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Downfall (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region All

Shin Eun Kyung (Actor) | Im Kwon Taek (Director)
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Downfall (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)

YesAsia Editorial Description

The influences of prostitution and sexuality on society have always been recurring themes in Korean Cinema, as the hostess films of the 70s and the Joseon Dynasty erotic dramas from the 80s proved. Acclaimed director Im Kwon Taek (Chunhyang and Chihwaseon) revisits these crucial themes in his 1997 film Chang. This film also marked the first time the veteran director penned the screenplay for one of his works.

Chang follows the journey of Young Eun (Shin Eun Kyung) into prostitution from her late teens to adult life. Her experiences reflect how Korean society changed from the late 70s to mid-90s. The cast spent two months observing the lives of prostitutes in red light districts in order to understand and portray their roles realistically on screen.

Chang was also a turning point for lead Shin Eun Kyung, who would go on to star in the popular My Wife is a Gangster. Before her breakthrough performance in this film, she was involved in a scandal which threatened her career. Shin Eun Kyung's daring performance in Chang revitalized her career and won her a Best Actress Award at the 18th Blue Dragon Awards. Jung Kyung Soon won Best Supporting Actress at both the Blue Dragon and Grand Bell Awards in 1997.

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Technical Information

Product Title: Downfall (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) 娼 (DVD) (香港版) 娼 (DVD) (香港版) 娼 (DVD) (香港版) Downfall (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Artist Name(s): Shin Eun Kyung (Actor) 申恩慶 (Actor) 申恩庆 (Actor) シン・ウンギョン (Actor) 신 은경 (Actor)
Director: Im Kwon Taek 林權澤 林权泽 イム・グォンテク 임권택
Release Date: 2007-11-28
Language: Korean
Subtitles: English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese
Country of Origin: South Korea
Picture Format: NTSC What is it?
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Sound Information: Dolby Digital
Disc Format(s): DVD-5, DVD
Region Code: All Region What is it?
Duration: 110 (mins)
Publisher: Winson Entertainment Distribution Ltd.(HK)
Package Weight: 110 (g)
Shipment Unit: 1 What is it?
YesAsia Catalog No.: 1005144783

Product Information

* Screen Format : 1.85:1 (Widescreen)
* Sound Mix : Dolby Digital Stereo
* DVD Type : DVD-5

導演：林權澤
Director: Im Kwon Taek

年輕的孤兒潘媛莉身世可憐，被騙到城市逼良為娼，從此便走上當娼妓的道路。起初，媛莉十分不習慣接客謀生，但生活逼人及債務纏身，只好硬著頭皮地幹下去。及後，媛莉還當上了花街柳巷的名妓，風采一時無兩，可是，媛莉日後無法跳出這個火坑，過著平淡的生活。慶幸的是媛莉在這聲色犬馬的地方，還能找到同是天涯淪落人的異性知己。

A pitiful young orphan Bang Woo-ree is deceived to go into the city working as a hooker. At first, she is not used to serving her customers. However, because she needs to make a living and repay her debts, she has no choices and continues to work at a whorehouse. After a few years, Woo-ree gets very famous in the red light district, and everyone has heard of her name amongst those whores. Yet, she is not able to get out of it and lives and ordinary life. Fortunately enough, Woo-ree can meet a guy who takes good care of her a lot and understands her in such an evil and deplorable environment.
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Customer Review of "Downfall (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)"

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Average Customer Rating for this Edition: Customer Review Rated Bad 6 - 6 out of 10 (1)

Kevin Kennedy
See all my reviews

March 17, 2008
2 people found the following helpful

 Tedious script weakens film Customer Review Rated Bad 6 - 6 out of 10
The notes shown above on this page indicate that "Downfall" was the first time that director Im Kwon Taek wrote the script for one of his films. Perhaps director Im can blame novice scriptwriter Im for the failure of this film.

The story is told in such short staccato bursts that it never acquires narrative drive. Instead, the film devolves into repetitive sequences in which we see the hopes of the unfortunate young woman played by Shin Eun Kyung raised, then quickly shattered. The film becomes numbing, as the viewer comes to hope for some break from this bleak pattern.

Perhaps this story accurately reflects the fate of women trapped in Korea's sex trade, but it simply does not make for a very interesting film. Indeed, diversions in this woman's life that might have added depth to the story (like the fact that she broke away from the skin trade for a while to spend time at a temple) are simply tossed off in a few short seconds.

Scriptwriter Im didn't give director Im much to work with in "Downfall". Consequently, the only real reason to watch it (unless you want a tutorial in the history of prostitution in Korea) is to appreciate Shin Eun Kyung's attempts to create a full-blooded empathetic woman out of her rather thinly-drawn character.
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