The
Handmaiden (2016/Amazon/Sony DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: D Film: B
From
the acclaimed Director of the original Oldboy and its sequel
Lady Vengeance, Park Chan - Wook, comes The Handmaiden
also known as Ah-ga-ssi, is a gorgeously shot cinematic experience
from frame one to end. The erotic drama features a great cast in
Min-hee Kim, Tae-ri Kim, Jung-woo Ha, Jin-woong Jo, and Hae-suk Kim
to name a few. While I found the film to be interesting, it is also
a bit depressing. Still, its acclaim spanned all the way up to the
Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated to compete for the Palme
d'or.
In
1930s Korea during the period of Japanese occupation, a beautiful
young girl (Sookee) is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress
(Hideko) who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate
under her Uncle (Kouzuki). But the maid isn't what she appears: a
crafty pickpocket who was recruited by a swindler posing as a
Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to elope with him, rob her
of her fortune, and lock her up in a madhouse. However, their
schemes are comprised when not all proceeds as according to plan.
The
Handmaiden reviewed here is presented in standard definition with a
2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy Korean Dolby
Digital 5.1 mix with English subs that looks and sounds as good as
the format can allow. Much of the color looks washed out in this
release, which would no doubt be corrected in a sharper HD
presentation. No digital copy.
No
extras.
If
you're interested in obscure (yet equally well made) foreign films,
you may want to give The Handmaiden a watch.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
