The King and The Clown

One of the best movie I have ever seen. I may not be Korean nor speak the language but the effort that has been poured into the movie is just amazing. The casts are brilliant! It was rather controversial when it was premiered in Korea for its hint into homosexuality, but nonetheless it went on to become box office hit with 1/4 of the population went on into watching it (courtesy: seoulstyle.com)

Synopsis: taken from seoulstyle.com because I'm not particularly familiar with the historical periods of Korea,

"The King and the Clown takes place in the Joseon Dynasty, like so many other generic Korean dramas, but the plot has a very original spin. The story centers on a band of impoverished traveling entertainers. The two main characters Jang-Saeng and Gong-il are lovers. The fact that they are both men should be shocking to Koreans, but Gong-il played by actor Lee Jun-ki is looks so much like a girl; you almost want to believe that he’s female. It’s obvious the two have an amazing bond as they really look out for each other. They decide to go to Hanyang (now Seoul) where they can put on a bigger and better show. There, they find other talented minstrels to join their act.

In order to draw a crowd and make more money, Jang-Seang, the default leader of the troupe, decides to stage a show mocking the King and his favorite concubine Nok-Su. One of the King’s officials gets wind of the show and has the troupe arrested for treason. The official agrees to let them perform for the King with the agreement that if the King enjoys the show, their lives are spared. In fact, the true motive the official has in taking the troupe to the palace is to expose the corruption plaguing the King’s regime.

Enter the tyrannical King who is brilliantly played by actor Jung Jin-Young (This character is based on a real-life king). The king becomes psychologically marred as a result of a childhood trauma when his mother was forced to commit suicide by the royal family. As a grown man, he exhibits the unstable caprices of a spoiled and profoundly wounded boy. However, after seeing the clowns perform, instead of being insulted, the King is so amused that he decides to invite the troupe to become court jesters in the palace. In fact, is seems as if the king himself is a frustrated theater actor who unfortunately just happened to be born into a royal bloodline. Eventually, the King becomes enamored with Gong-il’s talent and androgynous beauty, and this infuriates Jang-Saeng, Nok-su and the ministers."

Casts: Lee Jun-ki, Kam Woo-seong, Jeong Jin-Young

Review: Brilliant! Without the slightest doubt one of my most favourite movie I have ever seen foreign or not! Considering that none of the lead actors are big name actors the movie is very impressive and the actors are just amazing to watch. Whether you are conservative or not towards the matter of homosexuality I think the movie does not hover around the theme too much but rather the storyline. It is a heartfelt movie full of emotions and an amazing plot that does not drag around. I love it without a doubt!

Rating: 5/5 stars

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