Sado

I walked into this film, with the extent of my knowledge being the drawn portraits of Prince Sado and King Yeongjo floating around google images. By the time I left the cinema, I felt I've become close companions with these men.

There is a tragically mesmerizing direction Lee Joon Ik accomplishes in his intimate insight into the Royal family. It is difficult to project the arduous politics of the kingdom in a way which doesn't diminish the drama, but heightens its emotional punch. Believe me, it's quite a punch. A series of flashbacks investigates how the relationship between King Yeongjo and his son, Crown Prince Sado deteriorates. Essentially showing how a once proud father can condemn his son to a brutal punishment. It's a wonderful piece of film editing, gripping the viewers to a claustrophobic degree as we witness Sado's sufferings, while never losing interest in the family's origins whenever the film jumps back a few years or so.

Perhaps, the greatest element of this film is undoubtedly it's ability to depict deceased historical figures with a brooding complexity and vibrance. Particularly, Yoo Ah In's portrayal of Sado is captivating in its depiction of the man's compassion, thirst for freedom and his eventual conflicted psyche. Never is there once a hint of a stereotypical, one dimensional, cold blooded lunatic. No. This is an incredible portrayal of a human being, as these historical figures were.

The inability to emphasize with and encourage others is a fault exposed here. This is how the film transcends from a dramatic period piece to a work of art which deeply resonates in families caught in strife. It truly is an absorbing insight into life between the palace walls during the height of familial tension, boasting an emotional prowess that would tingle within you for some time. A masterpiece has been extracted from this segment of history.

I have nothing bad to say about the storytelling. In the last 20 minutes of the film, I cried like I never did before while watching a movie. The last time I cried while watching a movie was with The Road Home (Zang Ziyi). It's very painful. A father forced to wait for the death of his son for a week. It must have been very painful for both the father and the son.

On the other hand, this film is not only true to history. It is also authentic and realistic. This is the first Korean period piece that presents the royal family like those in the paintings. The king, queen, and his concubines are not good looking. They look like real people contrary to those sageuk we used to watch where lead stars are all dolled up. The prosthetics of the elder monarchs show reality of old age. I appreciate this aspect of the film.

When I watched period dramas that present the early like of King Yeongjo, I really thought that he would be both a great father and king. I mean, King Sukjong was a great father and Suk-bin Choi was a caring mother for Pri NBC e Yeoning-gun (Yeongjo). But perhaps being a child prodigy himself, King Yeongjo expected too much from his court especially from his heir. He became a disciplinarian parent and king. His knowledge of Confucian teachings dis not help him become a good father. He never appreciated his son on his achievements. He berated him for his mistakes. All sons, princes or commoners, need love from their parents. I don't believe that a royal family is different from any other family when expressing love and care for children. This film tells us that too much adherence to rules dehumanizes a person. A son longing for a father's warmth developed depression. And a father knowing his son is already losing mind isolated himself even more from his son. Tragic.

I'm FURIOUS after seeing the rating of this movie. Nobody can call this movie 'average'. Historical facts are researched well; all characters' stories are fully developed; all actors actualize historical figures on the screen 'phenomenally'; mise-en-scene is traditionally artistic.

I especially want to point out that the effort of the director and the writer to develop all main characters' story fully so the audience can learn and really feel thoughts, emotions, and motivation making up this historical event. The son went crazy ignoring the duty of the prince and presenting eccentric behaviors. The father pressures his son in anyway possible to the point of madness and eventually kills him. It's difficult to understand the behavior of either one. However, the movie explains it all and persuades the audience. The father loved his country more than his son. The son went crazy because he thought he could not make anyone be proud of him. It was beyond sadness, almost aching to understand the responsibility and burden of the throne.

Song Gang-ho and Yoo Ah-in's acting .... makes me speechless. No words can describe how talented they are in this movie. Both the king and the prince are not easy to portray, but their actualization on the screen is magnificent.

Superb acting, beautiful costuming, elaborate sets, and engrossing locations mark this powerful tale of the strained relationships that exist between all fathers and their sons.

Over a period of eight days, an 18th. century Korean king punishes his only son for attempted regicide. Flashbacks reveal the chain of events that led the son to rebel against his father while the women and courtiers who love them both struggle to deal with the growing conflict.

What works for The Throne is that the movie evinces a common family psychological dynamic that exists between almost all fathers and their sons, but the dynamic is amplified by the fact that the family in question is a royal family and the stakes are higher. As all fathers struggle to challenge and build their sons without breaking them and as all sons endeavor to prove themselves and earn their fathers' seemingly unattainable respect, The Throne shows us how severe that dynamic can be when the fate of an entire country is at stake.

There is something for everyone in The Throne as fathers and sons might learn something about the other side's feelings and motivations while other family members and friends can relate to the helpless frustration of watching their loved ones fight each other.

With all of that psychoanalysis stated, The Throne also delivers exceptionally well for viewers who enjoy lavish costume dramas about royal families and their courtiers and/or period pieces about Asian history and culture. In summary, The Throne is excellent story telling.

Maybe, 40 minutes in the beginning little bit boring and slow, but must to watch until the end. I love how the plot told back-forward story, just watch the King's beard if you got confused hehe. This is drama of father and his son in the palace. The message that we can took from this movie is even though we don't believe to anyone, even as a King, please be nice to your own child.