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Chihwaseon (Painted Fire) Editorial Review:
Tells the story of the life of 19th century Korean painter Jang Seung-up.
Customer Reviews:
Wine, women and painting
The films of Im Kwon-taek are something of an acquired taste, rather different in style, approach and content from mostly genre oriented modern Korean cinema. As a veteran filmmaker - Chihwaseon is the director's 95th film - his movies seem to belong to an old-school style of filmmaking, but Im Kwon-taek's work is uniquely his own, in subject matter as well as in an approach that is sober, but at the same time passionate.
That's certainly the case with the director's most famous film in the west, gaining the award for Best Director at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. An account of the life of the nineteenth century artist Jang Seong-ub, Chihwaseon might be a bit dry for some viewers, but it's characteristically precise and economic in how it unfolds, with oblique edits taking the viewer through the artist's early upbringing, dropping into the middle of scenes in his later life that illustrate perfectly the alternative English language title of the film (Drunk on Women and Poetry), showing Seong-ub's explosive nature and artistic temperament, fuelled by alcohol and his passion for women. The artist is respectful of his masters and teachers, the influences and the accepted techniques, but is contemptuous of the commerce and of art critics, striving to develop his own work and bring some inner personal quality that makes his paintings uniquely his own.
One of the great things about Im Kwon-taek's work is his fascinating choice of subject as much as his approach to covering that subject in a complete and coherent way, without ever being overly academic. You can learn more about Korean tradition, religion, culture, music, art and history from a single Im Kwon-taek film than in the combined works of any other Korean filmmaker, and the director has a way of making the subject compelling without ever resorting to standard plotting and structure. Chihwaseon consequently is far from your standard Hollywood biopic, dealing with the familiar subject of artistic inspiration and expression, but placing it firmly within the context and attitudes of the period, taking in the influence of Chinese art, the restrictions on technique and personal expression, taking in divisions between the commoner and the noble in Chosun society.
Whether you consider it a commentary on Im Kwon-taek's own dedication to his craft or not, Chihwaseon is a beautiful film nonetheless, approaching an academic subject in an accessible, entertaining and educational manner, but touching on real human qualities and passions, tying it in to the Korean landscape itself in a manner that no other Korean director comes close to matching.
The Lautrec of Korea?
This is the story of a locally famous artist in the dying days of the last royal dynasty of Korea. It is not only a rare and fascinating picture of his turbulent life, but we also see in the background the key events that have shaped the past century of Korean history - traditional Chinese imperialist interference, Japanese military expansionism and political infiltration, Western Christian ideas of egalitarianism and their brutal repression (probably following the Japanese Shogunate decrees) and Socialism in the form of the Peasants' Rebellion - promoted by the Japanese. Our artistic genius is an uneducated peasant often despised by the aristocracy whose patronage he requires. He moves among both peasant and aristocrat with a rare new freedom generated by his prodigious skill and equally prodigious appetites for women and drink. Art is an absolute driving force in his life and he suffers terrible torments over his search for personal perfection. Confucian society extends to the art world and he is expected to defer to his teachers in all matters. When this extends to politics, however, he balks and demurs - preferring to express himself in ink and paint. The film shows artistic genius, too, in set and scene choices and is a delight to any gourmand of the eyes.
Beautiful and historically important!
After living in Seoul for a couple of years I much enjoyed the scenery but also get the background of the mentality and the hardship the Korean
people has endured.
A Solid film about Sociality and Art...
Chihwaseon (aka. Painted Fire, Strokes of Fire) is an engaging biopic on the life of renowned Korean painter; Jang Seung-Ub. Directed by Im Kwan-Taek with lush award-winning cinematography by Jung Il-Sung, Chihwaseon uses the history and beauty of Korea as its backdrop. I am in a very disadvantaged position, since I do not have a strong knowledge of Korean History; I cannot tell whether this film is accurate to its roots and can only comment on how well the film has been made.
Jang Seung-Ub (Choi Min-Sik, Oldboy) is the quintessential painter of the Chosun Dynasty who was born in 1843 and disappeared without a trace (into the stuff of legend) in 1897. Jang lived a peculiar carefree life; he is an alcoholic and is a womanizer, but is an ingenious painter. He became a center for a lot of people's criticisms and lived during a drastic change in Korean history was occurring, he truly struggled to overcome the limits of his artistry. In his final stages of his life, he decides to leave everything behind and finally becomes a free man.
Although not as famous as other Korean painters, experts continue to hold his work in high regard.
When I first watched "Chihwaseon", I was awe-struck with the direction by Im, the beautiful cinematography by Jung, the excellent performance by Choi Min-Sik as the lead. So, I asked myself, what else is there to know about Jang Seung-Ub, other than he is a renowned painter during the Chosun period and that loves drinking and women? Well, I had to pay special attention to the subtle details, as this is a Korean film, this may be once again a character study or period study.
The beauty of "Chihwaseon" lies not only with its direction and superb visual execution; it lies on its proceedings. I've read that art experts of the Chosun period in Korea were called in to reproduce Jang's works, his authentic paintings were used for the film. To properly replicate Jang Seung-Ub's exquisite brush strokes, Choi Min-Sik went through an intensive training to give life to one of Korea's most cherished painters.
There is a very human characteristic present in the proceedings. However, I commend the director that instead on focusing his expression mostly on Jang Seung-Ub, he avoids the usual clichés inherent in other films about artists. The film is more about social status and how society expects a certain structure; it explores an artist who in all the political changes, manages to stand firm with his devotion to his art. The film also has a strong expression of romanticism that it felt like it wanted to create something of Jang's character. Noble men and leaders seek to influence Jang's paintings and he considers this an invasion of the true essence of art. Jang apparently wandered around in pursuit of the truth of art, he confirms his skills while painting with a wine bottle in one hand and as his fame grew, he challenges his own limits. Interestingly, he finds the state he has striven to attain in the form of a plain and misshapen bowl.
Sadly, without knowledge of Korean history, I gained little from the references to the Chinese and Japanese struggles to a weakened Korea.
Aside from Kwan-Taek Im's direction and Jung's cinematography, the film draws its strength from its stellar cast. Choi Min-Sik once again gives an excellent portrayal and bears his soul for the audience. Jang is portrayed as a loner and usually expresses his contempt for those who seek to deaden the essence of art; Choi effectively brings his character to life, his fights with noble men and outbursts atop rooftops expresses pure agitation. He is joined by an excellent supporting cast: Ahn Sung-Ki plays Jang's mentor and actresses Kim Yeo-jin, Sun Yeh-jin and Yoo Ho-Jung play his various love interests. There is mild sexuality and nudity in the proceedings but will not turn off viewers since they are beautifully shot.
"Chihwaseon" may not be Im's best work but it is a very strong film about the life of Jang Seung-Ub. It does seduce the viewer with its very lush camera work and while some sequences felt a bit hurried, it would be unfair to expect a film to fully portray the life of a man in 2 hours. Im's other works have the unique ability to get under your skin, and while it would be unfair to impose such an approach with "Chihwaseon", Im definitely made this film with care and patience and has an uncanny ability to allure with its charms by execution.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! [4 ½ stars]
Dedicated to fellow amazon reviewer Ernest Jagger.
A True Amazon friend, who has inspired and touched me with his reviews....
Breathtaking!
I was attracted to this movie because I thought it would be something would appeal to my aesthetic taste. It seemed that it might be something like Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, which I absolutely loved. This film was so breathtaking for so many reasons for me. Having lived in Asia for many years, I developed a deep appreciation for ink painting and calligraphy and the whole aesthetic expression of it. I even studied it for a while, and practically salivated with excitement as I watched the acts of actual painting through out the film.
Painted Fire is the story of the tumultuous life of a famous Korean painter, Oh-won, who lived in the mid to late 1800's. Typical of many genius artists, he goes through life driven to express his truth in the purist sense, to transcend art through painting. Also like many genius artists, he's troubled and tries to drown out that feeling of being incomplete through constant debauchery. Actor Choi Min-sik gave a moving performance in this depiction of Oh-won's tormented life.
This film also does and excellent job of portraying and explaining the whole quintessence of ink painting; how just the act of one brush stroke can express totality and transcendence in itself. The cinematography in this film was beautiful as well. Being a period piece, the sets and clothing exquisitely represent the era this took place in, and through out the film there are sweeping and often stark Zen like landscapes as backdrops. Watching this film was a feast for all the senses.
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