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After 13 years of acting career, Lee Young-Ae is reborn as an actress as 'the kind Ms. Geum-Ja'

In 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance', 'Ms. Geum-Ja' Lee Young-Ae emits a halo, illuminating the prison at night. The light shines over the bars of the narrow cell, reaching outside the prison. The scene parodies not only stained glass paintings of a medieval church, but also Lee Young-Ae's goddess-like image in her TV commercials. The director's intention, however, must have been to symbolize the halo of Lee Young-Ae's talent as a 13-year veteran actress, rather than as a TV commercial model. A hidden message of the scene was perhaps that Lee Young-Ae's potential as an actress shines beyond the public's prejudice that has confined her to a fixed image.

Her goddess-like elegance, her fair skin that leads us to wonder if she indeed lives on oxygen, and her long trailing skirt quite often prevents us from seeing the actress Lee Young-Ae behind it. But in 'Sympathy for Lady Venegance', she once again succeeds at a dramatic display of her unexpectedness that she had shown us through the barmaid Ae-Sook of Noh Hee-Gyeong's 'The Reason I Live', Jang-Geum of 'Daejanggeum', or Eun-Soo in Hur Jin-Ho's 'One Fine Spring Day'.

Such unexpectedness comes from irony. It was manifest through her quick motion in 'One Fine Spring Day' when she blocks Yoo Ji-Tae's spoon with her own as he tries to help her with her huge bowl of rice, and her playful smile in 'Daejanggeum' as she manages to get out of the farm in Cheju pretending that she caught chicken pox. SPOILER begin In 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance', Lee Young-Ae turns into a high school girl who makes a phone call to Mr. Baek, not knowing what to do about her accidental pregnancy. SPOILER end When she, once the shy and perplexed girl rubbing her calf with her other foot with the phone receiver in her hand, resolutely strides ahead in a leather coat holding a gun 10 years later, it brings us a refreshing surprise and shock. Park Chan-Wook has successfully awakened the compound quality of an actress hidden behind her beauty.

One could say that 'Inshallah', 'Joint Security Area', and 'Last Present' did no more than reproducing the intellectual and elegant quality of an already intellectual and elegant actress. But 'One Fine Spring Day' and 'Daejanggeum' stirred our curiosity by revealing the human interior of a heavenly goddess. To exaggerate a bit, Lee Young-Ae acquires a deeper and more solid beauty as an actress when her heavenly image is subjected to worldly troubles. Of course, such an irony can only completed when the nobility of the actress is accompanied by her thorough understanding of her own acting and the help of the director.

Perhaps the reason behind the choice of Lee Young-Ae by renowned directors like Hur Jin-Ho and Park Chan-Wook is the duplicity and ambiguity of Lee Young-Ae's such image, and her ability to attract audiences through it. Hur Jin-Ho unearthed Lee Young-Ae's expressive power hidden behind her purity. Lee Young-Ae's natural performances well portrayed both the familiar and unfamiliar aspects of love, as she acts selfishly, hesitates, and struggles. Park Chan-Wook went even further, uncovering the ambiguous and complex quality inside the actress. He experimented with the paradox in which, the more she swears and curses, the more cruel her revenge is, and the more she begs for forgiveness, the more beautiful and elegant she becomes. Park Chan-Wook asks us who else, other than Lee Young-Ae, can a director rely on for an attempt at aestheticizing revenge, which had to be delayed to make it more beautiful, unlike that of Hamlet which was delayed due to his hesitation.

Posted by Miss Cha at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments

From Leeyoungae.net

Lee Young-Ae betrayed the audience. She, who we thought would stay as the 'oxygen-like woman' forever, turned into the incarnation of vengeance wearing heavy makeup. In her hand, which used to hold cosmetic bottles, was held a cold-blooded gun. It's incomparable to her past change into the aloof woman who had melted Yoo Ji-Tae's heart in 'One Fine Spring Day'.

We met Lee Young-Ae with about a week left until the theater release of 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance' on July 29th. She was holding a yellow-covered notebook in her hand. She said she reads all articles that talk about her, and carefully writes down noteworthy remarks from journalists. Thus began the interview between the innocently smiling Lee Young-Ae and the slightly nervous reporter.

- I hear praises after praises about you, saying that the movie rediscovered the actress inside Lee Young-Ae.

= It's true that I hear less criticism than before. I'm satisfied that I did all I can to perform the character. It certainly feels good to be able to exhibit aspects of me that were previously unseen. I enjoyed the experience, and that's sufficient to satisfy myself.

- Director Park Chan-Wook even said that it was a movie made solely for Lee Young-Ae.

= That's his lip service. (laugh) I believe it was a synergic effect between us. We built up the character together from scrip writing stage. We also actively digested each other's opinion during the filming.

- You have completely turned over your familiar image from the past 10 years.

= The ability to change is the attraction of being an actress. Apart from whether audiences like it, I found the process highly enjoyable. I acted out the ugly scene at the end, literally according to the instruction that says 'the most grotesque possible looks of Geumja'. It's an image that naturally follows out of the story.

- Your way of talking particularly stands out, for example, when you blurt out, "mind your own business, dear."

= I read out the script many times before the shooting began. Some say Geumja's swearing is awkward, but that's how it's meant to be. Her unnaturalness was intentional. It appears simple, but in fact, I had a hard time concentrating in that scene. It still looks surprising to me, and fun.

- You'll probably admit that you have stayed at a distance from the audiences as an actress. Is that intended to be a mystfying strategy?

= Lately in a conversation with audiences, I was asked, "how many meals do you have per day?" I was surprised that I had felt so distant to the fans. Looking back, I have gone through the usual steps that all new faces do. I have exposed my private life through TV programs like 'Star Docu', and I have done many interviews--I have done a variety of things to let myself known as a new figure. It could be due to the elegant image shown through TV commercials. But I'd rather not deliberately employ a mystifying strategy or make efforts to demystify myself. If you keep following the likes and dislikes of the public, you end up not satisfying anyone.

- You cover all genres, including TV, commercial and movies, and don't seem to favor one against another.

= The charm of TV dramas lies in the fact that it's loved by people of all ages and gender. It's an undescribable feeling that an old grandma on a small faraway island watches and likes my drama. On the other hand, I usually resort to movies for a chance to delve deeper into acting. But genre doesn't matter too much. It's most important to find a character that I can challenge.

- You have been acting for 10 years already.

= My debut as an actress was through 'Love and Marriage' in 1995. I can't say I'm totally satisfied but there's nothing I can do about it. In hindsight, though, I think I did the best I could. There were many trial and errors, but I think I spent an earnest 10 years so I have no regret. You could say I have gotten 'rounder' with ages. My perspective has become deeper and more comprehensive. At least my acting has improved since when I was in my twenties, hasn't it? If not, I should quit my job. (laugh)

Posted by Miss Cha at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments

From Leeyoungae.net

Lee Young-Ae's intense attraction of the moviegoers has begun.

With the pre-release hype approaching its climax ahead of its release on July 29th, 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance' challenges this year's box office record.

Leveraging off its pre-release recognition and audience preference rate of over 90%, it's topping every major ticket sales website, recording the highest occupation rate among all Korean movies of the year at MaxMovie, a movie-only ticket reservation website.

As it forewarns a storming box office hit with its ever-so-high preference, recognition and reservation rate, the entire movie industry is curious to find out whether it will blow away the overall depression of Korean movies in the first half of the year.

With all the anticipation of movie fans behind it, however, there also exist obstacles to its box office success, the first being its rating of 18. 'Friend' had broken the box office record despite its 18 rating before 'Shilmido' and 'Taegeukgi' set the record for 10 million audiences, but it still isn't a beneficial rating for the movie.

Also, the movie's employment of experimental and unusual filmmaking techniques may make it less appealing for the ordinary audiences, lacking the general attraction to sustain the good responses for long.

Lastly, 'Welcome to Dongmakgol', which has been very well-received at its pre-screening, opens in theaters one week later, bisecting Korean movie audiences between the two movies. Overall, 'Ms. Geumja' semes to have a difficult path ahead of her.

'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance' has attracted unprecedented interest and anticipation from moviegoers. High expectation rests on the frail shoulder of Lee Young-Ae, on her way to surpassing the 5 million audience record of 'Malathon'.

Posted by Miss Cha at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments

From leeyoungae.net

We have longed for your release date, 'the kind Ms. Geumja.'

'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance', the hottest movie of the year awaiting its release on July 29th, marked the highest advance purchase rate among all Korean movies of the year at every ticket sales website, foretellling a smash hit at the box office.

Although such reaction was somewhat expected from the amount of anticipation it has received from long before its release, the purchase rate is way beyond the expectation, and shows the amount of the audience's interest in the movie.

It recorded a surprisingly high reservation rate of 86.2% at Interpark, marking the highest record among this year's Korean movies. It also topped other sites surpassing the distant second 'The Island' by more than 70%, recording 81.96% at MaxMovie, 78.28% at MovieOk, and 73% at TicketLink.

"It's surprising for an 18-rated Korean movie to record a reservation rate of over 85% in summer season when there are typically many strong competitors," said a representative of the film company. "This confirms the anticipation and positive response it has received since before the release, being the joint work of the internationally approved director Park Chan-Wook and the top star Lee Young-Ae."

Posted by Miss Cha at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments

From Leeyoungae.net



'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance', Park Chan-Wook's new film awaiting its theater release on July 29, was included in the main competition lineup at the 62nd Venice Film Festival. Expectation is also rising as to whether Lee Young-Ae's quality performances as Geumja will win her the best actress award.

Korean Film Council reported on July 28 that 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance' has been invited to the main competition of the 62nd Venice Film Festival to be held from August 31 to September 10.

Kang Su-Yeon and Moon So-Ri won the best actress awards respectively with 'Ssibaji (The Surrogate Woman)' of director Im Kwon-Taek in 1989 and Lee Chang-Dong's 'Oasis' in 2002. If Lee Young-Ae wins the best actress award this time, it will be the third time in Korean film history. (NOTE: the article is wrong -- Kang Su-Yeon won the award in 1987, and Moon So-Ri won the best new actress award, not the best actress award)

With this achievement, Park Chan-Wook set the record of being invited to all three major world film festivals, with 'Joint Security Area' to Berlin Film Festival in 2001, and 'Oldboy' to Cannes Film Festival in 2004.

Venice Film Festival's continued interest in Korean movies is also noteworthy, which has invited Korean movies 7 years in a row. 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance' laid down its name next to the other Korean films that went to Venice, which include Jang Seon-Woo's 'Lies' in 1999, Kim Ki-Duk's 'The Isle' in 2000, 'Address Unknown' also by Kim and Song Il-Gon's 'Flower Island' in 2001, Lee Chang-Dong's 'Oasis' in 2002, Im Sang-Su's 'A Good Lawyer's Wife' in 2003, and Im Kwon-Taek's 'Raging Years' and Kim Ki-Duk's '3-Iron' in 2004.

Posted by Miss Cha at 4:07 PM | Permalink | Comments

Lee Young-Ae is finally stepping on the honorable red carpet in Venice.

Park Chan-Wook's new movie 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance' has been invited to this year's Venice Film Festival, giving her the prestigious chance to walk on the red carpet along with Park.

She was informed of the news while visiting a theater in Cheongju for an on-stage acknowledgment, and did not hide her delight at the pleasant news that reached her one day before the movie's theater release, saying that she is "very happy and excited." "I've been preoccupied with prepration to go on stage with director Park and Kim Shi-Hoo," she said. "I just heard the news, and now I'm even busier getting congratulating phone calls."

"I can't deny that I somewhat expected it, since I thought Venice was likely to invite Park Chan-Wook's new movie," she added. "I plan to attend the festival with Park."

Representing Korean actresses, Lee Young-Ae will stand in front of numerous journalists from various countries at the 62nd Venice Film Festival which takes place from August 31 to September 10. It's the second time she was invited to one of the 3 major international film festivals, the first being to Berlin Film Festival through 'Joint Security Area' in 2001. However, she did not attend the festival herself at that time. Still, it's a big achievement that both her collaborations with Park were invited to the top 3 world film festivals, and this time in Venice she levels her shoulder with him as the leading actress.

In the meantime, she is rising as a big Hallyu star in Asian countries like Taiwan and Japan through her TV drama 'Daejanggeum'. Therefore, if 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance' manages to win an award, one may expect a 'Lee Young-Ae storm' that covers both the East and the West, spreading her name through the movie in the western hemisphere.

'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance', opening on July 29, concludes Park Chan-Wook's revenge trilogy as the third piece. It portrays the revenge of 'Ms. Geumja' who served in prison for 13 years, delivering the director's message about revenge that penetrates the entire series including 'Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance' and 'Oldboy'.

Posted by Miss Cha at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments

'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance' reaped huge success in its opening week. On July 28, the movie drew 250,000 audiences on its first day, setting the highest record for all movies released this year. "The audiences during the two days on the weekend were over 900,000," said an official of CJ Entertaintment, the distributor of the film. "We estimate that about 1.5 million tickets were sold from Thursday, the opening day, to Sunday." This is a record-high figure, surpassing 'Taegeukgi' which had summoned 10 million audiences last year.

It's even more noteworthy that, as opposed to the blockbuster 'Taegeukgi' which had a budget of 14 billion won (14 million US dollars), 'Lady Vengeance' is not the typical commercially-aimed movie, and spent a relatively small 4.2 billion won (4.2 million US dollars). Even before its release, the movie had been highly anticipated as the final installment of Park Chan-Wook's revenge series featuring Lee Young-Ae's drastically changed performances, added to the fact that it was pre-sold to Japan.

As of July 31, 'Lady Vengeance' occupies 420 screens, which is an increase from 370 screens on the first day. On the opening day, Park Chan-Wook had the double pleasure of being officially invited to the Venice Film Festival competition. After Im Kwon-Taek, he is the first to be invited to all three major world film festivals, having visited Berlin with 'Joint Security Area' and Cannes with 'Oldboy'.

'Lady Vengeance' has also earned a handsome amount through foreign exports. Including the presales to Japan at 3 billion won, it was sold to over 20 countries, totalling a sales of 5 million dollars (approx. 5 billion won).

Posted by Miss Cha at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments

Last week was literally the week of 'Lady Vengeance' in theaters, with audiences endlessly lining up to see the movie. 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance' claimed the top spot in the box office, selling 470,000 tickets in Seoul and 1,460,000 nationwide during the 4 days of its opening week. In terms of the 4-day sales from Thursday to Sunday, it broke the record of 'Taegeukgi' at 1.43 million. ('Taegeukgi' had sold 1.77 million tickets from wednesday to Sunday including 320,000 on Wednesday, and 20,000 at the pre-release screening on Tuesday) In response to the enthusiastic reception, 'Lady Vengeance' increased its number of screens from 370 on the opening day to 420 on the weekend.

The box office success of 'Lady Vengeance' brings smile back to those in film industries who had been concerned with the recent stagnation of Korean movies as big budget projects of over 8 billion won performed poorly one after another. It's also the first Korean film to top the box office since 'Rules of Dating' which had opened in the second week of June.

'Lady Vengeance' is hot on the net. More than 800 user reviews were posted on the Naver bulletin board within two days of its opening, and debates are taking place between netizens as to various scenes and plot devices of the movie, a phenomenon typically seen for box office smash hits. The selection of the movie for the competition at the 62nd Venice Film Festival further increases the chance of its continued success at the box office.

Equipped with both artistic and popular appeal, 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance', the most anticipated film of 2005, is likely to continue rolling with Lee Young-Ae's surprising transformation and its novel style.

Posted by Miss Cha at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments