The movie is a sad love story; it doesn't focus on Jin Yi's striving for excellence in the performing arts (dance/music) or the fine arts (poetry)--though she does write poetry in the movie, her gained this ability from an older lady who tutored her when she was growing up. The movie does not really examine the life of a gisaeng in depth like the Ha Ji-won drama, and her abilities aren't shown in order to inspire our admiration (like in the drama), but to remind us of how much she had fallen in life. (She leaves the house where she was raised after it is revealed that she is not really of a yangban family, but the daughter of a slave. If I understood the drama correctly, in the drama she is portrayed as being an orphan under the care of a Buddhist monk.)
The plot is not really complicated, and as for the acting--Song Hye Gyo does speak in the "traditional" manner and in the traditional language, and she does not really show that much emotion, as is expected. It did make me wonder though how people behaved in the past--what sort of expressions, gestures, and intonations did they have?
It is long by asian standards, slightly over 2 hours, but I suspect some additional scenes were excised, besides the ones on the special features disc. The story involving the yougn admirer Myong Wol (Ming Yuet) barely has any time dedicated to it. He appears in one scene, seeking the attention of Hwang Jin Yi, in another scene he is shown being lovesick and the object of ridicule by his father's friend, and then he's dead.
Confucians end up looking bad, like hypocrites, pretending to be virtuous but actually being rather depraved. One scholar in particular prides himself on being "pure," refusing to be in the presence of gisaeng, but he is unmasked as having a fetish for young widows. The only scholar worthy of respect turns out to be a Buddhist(?) and is a recluse, not serving in government.
It is unclear what sort of transformative effect this encounter Hwang Jin Yi with the scholar has on her. He emphasizes that the root of her problem is her selfish desire for life, and that she will only gain enlightenment when she realizes that she is one with everything else, and that there is no self. (Hence I characterize him as Buddhist, even though this is not explicitly stated.)
Does this bring her back to her senses? But what sort of decline did she experience prior to that encounter? Yes, by then she had become used to being a gisaeng and servicing men sexually. And she enjoyed playing the little game of unmasking the pretentious with the magistrate, who does not claim to be a gentleman but wants to show that scholars who do make that claim are not really so. But she does not really confront the magistrate about his own base character until later, after another incident. The lesson the Buddhist scholar imparts to her doesn't play any role later in the movie; she doesn't feel any less pain, nor become resigned to what happens at the end because of it. From a pure Buddhist standpoint, is she not still immersed in illusion, and does it not even grow stronger, when she admits that she loves Yoo Ji-tae's character? So what is the point of the encounter?
As I wrote earlier, Jin Yi does write poetry, and she plays a stringed instrument (don't ask me which one of the qin family). But she doesn't dance! (I don't know if the historic Hwang Jin Yi was known for her dancing, but I suspect she was.)
Still, despite the weaknesses of the movie it is a gorgeous film. I just wish there was more for the sake of proper development of the story, even if Asian audiences can't handle a 2.5 hour-long movie.
I saw First Amendment of Korea with Yeh Ji-won not too long ago. Both that movie and this movie reminds us of the plight of women who are forced to become prostitutes. Can we really say that they are just victim of circumstances, or can we go even further and assert that they are victims of an unjust social system?
wiki: Prostitution in South Korea
Time: Base Instincts
Korea: facts on trafficking and prostitution
In a small hunter-gatherer or agricultural community, is there a place for a prostitute? There may be a need for an exchange of favors, but given the size of the community the value of one's reputation and the risk of being ostracized weigh more heavily than any advantage that might be gained (unless one is in really dire straits).
And I do believe that Margaret Mead was wrong--in "primitive" societies that are not in decline, there is a premium placed on chastity. (Primarily because of a concern for legitimacy and the family or clan group? Also, such societies are more aware of carrying capacity than those who take their economic arrangements for granted, being ignorant of them.)
The Margaret Mead and Derek Freeman debate
Margaret Mead, Derek Freeman
Freeman responds about Mead-Freeman controversy: on the ethics of ...
The Fateful Hoaxing of Margaret Mead: A Historical Analysis of Her ... - Google Books Result
Margaret Mead
Still, is prostitution as a "profession" unto itself possible in small communities? Or is it a product of an urbanized and economically diversified society that has limited economic freedom for most? Some might claim that the Bible itself has a negative view of the urbs. Anarcho-primitivists and admirers of Ishmael.
[I point out that one section of the philosophy of person course at BC has Ishamel on its reading list. I found that to be a bit much, but it's not surprising, given the wide range of people accepted into the graduate program in philosophy. It may not be as poisonous as some contemporary philosophers, but its interpretation of Genesis is incorrect, and is an obstacle to the worship of the one true God. Besides, I don't see it offering a humane solution to the current ecological problems affecting this country, with its denigration of agriculture.]
When natural resources are not distributed equitably and economic freedom is limited, what other recourse do some women have than to sell their bodies to men in order to survive (and perhaps to feed family members)?
No wonder Christ was known to have showed such great mercy to prostitutes. While we may not know if all prostitutes are excused, being exploited victims of injustice, should we not have compassion for them and seek to relieve them of their suffering when possible, both directly and indirectly, by addressing the causes of inequity? (Which leads to the question: Was St. Pius V's policy towards prostitutes in the Papal States the correct one?)
Due is not on the film's soudntrack, not as a song at least; I think a version of it is used for the end credits. I'm disappointed by the extras disc--I was hoping for more footage of Song Hye Gyo.
Hwang Jin Yi OST - Due - Geu Dae Ga Na Ra Myeon (MV)
Selected previous posts on the movie: Official Hwang Jin Yi website
Photos: Hwang Jinyi press conference
Making of Hwang Jin Yi
Now will the Ha Ji-won drama ever be released here in the US on DVD?
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