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Birth Mistery!?
I, sadly, found it quite poorly developed and even unresolved, e.g. the amnesia escamotage serves as an engine to move the story forward, but at the end of the day there is not even a really plausible explanation of the triggers of the memory loss, with its 'trauma' that should then activate the relative feelings of guilt, sin, redemption and all the corollary underlying the drama itself...I'm not saying certain 'motorist clichés' like “Winter Sonata”, 'I Have A Lover' or 'Stairway To Heaven', but something more determinant and concrete than 'psychogenic amnesia' yes, but...
Then let's talk about the pedagogical disaster perpetrated on the poor child, treated worse than a postal parcel!
Abandoned by the mother, then taken back with proterrity and arrogance, then almost gifted to the aunt and uncle, then taken back again by the mother, with the relative runaway and the poor father who, between a child-exchange with the companies' shares as if we were at the local fish market, because he is a poor idiot, finds himself having to tolerate all this, perhaps without even complaining...
Quite a bunch of relatives, they should all be jailed and social services called in....
The male lead character who at least improves his posture during the episodes, stopping walking like a complete idiot, something that cannot be said of the tedious father-in-law/father/grandfather (which for an Italian like me, is quite funny, because it reminds of the journalist Beppe Severgnini, A/N). It's really a pain for 18 episodes, this Rain Man/Kaiser Soze style pacing with relative hand scratching (enough!) that even makes our amnesiac Yu-ri explode, in one of the best liberating moments of the story...
...Now a digression has to be made: 'But what did the mother of the female character find so extraordinary about this phenomenon who is always bent over, mumbles two words in 18 episodes and stares at the floor or books she has read a million times that she would even have a daughter with her?
Mystery of the plot, she leaves the drama almost immediately so we will never know....
Rather than "Birth Secret/The Secret of Birth" the drama should be titled "Birth Mystery/The Mystery of Birth"
The other cult-moment is the incredible argument between the two friends-colleagues who accuse each other of stealing their boiled-fish boyfriend (who laughs out loud!) as well as the theft of the thesis (and who knows what else must have happened in the USA, eh, you naughty girls!?) ...
There is something interesting in the secondary characters, such as the youngest son of the eccentric family, with musical ambitions, as well as his mother, a fervent Catholic with a chapel in the house ('we rich people don't miss a thing, do we'!?), but also among the lead character's friends, especially the hopeless lovers who intersect their repressed desires with the lead couple, who would have deserved a little more space in the story...
The 40-year-old son's contrition for his wife comes too late... sorry but your beautiful bride is already on the plane
Awesome the CEO who goes from the board of directors to robots-transformer in two episodes, almost a record;
by the way, is it the soju drunk in buckets that ruins the brains as well as the rest, of the poor Koreans!?
The 6.5/10 is for the entertainment, even if 18 episodes are sincerely too many, and for the cast, really great overall with Yu-ri who is always fabulous and the formidable child actress a cut above the rest, even if making her cry so often is really blackmailing, anyone would be touched by a crying child (except for that monster of a mother-genius, of course!)
but it's still very difficult for me to want to see it again
Last personal note: The music in certain bridging scenes, curiously enough, has resemblance to some sound passages from 'My Love From The Star'.
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You should never play with the emotions
I watched this movie with extreme curiosity, almost like entering a sort of tunnel/time machine that takes you to a space-time dimension that is truly touching for how far it is from current cinematic logic;It is undoubtedly a solid melodrama, with all the components of the case (starting with the usual dynamics and problems of social class) that finds, in my opinion, a winning choice in the superb locations of San Francisco
(I had to smile remembering that even alternative musicians such as Makoto Kubota of the psychedelic band
Les Rallizes Denudes lived and played in California in the early 70s, just to say...)
and in Obayashi's never banal film direction choices, which finds a capacity for synthesis, as well as some sudden directional changes (see the 'accident' that is the cause of the meeting between the protagonist and her future husband).
Everything is undoubtedly overloaded and pushed to the extreme, the protagonist couple, extraordinarily famous at the time and also a couple in life, (I later discovered) love each other and break up in a sort of flamboyant amour-fou comings and goings with repeated plane flights ( beautifully synthesised by directorial solutions that are as simple as they are absolutely effective) or by efficient narrative re-propositions (the alternative club, but also the beginning and the end along the Golden Gate)
and the story would be all here, undoubtedly not dissimilar from many others but certainly not banal, thanks to an excellent direction by a master who is never ordinary, even on a theme as simple as Take Me Away!
The music is also beautiful
7,5/10
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Long and overcomplicate
Too, too long and exaggeratedly complicated (but why, what was the point!?)The initial cue is really excellent in addition to the criticism about a country that is at the very first places for plastic surgery, but then everything begins to crumble and disperse into heavy delays, unnecessary subplots and all those moments between the couple at home with him that keeps repeating ahjumma ahjumma (but enough!).
It almost seems that they wanted to take all the possible clichés of Korean drama -the ridiculous family of him, gigantic offices where the protagonists do nothing except sit in an armchair for revenge and conspiracies, restaurants open without a why, a surgeon who doesn’t work and doesn’t even recognize his patient, just to say - and they pushed them to the paroxysm, with a sense of the ridiculous that peeps around the corner.
The Count of Monte Cristo, quoted and badly served, is in itself the most glaring example of construction of melodrama - machination, revenge, shame, class relations, final twist - but, thanks God, there is really better around...
Han Ye-seul is a really brilliant actress, excellent dowry for such a beautiful woman, but it must be said, here, apart from the very first episodes with the spy-story situation to hook the ex, has never been particularly valued
6,5/10 ...
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Personally I struggle a bit with the temporal collocation of some events, but no big deal.
In my humble opinion, I love so much the so called " old dramas" there is certainly more courage and more melodramatic strength than the contemporaries, but I also understand that these peculiarities can leave some viewers a bit sceptical,
for what it's worth my personal rating is 8/10
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Because night time is the right time, to be with the one you love, with the one you love
Korean language teacher Seo Hye Jin (a fantastic and stunning Jung Ryeo Won) is the spearhead of the Daechi-chase Academy, a private after-school institute (Hagwon, in fact) in the Gangnam district of Seoul, dedicated to strengthening and improving the academic development of students of various age levels;Entirely dedicated to her work, Hye Jin sees her life take a sensational twist when Lee Joon-ho (Wi Ha Joon, outstanding), her former best pupil, reappears. After giving up his career in a major company, he decides to become a teacher at the same school, with unpredicted consequences...
‘Midnight Romance In Hagwon’ is a beautifully delicate rom-com, capable of treating such a complex and burning theme as the articulated Korean school system, undoubtedly competitive and varied in its labirynthic set of rules, dogmas, social conventions and fierce struggles, all aimed at reaching the top of society itself. The drama, at the same time, is capable of touching us thanks to a captivating love story that escapes the banalities of the most predictable and sugar-coated romance, offering us an adult and decidedly structured relationship, also hindered by social conventions, work principles and even methodological differences.
The Daechi-chase Academy represents a kind of working microcosm where, along with the planned teaching structure, there is also a kind of subterranean ‘internal’ infighting within the Hagwon itself, where ‘there are no friends, everyone is in competition’ (summarised, in one of the clever dialogues, by the metaphor of hyenas and the ‘meal’) and where co-workers are ready to take advantage of any weaknesses of their own in order to advance their careers; certain founding principles of Confucianism are always emphasised, both for the role of teachers and for that of students.
Respect for hierarchy and seniority, the importance of teamwork rather than the individual's path, is portrayed, but almost as an antithesis to this, perfecting education and trying to improve oneself is given a central role, apparently individualistic concept, but accepted, as competition with others, for the best grades and for a job, which is also a better one, is a kind of ‘social lift’ necessary to reach the top of the hierarchical ranks of Korean society itself.
So intense is the competition between the different Hagwons (there are so many of them considering the extent of Seoul and its urban areas) that spy-story techniques to snatch secrets and steal each other's best students often reserve more than a few cheap shots to belittle and discredit the competitors.
In this kind of no-holds-barred law of the jungle, where profit and personal enrichment rule, a kind of feud evolves between the Daechi-chase Academy and the Choiseon Academy, led by the infamous Choi Hyung-sun, known as the White-haired Witch.
In this ill-concealed hypocritical society, closed and dominated by exasperated rhythms and widespread frustrations, both on the teachers‘ and pupils’ side, the figure of Seo Hye Jin -stunningly portrayed by Jung Ryeo Won- ends up being overwhelmed by the uncontainable vitality of Joon-ho (Wi Ha-joon, absolutely perfect in a part one couldn't imagine for anyone else);
The teacher Seo leads a methodical (and boring, it has to be said!) life, consisting of 16 hours of work a day, six days a week, with no traces of private life and no personal relationships, except for a couple of friends -he runs a pub, she is a lawyer-, with practically no relations with family members (there is a hint here and there in conversations with colleagues, but nothing more) and, above all, no sex life;
In the first episodes, we find ourselves following this robotic routine of meetings, scheduling, lectures, insights and sad lonely re-entries into an anonymous house that is almost a ‘non-place’ where Hye-jin seems to return just to sleep, which is a bit of a paradigm shift compared to so many beloved dramas where the house is often the focus of events or narrative plot twists.
It will be Joon-Hoo's unbridled and in some ways brazen audacity that will progressively undermine Hye-jin's convictions; not only the certainties of feelings, and here the noona-romance, as mentioned above, avoids the classic loopholes of the typical rom-com, also giving us a moment of extraordinary and very reserved emotional authenticity, but also -above all!?- the preponderant work vicissitudes, dealt with in some of the drama's topical moments, which offer a confrontation-clash of the highest level, where the dilemma over teaching methodologies instils the seed of doubt in the own Teacher Seo:
Whereas Hye Jin applies an almost mnemonic system where the pupil is directed to learn ‘by memory’ certain mechanisms of comprehension and learning, Joon-ho's style is more ‘ thoughtful’ where there is also a quest to convey passion for the literary subject.
Are the students, almost like machines, to learn and that's all, by memorising passages from books, practising calculating the probability of the questions in the tests, evidently ‘forgetting’ everything immediately after the exams, or are they to become passionate about the subject, perhaps with the opportunity (as in the case of Joon-Ho himself) to become the teachers of tomorrow?
It should not be forgotten that the Hagwons are extremely expensive schools, with families prepared to make considerable sacrifices in order to see a bright future for their children; parents demand the best from teachers and the discourse of ‘experimentation’ cannot prevail over the certainty of academic achievements.
The moment the boiling pot of the ‘clandestine’ relationship is discovered, and professional ethics in the workplace are called into question, the stigmatisation of the two teachers begins, victims not only of the oppressive work rules, but also of those previously mentioned founding principles that foment jealousy, hypocrisy and false respectability, where artfully fuelled slander can disrupt anyone's life...
I have already mentioned Jung Ryeo Won's superlative performance; her characterisation of Teacher Seo is so articulate, she has so many aspects, contradictions, weaknesses, but also resilience against adversity, that it is impossible not to be moved by the portrait of a 34-year-old woman who, confronted with the evidence of changes in her life and work, she finds herself rethinking all her principles and values pursued up to that point; that this sort of emotional switch is triggered by the vitality of the young (6 years younger) Joon-Ho is evidence of great narrative script.
There is, in my opinion, a certain affinity with the same emotional mechanisms of the beautiful ‘Encounter’, where youthful fervour, cheekiness and, let's face it, the right amount of arrogance deriving from one's enthusiastic confidence, prevails over a heavy, boring and, I would emphasise, grey ‘comfort zone’ of frozen maturity...
A great Wi Ha Joon, who is also perfectly mature in a very complex role, able to avoid the risk of falling into easy clichés and boring mannerisms, portrays a splendid character who is not afraid to shout his feelings to the world, not only making a breach in his beloved's heart, but, as a novel knight, defending her with his sword in the hardest moments, especially in the last episodes...
Their private, personal moments are beautiful, underlined by sincerely romantic and moving dialogues, almost ‘literary’ but never pedantic, capable of involving and melting even the least predisposed hearts thanks, it is important to specify, to a nocturnal scenario that often finds the two main characters almost ‘isolated’ from the rest of the world and that, at least for me, recalls certain classics of the past…
It has to be said that among the top-notch cast, I personally did not find the character of Choi Hyung-Sun, the so-called ‘witch’ played by Seo Jung-Yeon so interesting; she seemed a bit too caricatural, almost cartoonesque, a bit like Cruella De Vil, a bit like Miranda Priestly, far too mannered in characterisation...
Much better is Kim Jung-Young in the role of Assistant Director Woo, who is able to make her character grow exponentially with the dramatic progression of the story; she is a decidedly interesting character, fuelled by a resentment that has poisoned her life and who, when confronted with the main characters of the tale, reveals all her mediocrity.
I mention the excellent Kim Song-Il in the role of Professor Pyo Sang-Seob; these are those difficult characters, perhaps considered ‘marginal’ in the economy of the story, but which reveal unexpected qualities even with very few lines; his professional ethics, seemingly old-fashioned and mistreated, more for his attitude or his character disposition than for anything else (once again, appearances are mistaken for certainties), is instead surprisingly re-evaluated in the light of the extraordinary free lesson that the teacher offers his pupils; a truly outstanding piece of acting talent!
Personal curiosity: Between the office and the home of director Kim Hyun-Tak (Kim Jong-Tae), a film lover, one notices the framed posters of various films such as ‘Christmas In August’ and my much-loved ‘The Contact’ (with the goddess Jeon Do Yeon).
Of course, the drama is not completely perfect, in my opinion it gets a little lost in some conclusions that are not quite focused, between a catfight that is perhaps liberating (there is a lot of pent-up anger throughout the drama) but quite exaggerated, a second younger couple of low interest that has more of a function of lightening the narrative tension, and even the role of some students, at the beginning quite highlighted, is a little sidelined;
there is also an invasive use of the music, at the umpteenth ‘Open to page sixty four (don't forget about me)’, a bit like Carla Bruni's obsessive cover of Tammy Wynette in ‘Something In The Rain’, your blood pressure goes up a bit, but whatever, the soundtrack as a whole is pleasant and well structured.
As usual, there seems to be a need to make all the pieces fit together for an ideal closure, but nothing changes the magic of the story, which may not appear immediately engaging (the dialogues are definitely articulated and must be followed with a lot of attention) but which knows how to conquer, thanks to the wonderful work of the two main performers; let yourself be carried away by the emotions and you will be adequately rewarded, this drama will win you over!
8 ½
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Abandoned after 10 very long and tedious episodes that go round in circles on truly implausible situations devoid of even the slightest interest, moreover with a cast of side characters to be completely censured, starting with the most ridiculous police precinct imaginable, with a band of inept people who seem to have been assembled just to extend the length of episodes and with absurd lengths of time and tired and repetitive re-propositions of themes already dealt with in the very pleasant first season;
The heroine increasingly reduced to a sort of Jessica Fletcher, not even very likeable but decidedly petulant and even bearer of misfortune (where she passes, murders are plentiful...) and without even an apparent chemistry with co-star Kwon Sang Woo who, more often than not, appears bewildered if not frankly bored in his part, for a truly forgettable and definitely not recoverable experience even in the near future...
4½ / 10
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Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan
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She Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)
*Kidnapped by bandits, the young Ai Nu (He Lili) is sold to Chun Yi (Bei Di), the ruthless and violent mistress of the “Four Seasons” brothel, a woman with a strong repulsion towards the male gender; Chun Yi, decidedly attracted not only by the rebellious character, but above all by the beauty of the indomitable Ai Nu, bends her to his will, leading her into prostitution; On the other hand, taking advantage of his high influence with Chun Yi, Ai Nu has the madam teach her the martial arts in order to be able to exploit them at the right moment; She aims to take revenge on the brothel's mistress and her wealthy dignitaries, seducing and eliminating them one by one...A misunderstood gem from the incredible dreams factory of the Shaw Bros. studios, ‘Intimate Confessions’, directed by the blissful hand of Chu Yuan, has rightly earned cult movie status over the years thanks to its mix of genres, which go beyond simple wuxia, and its components of tension, sadism, explicit eros, revenge and unusual violence, which sparklingly determine its stylistic traits.
Chu Yuan had ultimately come to the Shaw Bros team after a career spent filming predominantly Cantonese-language pictures, with mixed production fortunes, some of which were also shot on behalf of his own company, the “Rose Film Company”; but with the ensuing crisis in Cantonese cinema in the late 1960s, the director moved on to other companies, working on predominantly Mandarin-language films; Following the bankruptcy of Cathay, his arrival at Shaw Bros could be considered an unexpected stroke of luck.
His acknowledged sophisticated and innovative style, coupled with the excellent direction of the cast and the studios careful attitude towards higher budget productions, put him a step above his colleagues who may have been more concerned with quantity rather than quality of filmmaking.
The first Hong Kong film with lesbian themes, at least as prominent (it must be remembered, this is 1972), and part of the ‘Brothel Movies’ (movies set in brothels, houses of ill repute, etc.), ‘Intimate Confessions’ is a melodrama with decidedly dark overtones. where the ambivalent dualism Love/Hate and the tragic fatalism that leads us to the beautiful conclusion, go hand in hand with the relationship of sadistic and masochistic submission that is reflected, ironically, even in the names of the main female characters, who are, moreover, decidedly charming.
Where “Ai” (Love) “Nu” (Slave) can in fact be rendered as “Love Slave” or “Subservient”. in contrast, and somewhat ironically, given the nature of the woman, Chun (“Spring”) Yi (“Happiness”) can be interpreted as “Plesant Spring” (or “Spring Happiness”); In addition, if ‘Four Seasons’ is the name of the brothel (which makes one smile, since it recalls wealthy hotel franchises...), four are also the main dignitaries who will have to reckon with Ai Nu's spirit of vengeance…
Ai Nu, who, from being the obscure object of desire (of both genders), in reality reveals herself to be totally unattached to any sentimentalism, aiming exclusively at a very personal revenge against men and towards the one who has de facto enslaved her, in order to overturn her own condition of submission.
In this contest, it is precisely the male element that does not make a good impression on any level, given that all the male characters in the story come out totally diminished, not to say reduced to impotence, both physically and emotionally; if the clients go so far as to physically possess the prostitute, but receive nothing in return, the poor official Confucian Ji De, hopelessly in love with Ai Nu, will find himself relegated to the unhappy role of platonic voyeur.
As previously mentioned, Chu Yuan's filmmaking skill lies in the accumulation of recurring motifs or clichés considered typical in wuxia: From the theme of revenge, to love and deception, to the use of martial arts, all the way to the grand finale with the merciless duel, but all with great attention to detail, starting with the truly remarkable scenographic decor, including veils, curtains and the beautiful clothes of the characters; the chromatic attention to the colours of the costumes that change according to the situation and the degree of drama also returns here.
Emblematic is the grand finale, very well-choreographed, all swords, blood and various dismemberments, where the two female opponents find themselves side by side, fighting with no holds barred, dressed practically the same and, in some parts, indistinguishable from one another: John Woo and the usual Quentin Tarantino (with a penchant for revenge movies), they will certainly have appreciated, considering the particular killing technique used by Chun Yi, as well as the solutions employed by Ai Nu to eliminate the four dignitaries: Striking, for example, the erotic stratagem of prolonged and repeated sexual intercourse to literally ‘ exhaust ’ the target.
Blood and violence, fights, but also irony, passion, with notable sapphic love scenes (see also the finale) that, in those years, returned a little in all cinematic latitudes, from Italian gothic (Mario Caiano above all) to the cinema of Jess Franco (the extraordinary ‘Vampyros Lesbos’ is from 1971), up to the beautiful vamps of Hammer Film Production in the UK.
In addition to all these aspects, some ‘secondary’ nudity, also justified by the location of the story (which, it should always be specified, takes place entirely inside the brothel) will have helped to broaden the audience, but ‘Intimate Confessions of A Chinese Courtesan’ is undoubtedly an absolutely excellent movie that deserves its international cult status and is still very much appreciated today, making it a must-see for every lover of Hong Kong cinema.
*A heartfelt thank you to Riccardo Esposito who, in his beautiful book ‘Fant’Asia’, has treated Chu Yuan's film in an exemplary manner, giving it due credit long before the usual, and often belated, festival recoveries; All the main themes, annotations and references on morphology and articulate Chinese composed words come from there
8 ½
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The Woman Who Lived Two Times
Surrounded by a media hype worthy of the best previous series, 'Queen of Tears' certainly passes the test of success, but it doesn't reach the qualitative heights envisaged by its authors, due to a somewhat too schematic and rather predictable development, which doesn't integrate perfectly with the amount of material available, leaving us with the impression of a possible missed masterpiece...Yes, because this supremely romantic and poignant love story is supported by the usual exaggerated set of narrative stylistic traits, bordering on makjang, with which we are all familiar and which provide the necessary boost for the development and the need to keep the attention threshold high throughout the 16 long episodes; narrative stylistic traits which, however, do not seem to be able to decisively innovate the plot's contents...
The feeling is that of being faced with a very costly author's “centone” *, a patchwork of other dramas capable of advancing more by twists and disruptive emotional jolts than by a consequentiality of narrative logic.
The heart before the mind, one might say... which, let's be clear, is a beautiful way of developing a truly redundant story, of sublime love and certainly moving (prepare your handkerchiefs because it is very emotional...), at least for me, an incurable romantic, but which fails to dare to use a more innovative language, not even experimental, but perhaps less mechanical and accommodating, made more to please the audience, who are evidently already well predisposed...
Personally, and this is not a very good sign, I found myself, quite surprisingly, mentally anticipating several plot twists which then punctually occurred, such as:
- The Hong family's hurried escape, with their arrival in the village of Yongdu-ri, which introduces a great narrative twist for one of my favourite moments of the drama, with very funny situations almost in the style of "Family Outing"
- The press conference with Hae-in's confession, absolutely inevitable at that point in the story
- The predictable and dare I say "announced" sequence with the encounter at the traffic lights and the related “traffic accident”.
Here and there one has the suspicion of a fabricated cult classic, perhaps capable of repeating the enthusiastic success of "Crash Landing On You" (even mentioned in a fleeting appearance in a scene on the TV) without, however, having the same narrative force as its predecessor, which, unlike "Queen of Tears", is capable of escaping a schematic manicheism bordering on sketchiness, and can also count on a decidedly more interesting backstory... It is precisely in the pursuit of a familiar, self-indulgent and quite quotable scheme that 'Queen of Tears' reveals perhaps the least convincing side of its construction, as well as in some not entirely successful acting passages...
The pattern is quite common in the portrayal of the Hong family, with rather classic family characters and dynamics, accompanied, however, by some very good performances, especially by the always excellent Na Young Hee and, of course, Lee Mi Sook who, with those beady eyes, makes us realise immediately where this is going...
The Baek family, with the usual array of villagers to temper the narrative tension, is just the right amount of fun, although I didn't find the group of friends from the hairdresser's salon particularly entertaining.
Even the "company" part in the department store doesn't exactly shine with originality, with the usual set of classic assistants/employees, but a special mention for Yoon Bo Mi who is really cute and funny; Hyun Woo's group of friends/lawyers is of a good standard, capable of giving us some funny moments (the advice on divorce!), as well as the inevitable decisive actions to help our hero.
In the brilliant performance of a stunning Kim Ji Won we must recognise the true strength of the drama, with a staggering characterisation, of great artistic maturation, capable of penetrating into the essence of the scenes, alternating moments of frenzy, often irresistibly comic, with others of pure emotion where the simple facial expressions communicate more than a thousand words, for what is truly the perfect interpretation of a woman who lived two times; while it is perhaps in Kim Soo Hyun's work that one remains a little less convinced, finding almost a sort of mechanicity, bordering on self-citationism for example of her extraordinary role in that masterpiece that is "My Love From The Star", (certainly more than in the equally marvellous work done in "Its OK") including the monologue in front of the camera;
Let's be clear, we are talking about one of the best actors in the drama world and not only, but here he seems to play it safe, without pushing the pedal of style in a fully convincing way... However, it must be specified that the chemistry between the two main characters is very much present, especially in the levity episodes where there is often an amused and funny air as in certain old-school screwball comedies (see for example the jealousy scenes, often relying more on looks than words)
As for Park Sung Hoon, I often tell myself that when a character in the story comes to be particularly well hated, it means that his performer has done his job perfectly, and he has; he is an excellent villain, admittedly not particularly original, but the dramatic crescendo is certainly adequate and effective.
Pure gold the cameo of our lawyer Song Joong Ki/Vincenzo Cassano, a real hilarious one as always (Vincenzo! We miss you!), but also the appearance of the unlikely trio of 'Hong Gil-dong Detective Agency' ex-cartoonists, straight from 'My Love From The Star' almost made me cry ('My Love' also quoted with the pen-recorder element...)
The choice of locations is absolutely stunning, starting with Potsdam and the beautiful Sanssouci Palace which, we can bet, will soon see an exponential increase in its tourist flow; it must be said that given the use of specific car brands, a joint venture with Germany seems obvious. There is no need to repeat that Korean landscapes are always extraordinary, thanks also to a dreamlike photographic setting, of great impact, able to glorify sequences such as, for example, the moment of the proposal at sunset with the related ring, pure magic!
The nocturnal pre-finale on the snow-covered landscape is impressive, reminding me of certain asian noir movies of the 1960s (the closing of Truffaut's 'La Sirene du Mississippi' also came to mind), but absolutely stunning and extraordinarily moving the epilogue, truly an unforgettable example of film poem; in that beautiful epigraph there is the whole sense of the tale.
At the end of the voyage, a bit like in a theatre performance, some of the characters wonder what they have witnessed, mentioning different cinematographic genres... I wondered about this myself, reflecting on whether the structure and unfolding of the story could really have been adapted to the most classic of Sageuk, for example... One of the best film noirs of the 1950s, Fritz Lang's 'The Big Heat', would undoubtedly have been a beautiful western, just as Samuel Fuller's '40 Guns' could have been a great female-driven gangster-movie (thanks to the magnificent Barbara Stanwick)...
Heart and mind always at odds make me say that yes, it's true, "Queen Of Tears" is a drama that is not completely focused, quite conventional, with many narrative clichés, several contradictions and the usual unlikely things, perhaps with an eye towards the international and western television markets, but bearing in mind that suspension of disbelief has always been a basic element in following and loving dramas, it is important to be guided by the heart and to be overwhelmed by the extraordinary romanticism of the story, which makes me give it a positive rating of 8/10, probably reviewable on a second view...
*I preferred to keep the term Centone in Italian because it is quite hard to translate; let's say that -helping us with the Internet- a centone is a text composed of a collage of quotes from different authors or operas, joined together to form an original composition. It is often used in a somewhat disrespectful way in the film industry, while from my side it is a simplification to indicate a work full of multiple quotations, references etc....
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A walk in a Summer Evening
Always beautiful and exciting, this gem of a romance that has not lost its lustre over time, I find it refreshing and pleasant, like certain late summer evenings of yesteryear (nowadays perhaps with the climate warming it is a bit more difficult...)It may be due to the relatively short duration of the episodes, to the flowing of the situations without lengthy or overly complicated situations, but it is certainly in the extraordinary chemistry of the couple that the key to its innumerable merits is to be found (from a male perspective, it is impossible not to love a creature like Jeon So-Min.).
The minimalism often achieves the best possible result without overdoing it, but with that emotional crescendo that is demanded of a romantic comedy in which everything flows in the right way, even the silences and meditative pauses. But there is one aspect that I would like to highlight, and that is the great sensuality that pervades the whole drama. It is hard to believe that the classic 'spark' has never been ignited between the couple, thanks also to the very warm effusions exchanged, a far distant from certain cold kisses in other similar productions... Perhaps the last episode claims to settle every last detail, or various couple concatenations, but it is just a trifle, and it remains an 8.5/10 drama recommended to everyone
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