Keulraesik

What can I say about The Classic, except that I never thought I'd like such a film. Cheesy romances featuring teenagers are really not my usual viewing, but The Classic was just beautiful.

I am not familiar with Korean cinema, and have never seen 'My Sassy Girl' so I cannot comment on how it measures as a follow-up. But as a movie standing on its own, it was a touching, tear-jerking and humorous 2 hour journey for me. The cinematography was outstanding, and paired with an equally impressive soundtrack it created beautiful scenes of the Korean countryside, as well as enhancing the generally poignant, nostalgic mood of the film. The acting was first class all around in my opinion, the movie could've so easily gone overboard with bad-acting considering the general plot of the movie, but never once did I find myself irritated by the lead female. The casting was perfect, and I was absolutely charmed by the characters of Jun-ho and the hilarious Tae-su. There were also a lot of comical elements in the movie which had me laughing off my sofa, making the characters endlessly endearing. The film takes us through a journey of many years in the past from when the characters' parents first meet, and had me bawling my eyes out at the end. The modern day story is just as good too. The film also finishes with what I consider two big surprises which had me thinking about the movie for ages afterwards.

All in all, I am really surprised that I liked this film. After considering why this was so since I really don't like romantic/comedy dramas, I came to the simple conclusion that this was just great filmaking, where the watcher gets utterly lost in the movie. It may not be very realistic, and however long we analyse it and it's clichés at the end all we know is that we were moved and entertained by this movie.

I know that "Classic" is cheesy and at times, very cliche. But the film acknowledges this fact when the character of Ji Hae reads the letter that her mother's first love, Jun Ho, had written to her and she states how cheesy it is. And yet, she decides that she'll not call it cheesy, but instead, call it classic.

The intent of this film is not to enlighten or to be original. Love is not original. It is the most common of emotions. The point, rather, I think, is to show how it is possible for love to be like the way it is between the characters in the movie. Through the good and the bad, love is worth it. Yes, saying that love is worth it is very cliche and cheesy. But what the hell. Life is a goddamn cliche in itself and if you're not ready to accept that, then well, what can I say?

I can say, "Go watch 'Classic' and cry or vomit. Either way, you'll feel better."

Oh, by the way, nice acting by Son Ye Jin and Jo Seung Woo. They set up a truly believable dynamic.

8/10 is my score for this pretty love story. Reminded me of the story of how my parents met in Korea. I am glad to see Korean cinema improve.

So a lot of people have compared this director's work to his previous work My Sassy Girl which came out about 2 years before this one did. There have been many comparisons between this one and that and while there are similar themes in choice of music and themes I would say it is like comparing apples to oranges. MSG was funny and then got dramatic hence it is a romance/comedy with some drama (if anything, i would call Windstruck MSG 2). This one was mostly a dramatic romance story with a few very classical clichés. There is enough foreshadowing that you can guess what is going to happen if you pay any attention at all and have seen any Korean drama, but the director still does an excellent job in telling the story.

The main characters do an excellent job acting and bringing out the character's emotions. The story is beautiful and so is the music. Enjoy it for what it is, if you have a heart at all you'll be teary eyed. You'll know what is coming and you'll still be floored by it, thats how good it is. Even the ending, which I thought was a bit over the top, is the only way you could have ended a classic.

I am a little hesitant to say that this is a date movie, definitely not for a first date. I would think that any emotionally sensitive human being is not going to be particularly happy throughout most of this movie until the very end. Such is a melodrama.

An everlasting romance movie. It's a set of two love stories told across two generations; the stories maintain few similarities, and deal with with the themes of love, loss and destiny. The screenplay is quite unique and mesmerizing, switching between the two story lines; it holds your interest throughout the two-hour long movie. The cinematography and background score are exceptionally brilliant; they give the movie it's particular charm and feel.

The acting is terrific; Ye-jin Son is charming and delightful as Ji-hae, as well as her mother. The supporting actors In-seong Jo and Seung-woo Cho are charming as the love interests. Ki-woo Lee is hilarious as Oh Joon-ha's dorky and good-hearted friend, Tae-su.

There are many memorable scenes in the movie; they include the fireflies beside the lake scene, the dance practice scene, the manure collection scene, the running in the rain scene. Coincidentally, all these scenes are in the first half of the movie. The second half may seem a little mushy to some people; it will only appeal to lovers of romance movies. But without the second half, you won't get a perfect romance like this!

The movie is a modern-day romance classic; the music and songs from the movie still linger in my mind.

I gave this movie 10/10 because it's, beside My Sassy Girl and The Notebook, one of the best love stories I have ever seen. Storytelling is perfect, actors are excellent and music is very nice and ads to the atmosphere.

I highly recommend this to anyone. Not just to people who love romantic movies, but to people who love good movies, regardless of genre.

I just started to explore a wonderful world of Asian cinematography and so far, I'm absolutely amazed! :)

I'll also use the opportunity to recommend: Thirst, My Sassy Girl, The Classic, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and A Tale of Two Sisters if you haven't watched them already.