"The Classic" 2003

Okay, one thing to keep in mind is that this blog is not about the best movies ever made. Beginning with The Classic is an exception though. This is not the best movie ever made, but it is definitely one of the best examples of melodrama. It is also a fine example of how a director can take cliché and reshape it for the viewer into something... well classic.


My goal here is not to recap the plots of every movie discussed; however, it is to let Americans know exactly why they need to watch Korean movies. The long and short of why Americans NEED to see this film can be summed up easily: CHO Seung-woo. He is one of South Korea's most popular actors and rightly so. He may not be a national treasure like AHN Sung-ki (yet!), but he is well on his way, racking up an impressive list of film credits and stage performances, a few of which will definitely make this blog list!

That having been said, let's look at the film.

It's hard to know where to start. First, there's little original about this film. It is literally laden with every romantic cliché imaginable (there are even fireflies...HA!). There are enough tear-jerking moments to keep Kleenex in business in perpetuity. By setting the film in part in flashback, film director KWAK Jae-yong manages to imbue a nostalgic tone without sanctimony. By using found letters as the vehicle into the past, we are spared too many cinematic tricks to force us there.

The overall tone is definitely melancholy, yet hopeful. We like the leads (Joo-Hee played by actress SON Ye-jin and Joon-ha played by my man CHO Seung-woo) we are watching, and we root for them because they are innocents whose attraction is out of step with their circumstances. We also root for them because no matter what they feel, they follow the rules of Korean society. They put family and friendship ahead of their own selfish (or not so selfish) desires.

Friendship is definitely a part of life examined in this film. Sacrifice in the name of friendship begins when the two main characters face their first melodramatic complication. Joo-hee is betrothed to Joon-ha’s best friend Tae-su. I know, right?! But Tae-su understands and allows his buddy to use his names in the letters written to Joo-hee. When Tae-su’s father finds out, he beats him and this inspires an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Guilt-driven, this causes Joon-ha to flee to the military and a tour in Vietnam. I know, I know...stick with me; it gets much worse.

The two protagonists timing is always off, much like in Same Time next Year by Neal Simon; however, THAT was a comedy. Here' we've got blindness and death to deal with. I won't go on because I'm not interested in spoiling anything...right? Suffice it to say it reads on the blog much more heavy handed than it reads on celluloid.

Why should Americans see this film? 1) Because there's not a real sinister moment in the film and 2) because it really is a guilty pleasure to witness such pure emotion denied until the end and even after death we see that devotion to the concept of true love can withstand the realities of life...even in spite of the fireflies. There's an ironic twist at the end that really pushes the boundaries of reality, but by this time if you've jumped into the cliché vs. classic pool...you're hooked and weeping tears of joy.