Keulraesik

A multi-layered romantic drama that's a winner on all levels. Blessed with good actors and an equally good story (plus cinemaphotography), you're taken on an emotional roller coaster ride. Granted, there may be an element or two seem unlikely, but nothing is outside the realm of possibility. In that respect, there's a similarily to an earlier film by the same director called "My Sassy Girl." Being a guy who's fond of action films and thrillers, I found myself surprised to find myself enjoy a romance story enough to put it on my list of top 10 films of all time. When I think of Titanic and The Piano, I think of chick flicks. Classic is for everyone. I sure hope that the cast and crew are involved with equally memorable projects in the future.

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.

The story involves a girl, whose best friend is dating a guy that she secretly likes. She one day finds a diary and letters from the past that belonged to her mother. The story then shifts to the past where the mother is a young woman who falls in love with a guy, but she herself is arranged to be married with the guy's friend. There's a parallel between the past and present and the story shifts back and forth between two romances. I found this movie to be a well-executed Korean melodrama. The cinematography is quite beautiful. However, it is rather cliche in some parts (as some aspects of the director's previous work feels a bit repeated here), yet as a movie itself, it is a well-filmed, nicely delivered piece of work. It is kind of unfortunate, however, given the popularity and the expectations given to the movie due to the director's more accomplished, previous work, "My Sassy Girl," this reviewer couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed. If I hadn't seen the previous work and saw this movie for the first time, I might've given higher praise. As it is, however, the movie almost accomplishes in being a truly great movie (as opposed to good, which it is). Occasional inventiveness in composition and atmosphere and timing is excellent. The movie does tend to be a bit predictable (particularly if you know what kind of themes the director has presented in his previous work) and admittedly I saw the ending coming sooner than I probably should have (althogh it didn't really distract me from enjoying it either). One can't help whenever one sees a rainy scene or when a certain Pachebel music comes out, one is reminded of a scene directly from "My Sassy Girl" (As "My Sassy Girl" actually pokes fun at melodramas) Without some of those distractions, it may have resonated a lot more strongly as an original piece of work. In terms of characters, they are certainly memorable, and the romantic elements (while, not as multidimensional or as deep as the director's previously mentioned work) are convincing. There are some historical backdrops to go along the romance that gives the film a somewhat a denser, almost epic, if not nostalgic, feel, yet doesn't really go in the way of an epic (which itself might not have been a bad direction to go). Some of the attention to detail are also pretty well done. Overall, though, I enjoyed the film as a romantic melodrama, while being a bit hampered by tough expectations and some cliches, the characters and the romance certainly leaves a nice impression.

After finding out that the same director for Yupki Girl was directing Classic, I immediately went to watch this movie. And I was glad I did. Classic is a movie that is definately worth watching and it incorporates many of the same themes and styles from Yupki Girl such as great scenery shots and similar music (like Pachabel's Canon).

If this movie had not been called "Classic," I would have given it a lower rating. But because it is, it is definately classic. I'm sure the director wasn't making this movie unique so that it would stand out like his previous movie, but instead wanted to make a movie that makes people remember what cheesy romances were like back in the days. Yes this movie is VERY cliche and VERY cheesy, but that's why it's called a classic. The director's intention was to create a film that reminds people what a perfect romance is and how perfect things will eventually turn out.

I loved this movie and would recommend it to anyone who wants to watch a perfect romance.

I just love this story. This is a beautiful picturesque movie about first love, a touching tale about love, sacrifice, and friendship crossing two generations. The movie begins with the story of the daughter. From the beginning, the movie showcases the stunning Korean scenery and beautiful camera angles. The movie unfolds with the telling of the daughter Chi-hye and her crush Sang-min a boyfriend of her friend Su-kyeong. The movie quickly dives into the heart of the movie when the daughter discovers her mother's diary about her first love. This, my fellow movie aficionado, is the start of the Classic. For sake of brevity and not giving away the plot, I will not go into detail about this wonderfully written and wonderfully acted movie. There are some flaw in the movie but even with that I am blown away by how emotionally gripping and satisfying the story and acting of the main actress Son Yeh-jin and Cho Seun-woo (who play's the mother's love interest). The musical scores and selections are awesome and very fitting to the mood of the story. The movie title suggests a classic Korean love story but in the end, I can't help but wish that I too could have experienced such level of love. For the romantic at heart and those who want to experience the full range of human emotion watch this movie, better yet own this movie.