Untold Scandal (Korean: 스캔들 - 조선 남녀 상열지사; RR: Seukandeul - Joseon namnyeo sang'yeoljisa; lit. "Scandal: The Love Story of Men and Women in Joseon") is a 2003 South Korean romantic drama film directed by E J-yong, and starring Bae Yong-joon, Jeon Do-yeon, and Lee Mi-sook. Loosely based on the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, this adaptation takes place in late 18th century Korea, during the Joseon dynasty.
Untold Scandal | |
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Hangul | 스캔들 - 조선남녀상열지사 |
Hanja | 스캔들 - 朝鮮男女相悅之詞 |
Revised Romanization | Seukandeul - Joseon namnyeo sang'yeoljisa |
McCune–Reischauer | Sŭk'aendŭl - Chosŏn namnyŏ sang'yŏlchisa |
Directed by | E J-yong |
Screenplay by | Kim Dae-woo Kim Hyeon-jeong E J-yong |
Based on | Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos |
Produced by | Lee Yoo-jin Oh Jeong-wan |
Starring | Bae Yong-joon Jeon Do-yeon Lee Mi-sook |
Cinematography | Kim Byeong-il |
Edited by | Kim Yang-il Han Seung-ryong |
Music by | Lee Byung-woo |
Production company | Bom Films |
Distributed by | CJ Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 123 minutes |
Country | South Korea |
Language | Korean |
Budget | $5,000,000 |
Box office | $5,762,801[1] |
In Korea the film was given an R-18 rating by the Korean Film Ethics Commission.[2] The film was a major commercial success, and became the fourth highest grossing domestic film of 2003 with 3,522,747 tickets sold nationwide.[3]
A beautiful but cynical and manipulative noblewoman makes a bet with her free-spirited womanizing cousin that he can have sex with her if he is able to seduce a young woman of great virtue. He accepts the challenge with enthusiasm though not suspecting the nasty trap he is walking into.
Monsieur de Tourvel (Madame Marie de Tourvel/Lady Jeong's husband), who was away for a court case in the novel, was in the film deceased, making Lady Jeong a widow of nine years. Furthermore, Lady Jeong lived in Ganghwa Island, and in the film, she is living in Seoul as there was a plague at her hometown at that time.
Jo-won (Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont) and Madam Jo (Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil) were in the film cousins (Jo-won the younger cousin), and it is revealed that Jo-won's first love was Madam Jo, whereas in the novel, they were rivals, yet using the same tools for their revenge: sex.
Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil (Madam Jo)'s former lover is arranged to be Cécile's future husband in the novel, but in the film, his character is Madam Jo's husband. In So-ok's case, she is being made into a concubine of Madam Jo's husband for the continuity of the family lineage with the elders' consent.
Lee So-ok (Cécile de Volanges) was ushered in to Madam Jo's care to be the concubine of her husband, and is conspiring with Jo-won to make her pregnant for revenge (with Madam Jo telling her husband what really happened to So-ok at her husband's deathbed).
Chevalier Raphael Danceny was originally Cécile's music tutor in the novel, but in the film, Kwon In-ho (Raphael Danceny's counterpart) is the youngest son of Madam Jo's next-door neighbor and also Lady Jeong's cousin.
2003 Pusan International Film Festival
2003 Blue Dragon Film Awards[4]
2004 Baeksang Arts Awards
2004 Verona Film Festival
2004 Grand Bell Awards
2004 Shanghai International Film Festival
2004 Korean Film Awards
Films directed by E J-yong | |
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