THE SERVANT

DATABASE
Archive

Archive

DATABASE

THE SERVANT

Sep 21, 2020

Writer by Pierce Conran
View2775

2010 | 124 MIN | Epics/Historical, Comedy, Romance

DIRECTOR KIM Dae-woo

CAST KIM Joo-hyuk, RYOO Seung-bum, CHO Yeo-jeong, RYU Hyun-kyung, OH Dal-su

RELEASE DATE June 6, 2010

CONTACT CJ Entertainment

Tel +82-2-371-5500

Fax +82-2-371-6340

Email filmsales@cj.net

Following his role as the screenwriter for Untold Scandal (2003), KIM Dae-woo became an expert in both period dramas and steamy erotic tales. He’s made films such as Forbidden Quest (2006) and Obsessed (2014), but his most compelling work remains his second film The Servant (2010), a fascinating twist on the classic folk story ‘The Tale of Chunhyang’, which features several standout performances in a story that takes many risks both in its form and sexual content.

Originally a sung pansori story, ‘The Tale of Chunhyang’ is the classic Korean folk tale of Chunhyang, a courtesan’s daughter, who falls in love with Mong-ryong, a government official’s son. The two marry in secret but suddenly Mong-ryong is forced to leave with his father, who is replaced by a lecherous official who soon has designs on Chunhyang. Mong-ryong, after becoming a royal inspector, eventually returns to save her and they live happily ever after.

The Servant (2010), which employs the Korean title ‘The Tale of Bangja’, focuses instead on Bang-ja (KIM Joo-hyuk), Mong-ryong’s (RYOO Seung-bum) servant. Mong-ryong is now a petty aristocrat and Bang-ja is the dreamy male ideal. They both fall for Chunhyang (CHO Yeo-jeong) but Bang-ja is the one who wins her affections. When Mong-ryong leaves for his studies, Bang-ja becomes a merchant and the lovers are able to meet in secret for a time, until Mong-ryong sets in motion a dastardly plan.

The parallels between The Servant (2010) and the original folk tale continue through to its conclusion, but director KIM also directly engages with his own act of narrative revisionism, as he uses a framing device in which an older Bangja meets with a writer who will pen his tale. Later, as the writer marvels at the twists in the story, Bangja urges him to alter the facts, echoing the famous line from the great John Ford classic The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”

Beyond its narrative gambles, the film also pushed boundaries as an erotic work, at least within the Korean film market. Some aspects haven’t aged particularly well ten years on, such as OH Dal-su’s performance as Bang-ja’s seduction mentor, which, though admittedly amusing, sees him school the inexperienced servant in some very dubious techniques. Given OH’s future troubles with the #MeToo movement, his Joseon Era pickup artist who teaches techniques such a cupping women in the groin (or a similar, less printable expression made famous by a certain sitting global dignitary), has become an uncomfortably salient point in an otherwise impressive film.

On the other hand, the main performances are all strong, with RYOO Seung-bum playing a suitably bratty Mong-ryong, while KIM Joo-hyuk showcased his best work up until that point, following which he would become one of the most celebrated actors of his generation before his sudden passing in 2017. Meanwhile CHO Yeo-jeong is equally impressive, though the role did see her become typecast in erotically-tinged fare for several years (The Concubine, 2012; Obsessed, 2014; Casa Amor; Exclusive for Ladies, 2015) before her career rebirth in BONG Joon-ho’s PARASITE (2019).

Any copying, republication or redistribution of KOFIC's content is prohibited without prior consent of KOFIC.

Related People