Sandglass (SBS TV Series)(US Version) DVD Region 1

Sandglass seemingly had it all: a great producer/writer combo, the almost limitless budget SBS allowed, and the perfect ensemble cast, mixing young and old, popular and talented. But many dramas find themselves in similar situations, and later implode under the weight of expectations and/or lazy writing. It wasn't so this time, Sandglass was a success on all fronts. It had spectacular sets, props and costumes, special effects which went a notch above the ones seen in the epic Eyes of Dawn, politics, history and popular customs all rolled into one. It is still regarded as one of the best TV drama scripts of all time, combining the intricate and labyrinthine storytelling of the best historical and police procedural dramas, the realism and poignancy of family dramas, the good looking and popular stars of trendy dramas, and of course a big love triangle, with two of the most tumultuous decades in Korean history as its background.

Tae Soo, who recently transferred to a school in Gwangju with his mother, becomes famous for his fighting skills, and he's soon feared all over school. But, strangely enough, he finds friendship in Woo Suk, one of the best students at Daesung High, not exactly the kind of person he used to associate with. Promising not to fight unless provoked, Tae Soo is helped by Woo Suk in his studies, and as he stops worrying about who disrespected him on any given day, he starts discovering the joys of learning. For the first time in his young life, he finds a dream, but it's short lived. When his mother reveals he's the son of a Partisan, he gives up his dreams.

As Tae Soo participates in his first demonstrations, Woo Suk keeps focusing on his studies, which both makes him the center of his fellow students' criticism, and creates the first big rift in his friendship with Tae Soo. Now an adult, Woo Suk meets a student activist, Hye Rin. This is where the fateful destiny of these three figures will start to develop. So Hye Rin finds herself in the middle of Woo Suk, who dreams of becoming a prosecutor, and Tae Soo, who's getting closer and closer to becoming a fully-fledged gangster.

In the course of this landmark drama, you'll experience several important moments in recent Korean history, like Park Jung Hee's assassination, the following coup d'etat by Jeon Doo Hwan, his 'brilliant idea' of re-educating the most sinister elements of society through the Samchong Camp, and most importantly the Gwangju Massacre of 1980. Although Jang Sun Woo's brilliant A Petal was perhaps even more visually striking in its depiction of the event, for emotional impact alone, the recreation you'll see in Sandglass has no equals. You'll feel as if you were there, and I'm not just talking about special effects or realistic street fighting.

I'm talking about feeling the emotional, physical, social and political repercussions such an event had on Korean people. The first time I watched the drama, when I was probably too young to understand all that, my jaw dropped. I stood for 20 minutes hardly believing what I had seen, asking a friend who introduced me to this drama if they just took footage from the real event. Yes, it was that powerful. And, even though I had the chance to re-watch the drama via DVD a few years ago, the images and stories told in Sandglass are still in my mind, so much I didn't even need to watch the show again to write this review.

You might be wondering why a simple TV drama raised such a fuss, how it became such an important cultural phenomenon, but its 60%+ ratings don't tell the full story. Considering the situation the country had been through in the previous few decades, few people even dared to come out in the open to discuss those problems. First, it was still too painful to reminisce about the situation, and second, most people kept painting the situation from a political perspective, which often left average people out of the picture. But Sandglass and its frank portrayal of the Gwangju Massacre, Jeon Doo Hwan's rule and the relationship between Korea and America ignited a sort of cultural chain-reaction, which led many people in the media to question those involved in the matter.

It would be silly to say the series caused the arrest of people like Jeon Doo Hwan and all his puppets, but just the fact it was an important factor in re-awakening Koreans' sentiments about the matter, hidden behind the sorrow and pain of such events, is something incredible. So yes, the streets were deserted, just about everybody went home to watch the show, with even bars having to buy TVs and post stickers with 'We're screening Sandglass' on their entrance, in the hope their business wouldn't go belly up.

Sandglass had the kind of action you couldn't see in Korean films of the era, the kind of intelligent social commentary which was avoided, to favor cheap commercial fare funded by Chaebols, more interested in making quick money and filling VHS than criticizing the past that helped them reach such heights. It had the kind of drama people of all ages needn't feel embarrassed about, because it was merely a re-enactment of the feelings they experienced years before. It used politics, but only at the service of the show, and to communicate something important, not to wage a demagogic war against those people. It was and still is a timeless masterpiece, with flawless writing and directing, powerful acting and an intensity you won't find in too many films or TV dramas nowadays. Turn the sandglass over, time to relive another moment of greatness.

Review by X - Twitchfilm.net