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The Handmaiden
Additional Blu-ray options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
Blu-ray
August 7, 2017 "Please retry" | — | 1 |
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| $17.33 | $20.15 |
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The Handmaiden | — | — |
Genre | Drama, Romance |
Format | Subtitled |
Contributor | Chan-wook Park, Hae-suk Kim, Tae Kim, Jin-woong Jo, Min-hee Kim, Jung-woo Ha, Syd Lim, Moho Film; Yong Film See more |
Language | Korean |
Runtime | 2 hours and 25 minutes |
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Product Description
From PARK Chan-wook, the celebrated director of OLDBOY, LADY VENGEANCE and STOKER, comes a ravishing new crime drama. PARK presents a gripping and sensual tale of two women - a young Japanese Lady living on a secluded estate, and a Korean woman who is hired to serve as her new handmaiden, but is secretly plotting with a conman to defraud her of a large inheritance. Inspired by the novel Fingersmith by British author Sarah Waters, THE HANDMAIDEN borrows the most dynamic elements of its source material and combines it with PARK Chan-wook’s singular vision to create an unforgettable viewing experience.
Product details
- MPAA rating : Unrated (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.47 ounces
- Director : Chan-wook Park
- Media Format : Subtitled
- Run time : 2 hours and 25 minutes
- Release date : March 28, 2017
- Actors : Min-hee Kim, Jung-woo Ha, Tae Kim, Jin-woong Jo, Hae-suk Kim
- Subtitles: : English, Spanish
- Producers : Chan-wook Park, Syd Lim
- Studio : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- ASIN : B06X6M3B5Q
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #115,247 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #1,116 in Romance (Movies & TV)
- #7,579 in Drama Blu-ray Discs
- Customer Reviews:
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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The whole movie plays like a fairytale, and books play an important role in both the plot and the aesthetic of this movie. Scenes are framed like book illustrations, and the cuts/transitions give you the illusion of turning the page. Even the way the movie is structured (part I, part II, part III) gave the viewer the sense of flipping through a novel.
The film tells a wonderful and empowering tale of two women finding companionship, liberation, and love. This love transcends seemingly insurmountable obstacles such as the horrible circumstances they were born into, their class structures, and their nationalities (Japanese vs Korean...very big deal at this time period). Park Chan Wook packs every scene with incredible amounts of detail to develop these characters and to bring us into this world. For example in one particular scene, three characters were eating a bento, and the two lower class characters were scarfing down their food while the "lady" ate her rice slowly grain by grain. This movie was never self-indulgent, and every detail/fancy shot/moment of the score furthered the aims of this film. Even the way this movie ended and transitioned into the credits was incredible--it looked like the closing of a storybook.
In one of Park Chan Wook's interviews for this film, he mentioned Hitchcock's Vertigo (beautiful masterpiece+Sight and Sound Critics' #1 film), and how some of those scenes influenced him. That influence really shows here!
It is unfortunate that many viewers were not prepared for the more mature elements of this movie and found it offensive and pornographic, but everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, and this movie is definitely not without shock value. However, the shock here is a central component to the story. The intimate scenes between the characters illustrate their bond--much like in real life (sex can strengthen intimacy...and it did so here because it's a love story). The dark themes shown in this movie is necessary because it heightens the contrast when it is juxtaposed next to the purity and beauty of the characters' love. It's definitely not family friendly, but it's also one of the most beautiful movies I've seen in a very long time. I cannot wait to see the Director's Cut!
No offense to LGBTQ people but I can only see gays and bisexual or queer people really getting into this movie aside from the historical aspect and the book reading scene. For an Amazon studios movie the camera work was nice but felt like a lower tier movie.
Not a CJ studio movie where most of the great Korean films come from. I didn't bother to read the details tab of the movie to see the genre, trusting the bio description that was vauge on the real plotline. I rarely watch Asian films from mainstream streaming services, usually watching from sites catered towards All Asian films or Viki style stuff. I can trust most short bios on other sites as they list the genre before the bio. I started watching randomly and found myself saying WTF at why and how the girl out so much emphasis on how pretty and attractive the rich woman was. The plot introduction didn't feel as compelling and slick to really reel me in into the scheming plan against the woman. It felt rushed yet slow at the same time lacking that meat to the story with only brief commentary to justify why the main character is the chosen one to do the maid job. It's predictable and I had to seriously SKIP the sex scene which I did see first seconds of that was clothed. It personally gave me an uncomfortable tonality of hypersexualizing same sex female couples.
I understood The rich woman being sheltered and the maid ambition but the script is a mess. Either that or a mix of poor script writing, director direction. And acting made it feel like a !monotone visual novel oddly. They essentially both had a messy skewed morality and I don't understand how or why they are rewarded in the end without paying some price like the two male villains. The only character who suffered the least literally was the rich woman. Cool idea of plotwist but executed poorly and not as moving as it should have been.
As the 2nd part kicked in it felt phoney to me. It seemed sex was their biggest reward and their love was tied to that greatly.
I feel like I was tricked into watching this thinking it was a psychological plot twist drama. Not a lesbian hidden love struggle tale with a poor girl and rich sheltered girl, who both share the same messy qualities. I stumbled upon it trying to find a good Korean drama film to watch.
There just isn't anything special about this film whatsoever for it to be glorified the way it is. It didn't feel like it was intended for All audiences. It was literally sex and perpetuates the idea that lesbian couples think with their sex drive first and everything else comes second. Dialogue was heavy around the sex. I did however like that oddly for the time period and all the swindler dude didn't give a damn about them liking each other. That made the movie flop to me in some regard. I respected him being so much focused on the money that orientation didn't matter but the whole premise of them in a forbidden love was pointless. It oddly in a weird way allover the place in regard to just who are they hiding their orientation and love from? The Uncle was the only threat tbh. And he seemed mildly there!
I wish Amazon Prime video had a watch history option so I could remove that from my watched movies list. I turned on my tablet today some days after watching it and on my videos panel as clear as day I was recommended a crappy low budget lesbian Korean movie with two laying next to each other in bed..Amazon please fix your algorithm!!! Movies I watched does not equate to movies I like and want to see more of.
Top reviews from other countries
In Part One, a Korean con-artist poses as a Japanese count, in the days when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule. He earns the trust of another Korean would-be Japanese, the savagely cruel and twisted Kouzuki who has made his money selling rare, obscene books. Kouzuki's wife has already committed suicide (or been murdered) and he has raised his niece, beautiful , ethereal Hideko, to give erotic readings of the books to potential buyers.
The Korean con-artist, a fake count making fake books, plans to seduce the heiress and commit her to an asylum. He takes young Sookhee to be her handmaiden, and soon the two women begin to be attracted to each other.
In Part Two we see Hideko as a child, how she is never allowed to leave the grounds of the estate, and we see how the con man met the uncle and niece, and the plans hatched between them.
Plots develop within plots, nothing is quite what it seems, and then we see everything again, astonishingly, from a different and far more satisfying viewpoint. There is a resolution, and I was only left wishing that the uncle had met a far more unpleasant end.
Astonishing too is the way the film is made – like a painting, a dance, a still life – tableaux brought to life – the two stunningly lovely women kneeling, opening doors, kneeling and opening doors again to escape, running and laughing. Three people looking at each other, looking at a bag of money, then at each other again. The question of who can trust who hanging in the air.
The clothes, hair, jewellery and internal sets are incredible – the octopus scene is jaw-dropping.
Yes, there is nudity, but this is absolutely not pornography. The most erotic scenes involve a rough tooth and the readings – performed fully clothed. There is humour, the plot is gripping (I watched it twice in two days because the first time the subtitles didn’t work, and yet I had grasped almost all of it, except the significance of the Korean housekeeper, a Mrs Danvers-type figure).
The subtitles are white for Korean being spoken, yellow for Japanese.
I would describe it as mesmerising, but as Hideko said, that’s what a man says when he wants to touch a woman’s chest.
La luce non è gradita nella dimora di Kozuki, poiché potrebbe danneggiare i libri; nasce quindi dalle emozioni dei protagonisti, grazie alla fotografia di Chung Chung-hoon, in grado di dare vita a ogni dettaglio, ogni sguardo dissimulato o timido tocco. In quest’opera qualsiasi elemento e personaggio assume una natura duplice, dalla villa dotata di un’ala giapponese e una arredata all’occidentale alle due lingue parlate dai protagonisti (coreano e giapponese). Le frasi chiave rimbalzano come riflessi sull’acqua da una sezione all’altra, talvolta cambiando senso talvolta acquisendone uno ulteriore. I morti non muoiono mai per davvero, ma rimangono presenti e vagano senza pace nella mente turbata dei superstiti, sovrapponendosi alla loro forma interiore.
Quella che sembra all’inizio la lineare traccia narrativa, ossia il complotto che due truffatori – la giovane e graziosa Sook-hee e il vanitoso “Conte” Fujiwara – ordiscono ai danni di Lady Hideko, ricchissima nipote di Kozuki e sua promessa sposa, si rovescia progressivamente svelando un lato oscuro speculare e opposto, che a sua volta viene stravolto dall’irrompere della passione amorosa.
Hideko, nipote della moglie defunta di Kozuki e tormentata dal suicidio della zia, ha subìto fin da bambina dal bibliofilo malato di mente, o semplicemente malvagio e ossessionato, un’educazione degna del Marchese De Sade, fra percosse, limitazioni, moniti, terribili storie di orchi nascosti negli angoli della camera e pronti a soffocare la bimba con il loro corpo (narrate dalla sinistra governante Sasaki, prima moglie ripudiata di Kozuki), minacce di indescrivibili punizioni, lezioni di lettura su argomenti inadatti alla sua età. Tutto questo allo scopo di prepararla a sostituire la zia nelle “sedute di lettura” che periodicamente l’uomo organizza per intrattenere gli amici. Nella biblioteca in cui domina il nitore di un giardino zen, Hideko indossando un costume tradizionale, legge composta i rari testi pornografici collezionati dallo zio (che mira a impalmarla proprio per poter alimentare all’infinito la sua mania, grazie al patrimonio della ragazza, acquisendone di nuovi). Con pause e tonalità di perfetta eleganza riesce far vibrare come una musica pagine che di per sé sarebbero solo squallide.
Chiusa in un assoluto riserbo, staccata dal corpo e dalle pulsioni, fredda come un uccello d’acqua, Hideko aspira alla libertà. E Fujiwara racconta a Sook-hee il piano escogitato per sedurla, sposarla e, una volta arrivati in Giappone, farla dichiarare pazza e internarla in manicomio. Il ruolo di Sook-hee è quello di introdursi nella casa come ancella di Hideko e manipolarne la psiche per indurla a sposare Fujiwara. Questo ci viene fatto credere nella prima parte, mentre nella seconda si alzano i veli della storia e veniamo a sapere che l’accordo è fra Fujiwara e la stessa Hideko: contrarre un matrimonio “bianco” e far internare Sook-hee con l’identità di Hideko, in modo che Kozuki non abbia più motivo di cercarli.
Risuona anche l’eco di Rashomon nel raffinato montaggio di scene mostrate in momenti diversi da un’altra angolazione. E del Bergman di Fanny e Alexander nelle fiabe spaventose raccontate da Sasaki con intenti di vendetta e riscatto.
Il meccanismo assemblato da Fujiwara sembra perfetto, eppure succede qualcosa che, sottotraccia, a poco a poco, ne inceppa il movimento. Qualcosa di eversivo. Nella confidenza quotidiana dei corpi e dello spirito, nei gesti di cura ripetuti ogni giorno dall’ancella – il bagno profumato che sprigiona lieve vapore di essenze e di pelle diafana, luminosa, nel vestire e nello spogliare la Signorina dalla bellezza quasi irreale – germina in entrambe la passione inducendo Hideko alla reciprocità, a cercare nell’altra fanciulla il doppio, il rifugio, la famiglia mai avuta e, durante una cerimonia in cui le ragazze sciolgono a vicenda, piano piano, i lacci dei corsetti ricamati – mostrati quasi al microscopio nel loro sinuoso abbandonarsi alle dita – l’amante.
Si procede per slittamenti progressivi, che né ragione né volontà possono arrestare. Una caramella il cui succo passa da una bocca all’altra, diventando da amaro aspro, da aspro dolce, da dolce salato, salmastro. Poi i corpi cercano con delicatezza, ed ebbrezza elegante, i molti modi per unirsi, per cercare il piacere stupefatto, dissetato. Compongono forme perlacee simmetriche abbaglianti, ricadono in abbracci innamorati. Il Tempio di Giada dischiude i suoi petali. Le mani si uniscono tracciando la linea orizzontale di una corda, tesa fra le due ragazze sospese sulla corrente dell’eros, metafora di un’unione solidale salvifica.
Arriveranno presto a confidarsi i piani contrapposti, quello fittizio e quello reale, in cui Fujiwara le aveva imprigionate, per costruirne un terzo che avrà esito felice. Le due fanciulle riusciranno a espatriare – dopo aver distrutto i libri pornografici di Kozuki -, fuggendo verso un’esistenza libera e (si presume e si auspica) felice, mentre Fujiwara, dopo essere stato seviziato e mutilato da Kozuki nel sotterraneo della villa, avvelenerà entrambi con il fumo freddo e blu di una sigaretta al mercurio.