laurence-1

Lame plot and two-dimensional script made characters look like cardboard cut-outs. Needless to say, this made it difficult to feel empathy for any of the characters, especially the fiancé; He looked and acted more like a cartoon. In summary, I guess you could say it was on par with your typical made for TV drama. It uses just about every cliché in the book. The tortured classical musician who wants to break-out and play salsa. The free-spirited fiancée engaged to a "bean counter" personality she doesn't love. I won't list them or else it would be a spoiler because I'd be giving away the whole plot. The dancing was OK but nothing special. I've seen worse. 3 stars for good music. The band was really tight. I saw it on YouTube. Thankfully I didn't pay good money to see it at a theater. I'm still a little shocked at how many great reviews this movie has garnished.

I found Chunhyang to be a beautiful Cinderella-like folktale. The story is very simple and universal. But I found myself suspending any skepticism and was completely caught up in the all the emotions the film took me through. The direction, acting, and cinematography was lush and beautiful. My response to the Pansori sequences was different than some reviewers who found it annoying. Granted, I wouldn't sit at home listening to Pansori opera on my stereo. But I found it to be a window into another culture that I've never been exposed to before. It was interesting to see the Korean audience also caught up in the emotion of the story as the Pansori told the tale. And the Pansori was also used effectively to reduce any graphic violence in the film during the violent beating of the heroine by the evil governor. I thought the concept of going up and back between the story and the Pansori telling the story was unique and brilliant. I'm surprised the film received an R rating. Any sexuality in the film was done very tastefully. I think it should have received a PG rating.

This is a great film. From reading other reviews, I can see that I'm not the only one who shed a tear. Tamilyn Tomita acted with such skill and conviction, she made the ending heartfelt and memorable. In the hands of a lesser actress, her last scene would have seemed trite and corny. One would never guess this film was done on a tight, limited budget. The cinematography is gorgeous and there are a number of big name actors. The script is so wonderful, I can see why they all wanted to be in it. If you watch the long, long list of credits at the end, you'll see that half of Hawaii pitched in to make this film happen, and for good reason. The soundtrack (available on CD) is absolutely beautiful and sets the mood throughout the film. My only "complaint" is that I almost didn't want the film to end.