SOUTH KOREA: "King and the Clown" sets new South Korean box office record

Record ID: 522628

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: "King and the Clown" sets new South Korean box office record
  • Date: 30th March 2006
  • Summary: (L!2) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (MARCH 22, 2006) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) "KING AND THE CLOWN" ACTOR LEE JOON-GI AT PRESS CONFERENCE SAYING: "I think there was a lot of passion and many forms of expressions men wanted to express and as this has become a social issue, it has become easier for them to express this and has allowed many people to sympathise with that."
  • Embargoed: 14th April 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA3NKT1JV6JI0KP9RJM5OWNGO24
  • Story Text: A film with subtle gay themes about a tyrannical ruler and his jesters has become South Korea's top-grossing movie ever.
    "King and the Clown", made for about 4.5 million U.S. dollars, has taken more than 82.6 billion won (85 million USD) at the box office. More than 12.2 million people -- a quarter of the population -- have seen the film since it was released late last year, according to CJ Entertainment, the movie's distributor.
    The movie is the fictional story of two jesters who are taken into the court of a king of the Chosun dynasty (from 1392 to 1910) and entertain him with their satires as he battles various plots to oust him.
    Their dirty faces and raggy clothes portray the jesters as underdogs of a hierarchical society, but their bravery and wit is refreshing to the melancholy king. The movie's director, Lee Jun-ik, believes this has struck a cord with many South Koreans.
    "The feelings that arise from the jesters' storytelling, such as modern man's compassion for them and the solace felt for the non-elites or alienated has inspired compassion from many moviegoers," said Director Lee Jun-ik during a recent interview.
    Despite its unexpected success, the movie does not have any major stars and was made with a modest budget. It is a historical piece, whereas most of the biggest movies at the South Korean box office have had themes about separation from the North.
    The king becomes enthralled with one of the male jesters played by teen actor Lee Joon-gi, who has the beauty of a young girl. The other jester, acted by Karm Woo-sung, also has feelings for Lee.
    Director Lee hoped Lee's character could intrigue South Koreans, who live in a Confucian society that remains widely conservative when it comes to the social roles of men and homosexuality.
    "The purpose of Gong-gil's (played by actor Lee Joon-gi) character is to cause ambiguity about his identity that would motivate moviegoers to constantly analyse, re-analyse and question him. It is the element that creates tension," explained Director Lee.
    Lee's expectations were right on the money. For South Korea, who has never seen a character like Gong-gil in Korean movies before, he has become a new social icon. Fans have dubbed actor Lee Joon-gi with the Korean term of "kkotminam", or "flower boy."
    Since the opening of "King," Lee has caused a rage amongst young women and has recently featured in soft drink commercials catered to women that have been reported to have reached record sales.
    Lee contributes his popularity to the fact that Korean men have always wanted to be more expressive about their looks and feelings in a society of men that strive to be tough and masculine. With this movie, such hidden desires may have become more acceptable.
    "I think there was a lot of passion and many forms of expressions men wanted to express and as this has become a social issue, it has become easier for them to express this and has allowed many people to sympathise with that," he said.
    Karm Woo-sung, who plays Lee's fellow jester and who is indirectly potrayed as more than a friend to Lee, dispelled any doubts that his unconventional role might frighten the audience away.
    "We didn't consider that as a risk factor but we thought of it as an opportunity to bring more intrigue. In that context, I did not feel burdened when I was offered this role," he said.
    Producers of "King and the Clown" have played down comparisons with the U.S. movie "Brokeback Mountain" about two gay cowboys who keep their love a secret.
    The relations among the three men in the South Korean movie are not well defined and there are no steamy sex scenes -- instead, the king shares longing looks with the effeminate clown.
    Critics also say movie's success can be contributed to its ability to score with different cross-sections of the population for a variety of reasons.
    Women have formed fan clubs to support the actor who plays the effeminate clown. Middle-aged men have enjoyed the story of political intrigue, while younger viewers have enthused about the movie over the Internet.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register