The King and the Clown

Infobox Korean Film
name = The King and the Clown


director = Lee Jun-ik
producer = Jeong Jin-wan
Lee Jun-Ik
writer = Choi Seok-hwan (screenplay)
Kim Tae-wung (original play)
starring = Gam Wu-seong
Jeong Jin-yeong
Kang Seong-yeon
Lee Jun Ki
Kwon Won-tae
music = Lee Byeong-wu
editing = Kim Sang-beom
Kim Jae-beom
cinematography = Ji Gil-Wung
distributor = Cinema Service
released = December 29, 2005 (South Korea)
runtime = 119 min.
language = Korean
rating =
budget = $4.5 million USD (est.)
imdb_id = 0492835
hangul = 왕의 남자
hanja = 王의 男子
rr = "Wang-ui namja"
mr = "Wang'ŭi namja"

"The King and the Clown" (왕의 남자, or Wang-ui namja) is a 2005 South Korean film, adapted from the 2000 Korean play titled "Yi", ("You")" about Yeonsangun of Joseon, a Joseon dynasty king who falls in love with a court clown who mocks him. The movie is based on a small passage from the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty that briefly mentions the king's favorite clown. Production costs were relatively modest for a Korean film, approximately $4.5 million dollars.

There are alternative titles of this movie: "The King's Men" or "The King's Man" (the literal translation of the Korean title to English) and "All the King's Men" (working title). In Chinese, the title is "王的男人" or "王和小丑", and in Japanese, it is known as "王の男".

This film was chosen by Korea as its submission for the Oscars in the best foreign film category. [http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/21092006/2/entertainment-south-korea-picks-gay-themed-king-clown-oscar-bid.html]

Plot

Set in the early 16th century during the rein of King Yeonsan, two street clowns and tightrope walkers, Jangsaeng (Gam Wu-seong) and Gonggil (Lee Jun Ki), are part of an entertainer troupe. Their manager sells Gonggil's body to the nobility, and Jangsaeng sickens of this practice. After killing their manager in defense, the pair flees to Seoul, where they form a new group of street performers.

Together the group comes up with a skit mocking some members of the Royal Court, including the king and his new concubine Jang Noksu. After they are arrested for treason, Jangsaeng makes a deal with Choseon, who turns out to be one of the King's servants, to either make the king laugh with their skit or to be killed. They perform their skit for the king, but the clowns are so scared they mess up. Gonggil and Jangsaeng barely save themselves with one last joke at the king, who laughs and then makes them part of his Court. The king falls for the effeminate Gonggil, whom he calls to his private chambers often for puppet shows. Jangsaeng becomes jealous of this time alone (though it is never explicitly stated that there is anything more than friendship between him and Gonggil - this topic of friendship/love has been much debated by film reviewers). Meanwhile, the King becomes more and more unstable and kills people as he watches plays with resemblances to his past, where his mother was publicly executed via poisoning. Jangsaeng asks Gonggil to leave with him and the gang at once before the King may kill them too out of his fits. Gonggil refuses, sympathizing with King Yeonsan.

The king's main concubine, Jang Noksu, becomes enraged by the attention the king has been lavishing upon Gonggil. She tries to have him killed during a hunting trip, resulting in the death of one of the members of their street performing team. Days after the hunting trip, there is a kiss between the king and Gonggil (which has caused much buzz and excitement among film reviewers). Then, she tries to have him jailed by having flyers run in Gonggil's handwriting insulting the king severely. Jangsaeng takes credit for the crime for which Gonggil has been falsely accused and is imprisoned.

Choseon silently releases Jangsaeng, saying that he should now forget about Gonggil and leave the palace. But after being released from prison Jangsaeng surprisingly walks his tightrope between palace rooftops, this time openly mocking the king. The King fires arrows at him while Gonggil tries to stop him. Jangsaeng falls off and is caught, and has his eyes burned out and he is rejailed. Gonggil attempts suicide, but his life is saved by the palace doctors.The king has Jangsaeng walk his tightrope blind. As Jangsaeng tells a story on the rope, Gonggil runs out of the palace and joins him, and they have a conversation together with much hidden meaning and significance, about returning in the next life again as clowns.

Throughout the film, the tyranny of the king and corruption of his Courts is revealed. At the very end there is an attack on the palace, and as people storm through the court beneath the tightrope, Jangsaeng and Gonggil jump together, and Jangsaeng tosses away his fan, signifying the death of both which is never actually seen in the film. [http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=62303]

Reaction

In Korea, 12.3 million people saw the film, and it grossed more than any Korean film before it - $85,000,000 (In the summer of 2006, the film The Host surpassed this with 13 million tickets sold.). It seemed unexpected that the film gained so much success, what with its focus of traditional arts and homosexual underlyings, especially without the attraction of high profile celebrities, But the overall presentation, acting, and storyline seemed to push prejudices aside for the 119 minutes it takes to watch this film.

Despite the movie's huge popularity in Korea, it was first banned from screening in China. It premiered in Shanghai on 28 October 2006 and Chinese DVD version is distributed. [http://yummycelebrities.com/2006/07/07/china-ban-korean-movie-the-king-and-the-clown/]

Cast

Gam Woo Seong -- Jangsaeng (clown; Gonggil's best friend)

Jeong Jin Yeong -- King Yeonsan (10th King of Joseon Dynasty)

Lee Jun Ki -- Gonggil (clown; King Yeonsan's favorite)

Kang Seong Yeon -- Jang Noksu (Most favored Concubine of King Yeonsan)

Release Dates

*South Korea: December 29, 2005
*Taiwan: May 12, 2006 (Theatre Release)
*Singapore: June 22, 2006 (Theatre Release)
*Canada: September 07, 2006 (Vancouver/Toronto Film Festival)
*Japan: October 21, 2006 (Tokyo Film Festival) / December 09, 2006 (Theatre Release)
*Shanghai, China: October 28, 2006
*United Kingdom: October 29, 2006 (London Film Festival)
*South Africa: November 14, 2006 (Cape Town Film Festival)
*New Zealand: December 01, 2006 (Film Festival)
*USA: January 03, 2007 (Los Angeles) [http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0492835/releaseinfo]
*Italy: March 30, 2007 (Florence Film Festival)
*France: April 01, 2007 (Deauville Film Festival) - Expected Theatre Release in September 2007

Awards

43rd Daejong Film Festival:

*Best Film- The King and the Clown
*Best Director- Lee Jun Ik
*Best Script/Scenario- Choi Seok Hwan
*Best Cinematography- Ji Gil Woong
*Best Leading Actor- Gam Woo Seong
*Best New Actor- Lee Jun Ki
*Best Supporting Actor- Yoo Hae Jin
*Most Popular Actor- Lee Jun Ki
*Most Popular Actress- Kang Seong Yeon
*Most Popular Actor Overseas- Lee Jun Ki

42nd Baeksang (Paeksang) Film Festival Arts Awards 2006:

*Best New Actor- Lee Jun Ki
*Judge's Special Film Awards- The King and the Clown

14th Chunsa Film Festival 2006:

*Best Leading Actor- Gam Woo Seong
*Best Supporting Actor- Jang Hang Seon

Korea Film Awards 2006:

*Best New Actor- Lee Jun Ki

27th Blue Dragon Film Awards 2006:

*Best Music- Lee Byong Woo
*Most Popular Stars- Lee Jun Ki & Kang Sung Yeon
*Best On-Screen Performing Couple Award- Gam Woo Seong & Lee Jun Ki

Cape Town World Cinema Festival (CTWCF) 2006:

*Best Feature Film Award- The King and the Clown
*Best Screenplay- Choi Suk Hwan & Kim Tae Woong

9th Festival Du Film Asiatique De Deauville (France) 2007:

*Lotus Du Jury (Grand Prix Jury Prize)- The King and the Clown [http://www.wang-ui-namja.com/references.htm#Awards]

oundtrack (OST)

*01.가려진 Vocal 장재형 (장생테마) --- "Veiled," Vocals by Jang Jae-Hyeong (Theme of Jang-Seng)
*02.프롤로그 - 먼길 ---------------- "Prologue - Long Roads"
*03.각시탈 ------------------------ "Gak-shi Tal (Mask of a Woman)"
*04.돌아올 수 없는 ------------------ "Cannot Return"
*05.너 거기 있니? 나 여기 있어. ------ "Are you over there? I am over here."
*06.세상속으로 -------------------- "Into the World"
*07.위험한 제의 하나 --------------- "Dangerous Suggestion Number One"
*08.행복한 광대들 ------------------ "The Happy Clowns"
*09.내가 왕이 맞느냐 ---------------- "Am I the King or not"
*10.위험한 제의 둘 ------------------ "Dangerous Suggestion Number Two"
*11.꿈꾸는 광대들 ------------------ "The Dreaming Clowns"
*12.수청 -------------------------- "Serve Maiden"
*13.인형놀이 ----------------------- "Playing with Dolls"
*14.연정 -------------------------- "Romantic Emotions"
*15.그림자놀이 --------------------- "Playing with Shadows"
*16.피적삼의 울음소리 --------------- "The Cry of Rags"
*17.광대사냥 ----------------------- "Clown Hunt"
*18.광대의 죽음 -------------------- "Death of a Clown"
*19.어서 쏴 ------------------------ "Shoot Now"
*20.질투 --------------------------- "Envy"
*21.장생의 분노 --------------------- "The Fury of Jang-Seng"
*22.내가 썼소 ----------------------- "I wrote it."
*23.애원 ---------------------------- "Plea"
*24.장생의 외침 --------------------- "The Yell of Jang-Seng"
*25.눈먼장생 ------------------------ "Jang-Seng the Blind"
*26.자궁속으로 ---------------------- "Into the Womb"
*27.반정의 북소리 ------------------- "Ban-Jeong's Sounds of Drumming"
*28.반허공 ------------------------- "Mid-air"
*29.에필로그 - 돌아오는 길 ----------- "Epilogue - The Homeward Road"
*30.반허공 Guitar Version ---------- "Mid-air" Guitar Version

[http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&u=http://www.mtvtop.net/html1/18470.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=6&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522king%2Band%2Bthe%2Bclown%2522%2BOST%26start%3D30%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN]

External links

*
* [http://www.wang-ui-namja.com Unofficial Fansite for "King and the Clown" (Wang-ui-namja)]
* [http://www.torontoist.com/archives/2006/09/tiff_2006_previ_10.php Preview TIFF 2006] at Discovery: 2006 Toronto Film Festival, September 7, 2006
* [http://yummycelebrities.com/2006/07/07/china-ban-korean-movie-the-king-and-the-clown/ China bans 'King and the Clown']
* [http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&u=http://www.mtvtop.net/html1/18470.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=6&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522king%2Band%2Bthe%2Bclown%2522%2BOST%26start%3D30%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN OST] (page translated from Chinese)
* [http://www.wang-ui-namja.com/references.htm#Awards Awards]