Title: Scandal
Director: Lee Jae-yong
Starring: Lee Mi-sook / Jeon Do-yeon / Bae Yong-joon / Cho Hyun-jae
Release date: 2003-10-02 (South Korea)
Genre: Drama/Romance/Wind Moon
Region: South Korea
Language: Korean
Douban score: 6.6
Director Lee Jae-yong's film "Scandal" is a Korean wind moon film based on the work "Dangerous Relationship" by French 18th-century novelist La Clos. The film was released in South Korea on October 2, 2003, starring Bae Yongjun, Jeon Do-yeon and Lee Mi-suk. The film is set in the eighteenth-century Korean Peninsula at the end of the Joseon Dynasty, telling a bizarre and poignant love story between Cho Won and Mrs. Cho.
In the degenerate and decaying Korean high society, feudal rites and religions are in jeopardy, and desolate incidents between men and women are one after another. Zhao Yuan is a playboy in high society, he is lecherous and seduces countless women. He is not only talented and proficient in piano and chess books, but also has a lot of experience in swordsmanship, coupled with his humorous personality, which attracts many women willing to spend happy time with him. Zhao Yuan's cousin, Mrs. Zhao, was familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics since she was a child, dreaming of surpassing men with intelligence, and hoping to find her own value under the shackles of feudal rites. But because she was a woman, she couldn't use her talents.
Under resentment and depression, Mrs. Zhao began to play with men for pleasure, on the surface she was virtuous and virtuous, like a noblewoman, but her heart was extremely filthy.
She seeks the joy of life through taboo things for men and women. Cho Won and Mrs. Cho became the first prodigal son and the first demon woman in North Korea at that time, and they were a pair of extremely filthy men and women. In the film, they enjoy the game feelings of men and women while plotting the game of love.
At this time, Mrs. Zhao's husband wanted to marry a young and beautiful, pure and flawless woman, Suyu. Lady Zhao plans to let Zhao Yuan seduce Suyu and ruin her virginity before her husband marries into the door. However, at this time, Zhao Yuan fell into a crush on the widow Mrs. Shu.
Lady Shu was praised by the emperor's "martyr girl" and kept the festival for nine years. She was an extremely observant woman who never remarried after her husband's death. But in the end, she couldn't resist Zhao Yuan's temptation, and the desire she had suppressed for nine years exploded in front of him. Mrs. Shu and Zhao Yuan develop a vigorous passion, but this also leads to the corruption of her own reputation.
The incident was learned by Mrs. Shu's younger brother, who killed Zhao Yuan in order to protect the family's reputation. When Madame Shu learned of Zhao Yuan's death, she became desperate and decided to die with him. In the end, this bizarre and poignant forbidden love ended in tragedy and left people with deep thoughts.
"Scandal" is a movie that shows the true colors of human nature and people's hearts to evil. Laclos's original book tells the story of 18th-century France, but the dark side of human nature is universal, so the film is equally thought-provoking in the North Korean context. The contrast between playboy and slut pushing filth and desolation to the extreme, while chaste women guarding their purity, ultimately leads to a tragic ending.
Lee Mi-suk's Mrs. Cho is one of the most evocative characters in "Scandal". She and Zhao Yuan indulge to their heart's content, and the sexy and feminine image is intoxicating. However, Mrs. Zhao's attraction is not only her appearance, but also her complex personality. She vents her resentment by playing with men.
"Scandal" is a jaw-dropping movie. Although the plot of the film is simple, it arouses the desire to watch the movie through the delicate relationship between a man and two women and the implied attraction. Playboy and slut expand their desires infinitely, while chaste women stick to the rules, these two very different attitudes eventually collide with each other in the film, resulting in a tragic ending.
"Scandal" successfully grabbed the audience's attention with its unique plot and character building. Director Lee Jae-yong uses delicate lens language to show the corruption and contradictions of the Joseon era in the 18th century, and this film is not only a wind and moon film, but also an exploration of human desires and moral concepts.