Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Recap on the movie The Royal Tailor 상의원

In late December 2014 ShowBox and Fine Cut Films of Korea started screening its US$10million budget movie production entitled The Royal Tailor 상의원 - a typical period Joseon dynasty film focussing on the lives of tailors in the palace.

The PD has scouted a strong cast for this film- veteran actor Han Suk Kyu, Go Soo, Park Shin Hye, Yoo Yeon Suk, Ma Dong Seok, Lee Yubi and Shin So Yul

It was Park's first periodical film she has ever starred in. She even won the Most Popular Actress in the 51st Baeksang Arts Awards for this film. The hanboks she has worn worth KRW$1 billion in hand-made delicate fabrics, embroidery..etc as she played as the Queen.

Han Suk Kyu plays the senior royal tailor Cho Dol Seok who has served 3 generations of Kings in the palace. Dol Seok emphasizes on the studious work and he gets annoyed when Pan Soo- an official introduced a new happy chirpy young tailor to the group, Gong Jin. Gong Jin is vibrant and uses different colors and techniques to create hanboks. His designs were beautiful and attractive enough to even capture the cold King's attention. 

The King is cold towards his Queen who is in her early 20s and she suffered in silence. Queen is shocked when the royal garb for the King has been partly burnt by the ladies in the palace. So Gong Jin was summoned in to fix the robe which amazed Dol Seok that he finished up within a night. His new designs for hunting fit impresses the King too. Gong Jin falls for the Queen at the first sight and felt pitiful for her been locked up in the palace without any affection from the King and others. Rumors were spreading that she might be replaced by another evil Minister's bitchy daughter So Yi who became a Royal Concubine.

Gong Jin starts his little trick by designing sexy Hanbok worn by the maids to attract the King's attention so that he ignores So Yi. The Queen just sat back and felt sad whenever he hears the King is spending a night with another woman in another chamber. When Qing officials came from China, they wished to have Concubine So Yi seated beside the King. Dok Seok was instructed to design the finest hanbok to be worn by So Yi. Queen was disheartened again saying she will not attend but Gong Jin begged her to let him design for her another hanbok to ensure she is the most beautiful woman in the palace.

Dol Seok is jealous and tries to think what Gong Jin will be designing for the Queen. He warns Gong Jin that he is putting the Queen into trouble. Gong Jin ignores him and disappears from the gisaeng house. Concubine So Yi was happy that she has a new purple hanbok to attend the grand function however Gong Jin came back in time to have the Queen fitted in an exquisite beautiful white-gold hanbok like a wedding gown sewn with pearls.
It was a long trail and the Queen just looked stunning as ever showing her main status. The King was happy that the Queen stood beside him. So Yi was enraged and shouted at Dol Seok for embarassing her with his poor design. Gong Jin thanked the Queen and hoped the best for her but the King is jealous thinking the Queen is in love with someone else.

Once again the King ditched the Queen's feelings and spending more time with So Yi. Dol Seok managed to come up with a plan to frame Gong Jin on trying to poison the King with a poison needle inserted in the red royal dragon robe. It was not his design in his first place. Gong Jin just took up every blame to ensure the Queen is safe. The Queen angrily shot glares back at the King that he's a coward thinking he is left with remains or left overs. During his young days his elder brother bullied him. The Crown Prince knew he liked the current Queen so he purposely suggested his younger brother to have the girl. Until today he still thinks the Queen doesn't belong to him and that's why he's so cold towards her.


Gong Jin was beheaded in the public while the Queen mourns for his innocent death.
Dol Seok went to his hut only to discover that Gong Jin has actually designed and made a robe specially for him when it's time he becomes a nobleman. Dol Seok cried his heart out not knowing Gong Jin actually cares and thinks for him. He never intended to steal his position and he was innocent. Snow start falling and everyone started staring up in the sky. As usual the Queen was still lonely and alone while the King just looked blankly at the snow fluttering around.



1 comment:

Anastasia in Saudi Arabia said...

It was honestly so bad. A movie where everyone is miserable in the end, one of the two decent characters gets his head cut off and the other ends up a neglected virgin for the rest of her. Just miserable. Had a hard time figuring out why they even bothered making it, if it wasn’t based on historical facts. Just to bum us all out?