, Lee Beom-Soo and Kim Min-Jung. The film debuts in theaters on February 23. Here's some comments from the Q&A with the press:

Production Meeting Clip (Downloadable, 1.6mb/0:40, Windows Media)

KIM DAE-WOO
"'Forbidden Quest' might be raunchy, but it's not gloomy. I hope the eroticism in this film becomes the catalyst for reminiscing about happy memories you made, but you can't tell people about. Few people ever think of women running on a soccer field and their exposure as either an erotic or provocative situation. Nudity is all about situations, context and sentiments, and it all changes depending on those elements. It's not merely about taking your clothes off; the intensity, beauty and excitement of the moment is what counts, and I shot this film with that in mind. When I saw Kim Min-Jung in 버스, 정류장 (L'abri), she really surprised me, as she was able to show the multiple sides of her character's personality at the same time. When we met for the first time, we talked a lot about nudity and exposure in the film, and we both agreed it was something necessary to show that intensity, beauty, and excitement those moments can create. Because she trusted me, I think that was one of the strongest, most powerful parts of the film. When I work as a scriptwriter, I only worry about trying to take advantage of my strengths and fix my shortcomings. But working as a director, you have to learn what strengths and weaknesses other people possess. "

HAN SUK-GYU
"When people laughed at my performance in the period settings of 은행나무 침대 (The Gingko Bed), it really hurt my feelings, but this time I'm confident. I read the script in one sitting, and I still remember my feelings about it. I felt happy, and as an actor my desire to do well was explosive. When I played Hong-Shik in the TV Drama 서울의 달 (The Moon of Seoul), I thought it would be difficult to find another role like that, but my role in this film makes me feel the same. It's a character I haven't been able to play too often in my career. To be honest, even before starting the shoot, I thought about what Lee Beom-Soo and Kim Min-Jung would do if I said I was having a difficult time, but even though I'm not the type to quickly mesh with my acting partners, this shoot was really comfortable. Kim Min-Jung is 18 years my junior, I think it's my last chance to have a partner with this age difference, so it's a blessing. I agree with Director Kim when he says it's all about situations, and the kind of relationship people have, when talking about nudity and exposure. The 'eroticism' of the (Korean) title is the symbol of pleasure, and I think its level in the film defied my expectations, much more than I could possibly ever imagine (laughs)."

KIM MIN-JUNG
"Like the director says, the only thing I focused on regarding the nudity in the film was if the situation, the relationship between the characters and the sentiments were right. The director helped me a lot, and I think this film will have a lasting impression on me. I really had fun. Wearing all those different costumes and hairstyles is one of the best things about the genre. I even kept wearing those Hanbok when I didn't have any scene to shoot."

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