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Chunhyangdyun (2000)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 7/10
Reviews Counted: 42
Fresh: 36 | Rotten: 6

No consensus yet.

100

Average Rating: 7.6/10
Critic Reviews: 12
Fresh: 12 | Rotten: 0

No consensus yet.

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Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 967

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Movie Info

Renowned Korean filmmaker Im Kwon Taek offers his own unique take on a classic romantic fable with this 13th century tale of a stunningly beautiful young woman torn between the man she loves and the governor she's obligated to marry. The film uses the framing device of a present-day narrator who, accompanied by a drummer, sings the story of Chunhyang in front of a responsive audience. The film flashes back and forth between the singer's presentation and scenes of Mongryong (Cho Seung Woo), a

R, 2 hr. 1 min.

Art House & International, Drama

Directed By: Kwon-taek Im

Written By: Myoung-Gon Kim, Sang-hyun Cho, Hye-yun Kang

In Theaters: Dec 29, 2000 Wide

On DVD: Oct 16, 2001

Wild Bunch

Chunhyangdyun Trailer & Photos

Cast

Yi Hyo-Jeong
Chun-Hyang
Seung-woo Cho
Mongryong
Kim Soung-Nyeu
Wolmae
Jung-hun Lee
Governor Byun Hak-Do
Kim Hak-Young
Pangja
Lee Hye-eun
Hyangdan
Cho Sang-Hyon
Pansori Singer
Kim Myung-Hwan
Pansori drummer

Critic Reviews for Chunhyangdyun

All Critics (49) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (6) | DVD (4)

A seductively watchable, mythically resonant experience.

November 30, 2001 Full Review Source: Toronto Star

| Comment

Geoff Pevere

Toronto Star

Top Critic

A premodern folk tale in a postmodern form that refreshes both the eye and our ideas about storytelling.

November 30, 2001 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail

| Comment

Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

Top Critic

Im's movie approaches a seething, primitivist beauty that evokes Makhmalbaf and parallels the contrapuntal textual investigations of Resnais.

August 15, 2001 Full Review Source: Village Voice

| Comment

Michael Atkinson

Village Voice

Top Critic

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Lingers long in the memory, its rich colors and striking images giving off an iridescent afterglow.

May 12, 2001 Comment

Hollywood Reporter

Top Critic

Here's your chance to savor the work of Im Kwon Taek, the finest living chronicler of Korean culture.

April 16, 2001 Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee

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Joe Baltake

Sacramento Bee

Top Critic

It's a movie charmingly traditional and richly cinematic, and I'm not damning with faint praise when I say it's the best Korean film I've seen.

February 26, 2001 Comment

Michael Wilmington

Chicago Tribune

Top Critic

Reminded of 'Ever After,' a film that took a standard western myth and updated it with wit, verve and relevance. This is in that league, and rather more elegant and adult.

July 5, 2011 Full Review Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Burl Burlingame

Honolulu Star-Advertiser Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Part Disney, part Karl Marx, the movie might be characterized as a North Korean post-revolutionary blockbuster. And though the persecuted protagonist is hardly a shrinking violet but not quite a budding feminist, hey, we're talking centuries ago.

May 16, 2009 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze

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Prairie Miller

NewsBlaze

Chunhyang is a gorgeous, elaborate film that feels like a fairy tale with a fresh coat of paint. Unfortunately, the paint is the most interesting part.

September 20, 2007 Full Review Source: Looking Closer

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Jeffrey Overstreet

Looking Closer

[The] film is handsomely mounted--from the sets and costuming to the appealing young stars--and ultimately a lot of fun.

January 18, 2004 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com

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Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

Though a beautiful costume film with Hollywood production values and a cast of thousands, I just couldn't get into the epic story.

February 11, 2002 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Chunhyangdyun

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A highly stylized telling of a Korean folk tale from another time concerning love and loyalty. A singer, almost operatic in his delivery, tells most of the tale from a stage in a concert setting and as a voice over to the action. The actors also tell part of the tale in dialogue. Very slow paced, as the action had to

June 29, 2009