Hwangjini Review

[cweyy]

The series is written by a feminist writer with a feminist agenda. While 90% of script writers are women, few are as feministic as this particular problematic writer was. This is why this version of Hwangjini is an angry woman who gets off humiliating men. You will see the difference when comparing this drama with the forthcoming movie version.


Not sure. She loved her art more.

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The movie version has a more graceful Hwangjini starring Song Hye Gyo

From this pic, although SHG has a more classy look, however HJW more fits to my version of Hwang Jini. I have not watch the SHG version yet but if its anything to go by from this pic, she looks rather wash out compared to HJW. In my mind, Hwang Jini is a very strong charactered woman who has gone through many tragedies in her life, hence, my image of her is as a very vibrant woman.

[colette]

From this pic, although SHG has a more classy look, however HJW more fits to my version of Hwang Jini. I have not watch the SHG version yet but if its anything to go by from this pic, she looks rather wash out compared to HJW. In my mind, Hwang Jini is a very strong charactered woman who has gone through many tragedies in her life, hence, my image of her is as a very vibrant woman.

I haven't seen the mv version either. But from the photo, agree w/ you, SHG with her pale makeup, heavy black veil and dull color hanbok makes her looks more like a widow in mourning than an entertainer.

[baby1talk]

thank you .it makes sense to me now..

You're very welcome.

I think Kim Jae Won suits Ha Ji Won better because Jang Geun Suk with his baby face looks too young to be Ha Ji Won's lover. Plus, IMHO, I don't think Jang Geun Suk is a good actor. He carries only one pondering face throughout his part.
In some scenes, Eunho looks like a girl wearing pink kimono PJs.

I agree with you, I do think Kim Jae Won looks better with Ha Ji Won in Hwang Jin Yi. Jang Geun Suk does look young to pair up with her in here. Surprisingly, Ha Ji Won and Jang Geun Suk won one of the best couple award for KBS 2006.

well to me, I was very impressed wiht HJW in the drama HwangJini....I thought that was one of her best work.I believe she won alot of awards for her role...i guess u can say that she is considered as one my fav korean actress.. i think she has this unique look that makes her stand out. not your typical pale-skinned, classy, graceful korean actress but that's what makes her different.

I definitely think like you, Ha Ji Won did a fabulous job as Hwang Jin Yi. From watching Hwang Jin Yi, we can tell she's a very versatile actress. I have seen many of her work and she has done a great job in all of them. That explains why she has won the award for this role.

[wuxian]

who are the actors in the SHK version?

[CanDEE]

have anyone watch Hwanjini the movie yet?

[baby1talk]

No, I haven't get a chance to watch the movie with Song Hye Kyo yet.

[CanDEE]

i wonder if it's out yet

[CanDEE]

And so..I watched the movie. I literally force myself to finish it.

A total disappointment for me


Storyline was not as great as the series.

Song H G is a beautiful actress but I think Ha Ji Won did so so so much better as Hwang Jini. In my mind, HWJ has a tough life so her character should be tough and strong. SHG is too cute and weak.

I feel bad for being so hard on SHG but Idont understand why they would do a movie after the drama when the drama and actress did so well. The audience expects the movie to be better, I guess. You can't help but compare.

[Lovewinter]

And so..I watched the movie. I literally force myself to finish it.

A total disappointment for me


Storyline was not as great as the series.

Song H G is a beautiful actress but I think Ha Ji Won did so so so much better as Hwang Jini. In my mind, HWJ has a tough life so her character should be tough and strong. SHG is too cute and weak.

I feel bad for being so hard on SHG but Idont understand why they would do a movie after the drama when the drama and actress did so well. The audience expects the movie to be better, I guess. You can't help but compare.

Both, I did not watch, but expected HJW is much better than SHG in terms of the look and character.

[JonDoe]

SHG is too cute and weak.

Men don't want a street fighter turned angry feminist geisha like Ha Ji Won's Hwangjini.

I feel bad for being so hard on SHG but Idont understand why they would do a movie after the drama when the drama and actress did so well.

Separate companies. Different script writers.

[CanDEE]

Men don't want a street fighter turned angry feminist geisha like Ha Ji Won's Hwangjini.


Separate companies. Different script writers.

Really, i thought men like women that can control them? Arent the sweet ones alway taken for granted??

question for you?

which would pay the actress more, the movie or the drama???

I hope Ha Ji Won get paid more then Song Hye because to me, Hjw seems to work harder with all the dances and instrument she had to learn to perform.

I was expecting Song Hye to do some kind of performance to make it more entertaining..

[JonDoe]

Really, i thought men like women that can control them?

Reality is the exact opposite of dramas...

which would pay the actress more, the movie or the drama???

The pay is about the same. However, actresses prefer the movie because the shooting time is shorter, leaving more free time to shoot commercials, the real source of income.

I hope Ha Ji Won get paid more then Song Hye because to me, Hjw seems to work harder with all the dances and instrument she had to learn to perform.

That's the feminist version of Hwangjini that is exactly the opposite of history. Historical Hwangjini didn't have any of geisha training in her youth; men fell to her feet because she was drop-dead gorgeous(Just like the SHK version), that's all she had.

I was expecting Song Hye to do some kind of performance to make it more entertaining..

The movie was trying to be historically accurate.

[CanDEE]

Oh is that so..i didnt know.

So JONDOE, DID you like the movie? It wasnt slow for you?

[sehseh]

That's the feminist version of Hwangjini that is exactly the opposite of history. Historical Hwangjini didn't have any of geisha training in her youth; men fell to her feet because she was drop-dead gorgeous(Just like the SHK version), that's all she had.

The movie was trying to be historically accurate.

I haven't watched the movie yet, so I don't know how accurate it was.

Men fell to HJN feet not just because she's drop dead gorgeous (of course she is beautiful), but because she is very intelligent and well versed in poetry, knowledge, arts etc. She is also a very confident and liberated woman during her period.

I watched the series version, and it's a good production. And unexpectedly, I prefer actually prefer HJN with her first love Eun Ho. Had me crying buckets when

click to show/hide spoilers

he died. I like how they interweave this storyline with HJN's folklore.

[JonDoe]

so I don't know but because she is very intelligent and well versed in poetry, knowledge, arts etc.

That's not what records say about her.

She is also a very confident and liberated woman during her period.

This much is true.

The problem of TV series was that its script was written by a feminist writer, who tend to weaken male characters and strengthen female characters in her scripts. The writer was offended by the fact that historical Hwangjini was famous solely for her beauty and her lifestyle of having affairs with hundreds of men, so she tried to turn Hwangjini into some kind of a professional geisha pursuing her own artistic goals.

The movie version is more accurate in that it has Song Hye Kyo's Hwangjini living a dramatic life because of an endless line of men pursuing her physical beauty.

[sehseh]

That's not what records say about her.

Basic details from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hwang_Jin-i

Records state that she possessed a preternatural talent in playing the geomungo and in composing sijo, while also being a dance prodigy. Along with the aid of her remarkable beauty, she quickly rose to fame...

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/da...0611100014.asp

Hwang was not only a gisaeng but also a painter, poet and calligrapher of the late 16th century, who rubbed shoulders with some of the era's most intelligent figures such as scholar Seo Kyung-duk and well-known monk Jijok.

http://thewordshop.tripod.com/Sijo/hwangchini.html

Korean Sijo by Hwang Chin'i (1522 - 1565)

Hwang Chin'i (pen name Myongwol, meaning Bright Moon) was apparently of high birth, exceptional beauty and sharp intellect. She was tutored by the great scholar So Kyongdok and produced poetry in both her native Korean script (Hanguel) and in Hanmun (Chinese). A professional entertainer (kisaeng), Hwang was highly skilled in the arts of conversation, dance, song and poetry. Defying the accepted social conventions surrounding the lower-class kisaeng, she associated freely with scholars, artists and aristocrats.

Few facts are actually known of her life, but anecdotes and legends abound concerning her early life, her reason for becoming a kisaeng, and her relationships with various men in the upper reaches of society and government. Though her literary reputation today is based almost solely on six sijo—chiefly concerning love—that have come down to us, she is still highly respected, and her poems continue to be among the most popular classical favorites. The Three Incomparables of Songdo (the capital city where she lived) are said to be the Gourd Pool Waterfall, So Kyongdok and Hwang Chin'i.

.....................

p.s. There's no deny that she have endless stream of suitors due to her beauty, but she stands out among other gisaeng because of her wit and intelligence (not just a beautiful face).

[uchikake]

The series is written by a feminist writer with a feminist agenda. While 90% of script writers are women, few are as feministic as this particular problematic writer was. This is why this version of Hwangjini is an angry woman who gets off humiliating men. You will see the difference when comparing this drama with the forthcoming movie version.

This is perhaps a very personal opinion, and can't speak for the mass.

Although Hwangjini the tv series is quite dragging (as typical for most tv series), I didn't find Yoon Seon Joo's scripts at all problematic. In fact, the dialogs were pretty intriguing and well-versed (especially if you could understand Korean.)

The new historical genre films tend to focus on femininity, as in Hwangjini, Shimchung, The Runaway Chronicle of Mrs. Yoon, and Goongnyeo. And Yoon's scripts were able to reflect well the desire for women to determine their own fate in spite of the male-dominated social conventions in the pre-modern era.

Taking statistic sampling from this thread, I also see that many other viewers seem to enjoy the tv series starring HJW as well.

Men don't want a street fighter turned angry feminist geisha like Ha Ji Won's Hwangjini.

Hmm. I'm not a fan of either HJW or SHG. But what a distorted image for HJW's Hwangjini that you painted.

HJW's Hwangjini is a strong character but also a well-rounded artist with a determined goal to be freed from the pervasive and prejudiced differentiations against women and the underprivileged during her time.

Any SNAG (sensitive-new-age-guy) would appreciate a woman not just for her beauty but also for her intellect.

Records state that she possessed a preternatural talent in playing the geomungo and in composing sijo, while also being a dance prodigy. Along with the aid of her remarkable beauty, she quickly rose to fame
...

There's no deny that she have endless stream of suitors due to her beauty, but she stands out among other gisaeng because of her wit and intelligence (not just a beautiful face).

Thanks, sehseh for the references. They confirmed what I also understand of this most celebrated gisaeng of Joseon.

[Guojun]

“Come as the wind. Come as the rain. I shall be as the wind, like you. I long to fall asleep and wake up in your arms. I love you.”
–Jin-yi’s final lines before the credits began to roll. In the closing scene, she was scattering the ashes of deceased lover, Nom-yi, from a cliff. These were my favourite lines in the movie and they have been stuck in my head since the moment I heard them. You will see why.

I caught Hwang Jin-yi a week ago.

Before heading out to the cinemas, I read several reviews, predominantly about how long and boring the movie was, how the story was hardly about Jin-yi’s life as a courtesan, and how strange the hairdo. I am glad I paid no attention to them, because stepping out of the cinema three hours later, I disagreed so much with these reviews I decided I had to write one of my own. So here goes:

Go in with an open mind towards a foreign culture (if you are a foreign viewer) and its history, and towards a film style you wouldn’t expect in your usual Hollywood movies. There is nothing explosive about this one. Everything is taken from a quietly artistic perspective with a thousand subtle nuances, right from the beginning when the title scrolls itself across flowing sheets.

Do not expect many details on Jin-yi’s life as a famous kisaeng either, though you will find ‘The Legendary Courtesan – Hwang Jin-yi” printed in bold across all the posters you see, and every synopsis prepares you for an amazing woman standing strong against her time. The film centers almost completely on the romance between Jin-yi and Nom-yi, against a backdrop of political issues, so much so that I was initially thrown off, like most of the others. But that was before I discovered the symbolism behind the producers’ decision. Hwang Jin-yi is, above everything else, a movie with a philosophical message.

In this portrayal of Hwang Jin-yi, Jin-yi is flawed. Broken as she was by her discovery of her illegitimate birth, Jin-yi became a kisaeng, in hope that by gaining the favours of the aristocrats, she might rise again to the status she once thought defined her. But then she realizes, through her acquaintance with a wise scholar, that, already, she has everything. People of all perceived classes – aristocrats, scholars, kisaeng, bandits – they are all the same. And for all her glamour, Jin-yi’s heart lies with her grandmother, her two loyal servants, and her childhood lover, who she had looked down for being an orphan in the time before she realised they were very much the same, and who was executed a bandit.

The movie may not have covered the epic figure Hwang Jin-yi in all dimensions, but it did as much as it could within the span of two-and-a-half hours, given that, in an abstract way, the intended focus was not on Jin-yi’s life, though she was amazing in many ways, but on all of humankind. What mattered most in the movie was Jin-yi’s inner quest. Right before the credits began to roll, she said “I will be as the wind, like you.” She was not the wind in her first grown-up scene, haughty from behind the shades, and neither was she anything like the wind as a much-desired, oft-manipulative kisaeng. But by the time the movie drew to a close, she had learnt enough from life and love to decide she wanted to be “as the wind”.*

By and large, Hwang Jin-yi is a beautifully-made movie that leaves you with delicious morsels of historical knowledge – though Jin-yi’s story on its own is largely fictional – and plenty of food for thought. Mull over it in your sleep and you will wake up sensing more meaning – some gentle form of enlightenment or catharsis. On the scale of one to five, I would rate this movie a four, at the very least.


*Nom-yi was "as the wind" in that he stood unconditionally by Jin-yi all his life, desiring nothing in return. He was, unglamourously, a bandit, but a bandit that stole from the rich and gave to the poor in a time of corruption. But glamour was nothing he had ever desired, and it was with grace that he accepted his end.

[CanDEE]

it was merely a love story, really.....

[colette]

This is perhaps a very personal opinion, and can't speak for the mass.

Although Hwangjini the tv series is quite dragging (as typical for most tv series), I didn't find Yoon Seon Joo's scripts at all problematic. In fact, the dialogs were pretty intriguing and well-versed (especially if you could understand Korean.)

The new historical genre films tend to focus on femininity, as in Hwangjini, Shimchung, The Runaway Chronicle of Mrs. Yoon, and Goongnyeo. And Yoon's scripts were able to reflect well the desire for women to determine their own fate in spite of the male-dominated social conventions in the pre-modern era.

Taking statistic sampling from this thread, I also see that many other viewers seem to enjoy the tv series starring HJW as well.

Hmm. I'm not a fan of either HJW or SHG. But what a distorted image for HJW's Hwangjini that you painted.

HJW's Hwangjini is a strong character but also a well-rounded artist with a determined goal to be freed from the pervasive and prejudiced differentiations against women and the underprivileged during her time.

Any SNAG (sensitive-new-age-guy) would appreciate a woman not just for her beauty but also for her intellect.

Thanks, sehseh for the references. They confirmed what I also understand of this most celebrated gisaeng of Joseon.

I second that. I haven't watch the mv yet, but I did enjoy the tv-series.
Whether the mv's story or the tv's story is closer to real history, it's hard to tell.
But at least from most of documents I read, this historical figure was not just known for being drop dead gorgeous but also for being very smart and talented geisha. If someone wants to prove otherwise, I'll be interested to read your credible "record".

I don't see any troublesome with the way the scripts were written for the tv-series either. And so what if the tv-series decided to focus on the rebellious part of her life. Whether that's fictitious or not, who cares. Because in the same way, who can prove that the story of the Hwangjinyi mv is more real? After all, neither the mv nor the tv-series was intended as official documentary of her life. So from the way I see it, kudos to the scriptwriter or the directors who had added additives to Hwangjinyi storylife and made it more interesting to watch. It'd be very boring to watch a mono-tone, submissive life story of a woman for 20 chapters or so.

In term of look, from the photos, even though SHG is very cute, I actually prefer the HJW Hwangjinyi more. HJW Hwangjiyi look is more seductive and fits more with the look of a geisha.