(Korean Movies) King and the Clown, 2005

SPECIAL ISSUE

I feel with my eyes and see with my heart,
The intense charm of a period drama!
Following the recent craze of <Dae Jang Geum> on TV, historical dramas that are currently competitively presented by each broadcasting company, including the movies <Byeoluinu> and <Detective>, are creating a craze for period dramas hotter than ever. TV dramas have turned their eyes to the Goryeo and Three Kingdoms eras, away from the dark battles of the Joseon Dynasty centered on women, but the screens are mostly modern historical dramas set in the Joseon Dynasty. Rather than focusing on historical figures that have been seen a lot in TV dramas, they are drawing modern stories in the form of period dramas.

<The King's Man> is also set in Yeonsanjo of the Joseon Dynasty, but it unleashes a unique cinematic imagination with a new character called 'clown', which is not well known to us. The new name of the clown play board that mocks the king of absolute power conveys catharsis to the spectators, and forms vicarious satisfaction and sympathy by looking at the clowns who are the subject of satire and humor and projecting the image of the person and life they want. This is because the freedom of the clowns, which even the king who could own all of the world envy, is the utopia we all desire, not just the king.

<The King of Kings>, which depicts the freedom of life most desired by modern people with unique cinematic fun set in the past, will be remembered as a work that will remain in the minds of the audience for a long time.

Introduction of the original <爾(Lee)>

The popular play '爾(Lee)' is born into the movie <The King's Man>!
The movie <The King's Man> is based on a play. The play <爾(Lee)>, which was recognized for its box office and performance, was recognized for its box office performance and performance by winning numerous awards such as the 2000 Korea Theater Association Play of the Year Award, Drama Award, Acting Award, and Dong-A Theater Award Best Picture and Acting Award in 2001. In the play <爾(Lee)>, the clown Gonggil, who was called and loved by the king, gets drunk with the taste of power and forgets his essence, but eventually recovers the original satire spirit of the clown as a language play in the Joseon Dynasty. It is a masterpiece released through 'Sohak Jihee (笑謔之戱)', and the film is reborn by adding the dramatic lives of clowns and splendid performances.

<Memories of Murder>, <Leave When You Clap>, and <Welcome to Dongmakgol>, which have been recently recognized by both audiences and critics, have in common that they are based on a play. Theater is the medium most similar to film, and has been continuously made into movies, but it is only recently that it has begun to be successful at the box office. This is because filmizing a play is another creative process that requires cinematically resetting the limited space of the stage and adding fun differentiated from the original while preserving the dramatic strengths.

Based on the structured drama of the original <The King>, the movie <The King's Man> radiates a different charm from the original. Unlike the play where the story begins in the palace, the way the clowns enter the palace and the twisted life they experience in the palace are expressed more dramatically. The movie <The King of Man>, which shows a deeper conflict structure around a fictional character named ‘Jangsaeng’, a clown who has the freedom to not even have the absolute power to calculate, is a film that shows the essence of life and the essence of life through ‘longevity’. It stimulates the sensibility of modern people, the longing for freedom. In addition, the splendid and majestic visual beauty that could not be expressed in the play adds to the exciting humor of the clowns, and the elegant camera work adds depth to the emotion.

<The King's Man> is a record-breaking blockbuster with a new emotion that has never been met before, while continuing the legacy of the films <Memories of Murder> and <Welcome to Dongmakgol>, which caught two rabbits at once in terms of completeness and box office based on a popular play. this will be

Original _ Theatrical 爾
Directed/Written by Kim Tae-woong
Lee (爾), a title used by the king of the Joseon Dynasty to honor his subjects. A masterpiece of laughter and play, focusing on the character Gong-gil, who Yeon-san called by his title as a clown, a common man. Since its premiere in 2000, the play <爾(Lee)>, where you can know the weight of a work just by winning awards, has been 'Best 5 Plays of the Year by the Korean Theater Association', 'Play of the Year Award by the Korean Theater Association', and 'Rookie Acting'. Award, '2001 Korea Critics Association Best 3', '2001 Dong-A Theater Award for Best Picture', '2001 Dong-A Theater Award for Acting Award', etc. In commemoration of the 5th anniversary of its premiere, the play <爾(Lee)> is scheduled to be staged once again at the theater 'Dragon' in the National Museum of Korea in December 2005.

HOT ISSUE

Reasons to pay attention to <The King's Man>

1. The power of traditional historical dramas!
: Orthodox historical drama that breaks the boundaries between history and fiction

Showing the splendid tragedy caused by the different desires of the main characters, <The King's Man> is a drama that adds fiction to the story of a historical figure. The real people who appeared a lot in dramas and movies were 'Yeonsan' and 'Noksu'. <The King's Man> did not portray them as stereotyped tyrants and widows, but reborn as characters with hidden inner loneliness and pain.

Yeonsan, the 10th king of the Joseon Dynasty (reigned 1494–1506), was dethroned by the King Jungjong Banjeong and was expelled from the palace, and died of illness in 1506. Yeonsan, known as a rare tyrant, has been criticized in history for his deviant actions, such as killing Seongjong's concubine with his own hands and beating his grandmother Insu. However, in the film, the actions of the above-listed Yeonsan, which are passed down in the Annals, are portrayed as a result of resentment against the father for driving his birth mother to death and anger against his concubines. Yeon-san tries to find the identity of her deposed biological mother after ascending to the throne, but encounters opposition from high officials, and uses clowns to express her anger. And Noksu, the mistress of Yeonsan, who is known as a concubine who wielded power by the king, is portrayed as a 'woman' of misfortune who could not overcome the barrier of status in <The King's Man> and was despised by the court, but wanted to be loved by the king.

Meanwhile, the clown 'Gong-gil', played by Lee Joon-gi, is the diary of Yeonsan-gun, saying, "A clown named Gong-gil should be like a king, 'A king should be like a king, a subject should be like a subject, a father should be like a father, and a child should be like a child. A king is not like a king, and his servants are not like a subject. Even though there is grain in the field, can we eat it?” (60 volumes, 22 chapters), and he was sentenced to death.” It is surprising that the clown, the lowest rank, rebuked the king, but this document, which suggests that the two characters of the highest and lowest ranks had an opportunity to meet, was enough to stimulate the cinematic imagination. 'Jangsaeng' is the only fictional character created as a character who will inspire the driving force of the work. The innate clown, Jangsaeng, has no interest in anything other than having an exciting game with his longtime colleague and family-like 'Gonggil', and becomes the axis leading the intense drama as a symbol of 'freedom'.

They look back at themselves through each other's appearance, and live their lives by adapting and colliding with fate. The clowns who confess that even if they are reborn, they will be reborn as lowly clowns, not kings, and the king who looks at them, and a woman who looks at the king. <The King of Kings>, which depicts beautiful desires and splendid tragedy by exquisitely crossing between history and fiction, will leave a strong mark on the hearts of the audience. .

2. In the Joseon Dynasty, a performance solely for the king!
: 'The Royal Clown' to be shown for the first time in the movie

Unlike other period dramas that focus on the supreme ruler or the hero of the era, <The King's Man> is a clown who knows how to change his destiny into a divine name despite his low status. Clowns who say they want to be reborn as clowns, not kings, even after they die, who live only to have fun on the board, who have nothing to lose and who have nothing to lose.

Their performances, who became the first court clowns in Joseon with their talents such as tightrope walking and spinning plates, as well as their burlesque that satirize the current trend and the humor of village murder, are enjoyable as if they were watching a modern 'gag concert', but on the other hand, they risked their lives to protect the king. The play board of the clowns, who should have been funny, evokes a splendid yet eerie tension.

In 2005, the public supported Kim Sam-soon, who was not a princess-like heroine, but an ordinary but loved life, and loved Cho Won-i and Jin-ho, autistic children who overcame the difficulties of being disabled and found happiness. It is the same with 'clowns' who form a consensus among the public with their faithfulness to life.

Although the space of the times is different, the 'clown' character in <The King's Man>, who is uncompromisingly confident under the sky and sublimates even the shadows cast on their fate into a splendid tragedy, represents the life that the modern public longs for. And in December 2005, their play board will fill the hearts of the Republic of Korea with excitement and excitement.

3. The power of drama!

: The secret of Heerakwon (喜樂園), its intense drama unfolds.
The palace of the Joseon Dynasty, which was the pinnacle of power that determines national affairs and the center of political intrigue and strife. <The King's Man> is about the first royal court jester, whom the king called and cherished while living in the palace. It captures the duality of power. The palace shown in <The King's Man> is a sanctuary that clowns, who are of a lower status than ordinary people, cannot overcome, and is a gathering place for groups of people who are less free than clowns. Even at a splendid banquet, the king and dignitaries keep each other in check, and even among the magistrates, there is a constant battle for power. Clowns were the only people in the court who enjoyed freedom without being attached to power, and they are the kind of person that modern people really want.

Jangsaeng, a clown who was more free than having gained the world from a single rope in the air, and Yeonsan, a king with absolute power like the sky who could have everything if he wanted to. The setting of the meeting of a clown and a king, who have a common identity and desire for freedom, although they are completely different from each other, adds interesting tension, and the solid drama unfolding amidst the conspiracy and dark struggle of power conveys a strong pathos.

Using the clothes of a period drama, <The King of the King> tells the conflict structure in which the conflicting human nature and desire collide with the desire for freedom and the obsession with power. throw the topic After the cinematic tension conveyed in the tense conflict structure of characters who look at the same place but cannot be together, the glamorous and beautiful tragic ending chosen by <The King of the King> will give a deep resonance to the hearts of the audience.

4. Actors, their perfect transformation!
: Forget about the past! Actors who became 'new actors' of the Joseon Dynasty!

Gam Woo-seong, who has been intelligent but not weak, and has shown absorbing acting with soft but intense eyes, was reborn as a 'clown' through his first historical drama <The King's Man>. In order to express the long life of a free clown, he has long, untidy hair, tanned skin, and even a scar on his face. In order to perfectly play a clown, an unknown character that existed in the past but was not known at all, Kam Woo-sung mastered the basics as a clown through professional training as well as image transformation. Gam Woo-sung, who became 'Jangsaeng' before filming, is acting on the screen, and the audience's hearts are touched with a new name. Perhaps Gam Woo-sung is the actor who most resembles the clown 'Jangsaeng', who enjoyed freedom only on the playground that makes the public laugh and cry.

In addition, actor Jung Jin-young, who holds the center of gravity of each work with his thick acting, exudes a hidden intensity that has not been shown before in <The King of Man>. Yeonsan, who was in the position of the most powerful king at the time, had never enjoyed freedom of mind because of her love and hatred for her father, Seonjong, who caused his birth mother to die due to the envy of women in the court. While watching the clowns entering the palace, they yearned for their freedom, but the calculations that they could not express were violent and sad, and it was possible because of the actor Jung Jin-young, who was able to complete the lively character with loneliness and nostalgia even with a wild laugh. It was.

Gam Woo-sung and Jeong Jin-young's acting showdown, each divided as a clown who does not envy a king, and a king who longs for the longevity and freedom of a clown, overwhelms the screen with intense charisma. And Kang Seong-yeon passionately devoted herself to <The King's Man> as his introductory film was late, and became the Noksu of <The King's Man>, not the noksu in history. Kang Seong-yeon will now be remembered as a 'woman' Noksu who reveals her dangerous nature by wanting to be completely loved by a man and with the wisdom of caring for calculations with motherhood. In addition, Lee Joon-gi, a rookie who was first recognized in Japan through <Hotel Venus>, creates the illusion that the beautiful clown and Gong-gil characters are real with their neutral charm. Lee Joon-gi, who showed his brilliant acting in his work with seniors, as well as supporting actors Jang Hang-seon and Yoo Hae-jin, their solid acting skills gave life to <The King's Man>.

PRODUCTION STORY
<The King's Man> A feast of visual sights!

An exciting game board made with sweat!!!

The clowns have captivated the public's attention by showing off their splendid talents from the tight tightrope walking to the backflip. We, who used to be dazzled by the talents of the clowns, fall into the satire and humor they unleash. The exhilarating play version of <The King's Man> perfectly recreates a delightful clown play with a living divine name, with the first royal court clown in Joseon as the main character, and shows the power of tradition through satire and humor that has been loved by folks in the streets for a long time. Clownnori, which shows the climax of verbal play through witty puns, obscene rumors, and vocal imitation, was their only way of resisting violence and expressing their lives. In particular, the dynamic play board of the court banquet, presented by the clowns shaking the court, captivates the audience with the famous scenes of joy and turmoil that ridicule the world and drive the clowns themselves to a near-distancing fate.

In order to reproduce this perfect clown play, the actors who played the role of clowns, including Gam Woo-sung and Lee Jun-gi, were the ones who had to put the most passion into them. For about two months, they learned the skills and skills necessary for the clown play board directly from 'Anseong Namsadang Baudeogi'. In addition, although they are perfect actors in terms of their acting skills, the actors themselves devoted themselves to clown training in the judgment that it is difficult to immerse themselves in a work that only imitates the gods on the clown play board in acting the clowns caught in a whirlwind of uncontrollable fate. did.

In particular, Gam Woo-seong, who was directly tutored by Master Kwon Won-tae, the best record holder in the world tightrope walking competition, was reborn as a 'longevity' by demonstrating his skillful walking skills on a single rope suspended 5 meters above the ground in actual filming. This was the result of Kam Woo-sung's efforts to install a single rope directly in the yard of his home and to practice consistently even in his personal time.

Although <The King's Man> is not a work that contains only the playboards of clowns, the passion of the actors who tried to convey the character setting of 'clown' more realistically became the driving force to enrich the work.

A perfect reproduction of the Joseon Dynasty palace! set

<The King's Man>, which had to capture various places not only in private houses, but also in the palace, where the king discussed political affairs, and in the king's residence, was produced more rationally through strategic partnership with Buan Video Theme Park. method could be implemented. It helped to reduce the net production cost of 8 billion won, which was required to produce the royal set and interior, to 4.5 billion won. Buan Video Theme Park, built with an investment of 19 billion won, is widely known as the filming location for the drama 'Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin'. Until now, there was no set that properly reproduced the palace, so only the exterior of the palace had to be produced and filmed outside, and the inside of the palace had to be filmed indoors. However, <The King's Man>, filmed at Buan Image Theme Park, captures a spectacular and dense image of the exterior of the palace and the splendid interior in one screen with elegant camera walking.

However, the production team of <The King's Man> was not satisfied with the existing set and produced an open set to create a richer screen with new attempts. A new space based on cinematic imagination was needed to make the stage for clowns to play in front of kings and dignitaries in the palace, and to make the royal banquet scene, where political conspiracies and dark battles take place, into a glamorous and tragic space. In addition, the entire banquet hall is newly set up for each performance in line with the concept of clowns to express the new name of the clowns and the political conspiracy they are engulfed in each banquet.

On the other hand, Buan Video Theme Park became a place of unforgettable memories for the actors who appeared in <The King's Man>. Actors and staff, who had to live together in Buan, which takes about 4 hours from Seoul, exercise in the morning on a walking course discovered by Gam Woo-sung. what made it hard In addition, Jin-young Jeong rides a bicycle around the dormitory and makes a pilgrimage, hearing stories that the king seems to be patrolling the people in plain clothes.

This strategic partnership with Buan Video Theme Park became a cornerstone for <The King of the King> to take a step forward into a more complete work, and <The King of the King>, which reinvested the saved production cost to preserve the details of costumes, art, and props. was completed as a film with an old-fashioned yet modern sensibility.

Dress nicely! costume

The clowns of <The King's Man> add to their reputation by presenting naturalistic costumes with simple traditional beauty in private houses, and elegant splendid court costumes in the royal court. In particular, the 'paper costume' to be used in the clownnori set for the royal banquet drew attention as a new attempt from the planning stage. 'Paper costume' is the clothes that were actually used during Chinese Peking Opera performances. A paper costume based on cloth as a lining and an outer covering with Korean paper was shown once in <Blood of Blood>. However, in <The King's Man>, he goes one step further and draws a picture on the entire sheet of paper, which not only gives the unique texture of Korean paper, but also gives off a unique beauty as if the picture is walking. Because the actors wore only one precious paper costume, they had to be extremely careful about whether their clothes would get damaged, and the staff fanned out to protect their clothes in the midsummer's heat so that their paper clothes would get sweaty. Paper costumes were treated more preciously than actors. Paper costumes are the product of sweat and passion that 3 people spent a full month, night and day, for each pair of costumes, and they are so valuable that they cannot be converted into price.

Meanwhile, Yeonsan and Noksu, the owners of the royal court, applied colorful embroidery all over the silk fabric to create a contrast with gorgeous and authoritative costumes. Yeonsan's costume is based on blue rather than red, the color that has been representative of kings, and expresses the sadness and anger of Yeonsan, and Noksu, a rare lady, catches the eye with its colorful color reminiscent of the eight colors. The harmony of historical evidence and cinematic imagination, such as adjusting the colors to low saturation and low brightness so that each color harmonizes, makes the characters of the main characters stand out even more.

In addition, according to each main character, the production team invested a year to create the costumes of the main actors as well as the crowds from the royal family to the poor street, and completed more than 600 costumes. The costume of <The King of King>, which enriched the work with novelty never seen before, will introduce a new visual beauty to the Korean film industry.

Breath is alive! prop

From the 'Burna' used by clowns on the play board to the 'Hongyeon', the kiln that the king rides in the palace, <The King's Man> splendidly embodies the daily life of the clowns and the splendid appearance of the court with individual props. The mask that serves as the face of the clowns and the hand puppet that represents them carry another divine name, and each cushion, bedding, and fan embroidered with hand embroidery adds to the splendor of the court.

In particular, in Noksu's residence, the 'Hwagakjang', a furniture made by putting various patterns on cow bones, was placed to emphasize the character of the main character that radiates intensity. In order to protect these expensive props, which cost tens of thousands of won per piece, the production team had to put a separate lock on the set, and it was also specially managed with a separate prop insurance.

In addition, the production team of <The King of Kings> reproduced all the props necessary for the palace by creating a separate props warehouse of about 200 pyeong in Buan Video Theme Park, the main filming location. The props of <The King's Man> are things of the past that I have never seen before, but none of them are ordinary. Even before the movie was released, <The King's Man> is being criticized as 'a film that stands out with props that you might want to meet once in 10 years'. This is the result of investing over a year of time from the general art concept meeting in May 2004 to the crank-in of <The King of Kings> in June 2005.

When the audience meets <The King of Kings>, they will have a new experience they have never seen before, including the actors' great performances, exciting play boards, and even the fun of finding props with vivid details.