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Masquerade (2012 film)

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Masquerade (Korean: 광해: 왕이 된 남자; lit. Gwanghae: The Man Who Became King) is a 2012 South Korean period drama film starring Lee Byung-hun in dual role as the bizarre King Gwanghae and the humble acrobat Ha-sun, who stands in for the monarch when he faces the threat of being poisoned.[3][4]

Masquerade
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
光海: 王이 된 男子
Revised RomanizationGwanghae: Wang-i Doen Namja
McCune–ReischauerKwanghae: Wangi Toen Namja
Directed byChoo Chang-min
Written byHwang Jo-yoon
Produced byIm Sang-jin
Won Dong-yeon
Kim Ho-Sung
Mikey Lee
StarringLee Byung-hun
Ryu Seung-ryong
Han Hyo-joo
CinematographyLee Tae-yoon
Edited byNam Na-yeong
Music byMowg
Kim Jun-seong
Distributed byCJ Entertainment
Release date
  • September 13, 2012 (2012-09-13)[1]
Running time
131 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Budget₩9.5 billion
Box officeUS$94.3 million[2]

With 12.3 million tickets sold, Masquerade is the ninth highest-grossing South Korean film. Also, it swept the 49th Grand Bell Awards, winning in 15 categories, including Best Film, Director, Screenplay and Actor.[5][6][7][8]

Plot

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The confusing and conspiratorial 15th ruler of Korea's Joseon Dynasty King Gwang-hae (Lee Byung-hun) orders his Secretary of Defense, Heo Gyun (Ryu Seung-ryong), to find him a double in order to avoid the constant threat of assassination. In constant fear of being poisoned, the king becomes obnoxious and threatens everyone around him, including the kitchen maids. Heo gyun finds Ha-sun, a lowly acrobat and bawdy joker who looks remarkably like the king to replace the king occasionally whenever the king is out of the palace. In few days, just as feared, King Gwang-hae is drugged with Poppy by his favorite consort, conspired by the law minister. Heo Gyun proposes Ha-sun fill the role as the king until King Gwang-hae fully recovers and grooms Ha-sun to look and act like the king. While assuming the role of the king at his first official appearance, Ha-sun begins to ponder the intricacies of the problems debated in his court. Being fundamentally more humanitarian than King Gwang-hae, Ha-sun's affection and appreciation of even the most minor servants slowly changes morale in the palace for the better. Over time he finds his voice and takes control of governing the country with real insight and fair judgments. Even Heo Gyun and the Chief Eunuch are moved by Ha-sun's genuine concern for the people, and realize he is a better ruler than Gwang-hae. Ha-sun even fights for the respect of the Queen's safety and protects her and her brother from death sentences. However, his chief opposition, Park Chung-seo (Kim Myung-gon), notices the sudden shift in the king's behavior and starts to ask questions. The queen (Han Hyo-joo) is also conflicted between the real king and the fake king's secret.[9] The Chief Eunuch and the Secretary of Defense ask Ha-sun to leave the country for good. The king was again brought back to the throne to punish the revolts.

Cast

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Background

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Historically, Gwanghae, the 15th Joseon king from 1608 to 1623, attempted diplomacy through neutrality as China's Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and Qing dynasty (1644–1912) set their sights on the country. He also tried his hand at other reforms and reconstruction to try to make the nation prosperous, including an emphasis on the restoration of documents, but met with opposition and was later deposed and exiled to Jeju Island.[14] Since he was deposed in a coup by the Westerners faction, historians did not give him a temple name like Taejo or Sejong.[15]

The premise behind the film is an interpretation of the missing 15 days in the Seungjeongwon ilgi or Journal of the Royal Secretariat during Gwanghae's reign—designated by his 1616 journal entry, "One must not record that which he wishes to hide."[16] That premise is entirely fictitious in nature. This is because

  • The Journal in itself is largely incomplete due to records being destroyed several times and reproductions of the destroyed documents also eventually being destroyed, leading to large missing chunks of records or questionable reproductions that may or may not have been edited every subsequent reproduction.
  • Relevant records written during the reign of Gwanghae are also largely missing.
  • Even if the Journal were complete, it is highly unlikely the Secretariat would delete or omit records, even by order of the King due to protocol. In fact, due to that same protocol the only thing that would happen is that after having received word or having witnessed a certain incident and subsequently ordered to not record it, the Secretariat would record the incident in full and finish the entry stating the King ordered him not to do so.
  • A prime example of the above would be when Taejong fell off his horse when hunting one day and asked the Secretariat to not record this in the journal. The Secretariat however went and recorded the incident and ended his entry with 'and His Majesty asked that the Secretariat not record this'

Production

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Announced in early 2011 and initially titled I am the King of Joseon, The Prince and the Pauper-inspired historical film was to be directed by Kang Woo-suk and star Jung Jae-young as Gwanghae/Ha-sun and Yoo Jun-sang as Heo Gyun,[17][18][19] but Kang left the project over differences of opinion with production firm CJ E&M.[20]

In November 2011, they were replaced by director Choo Chang-min and actor Lee Byung-hun in his first ever historical film.[21][22][23][24][25] A month later, Han Hyo-joo was cast as Lee's co-star.[26]

The film was shot at the Namyangju Studio Complex in Gyeonggi Province.[27][28][29]

Reception

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Called by one review as one of the best South Korean costume dramas in years,[30] the film drew praise for being beautifully written and emotionally involving, as well as for its accomplished acting, sure-handed direction, ambitious scale and commercial appeal.[31] It became the second biggest hit film at the 2012 South Korean box office, attracting 8.2 million admissions in 25 days of release,[32][33][34][35] then 9,091,633 after 31 days.[36] On its 38th day, it became the 7th film in Korean cinema history to surpass the 10 million-milestone attendance.[37][38][39][40][41][42][43] At the end of its theatrical run it was listed as Korea's all-time third highest-grossing film with 12,319,542 tickets sold nationwide (as of April 2015, it is currently sixth).[44]

Adaptations

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In theater

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The film was adapted into a stage play which ran at Seoul's Dongsoong Art Center from February 23 to April 21, 2013. It was produced by Lee Byung-hun's agency BH Entertainment. Bae Soo-bin and musical theatre actor Kim Do-hyun alternated in the lead role of Gwanghae.[45] As part of the promotion for the play, Lee, Bae and Kim were featured in a photo spread in the inaugural issue of Grazia Korea, published on February 20, 2013.[46]

In television

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Main article: The Crowned Clown

Cable network tvN acquired rights for a television adaptation, starring Yeo Jin-goo. Developed for the station by Studio Dragon and produced by GT:st, it is to air in January 2019.[a]

In other media

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Main article: D-2 (mixtape)

South Korean rapper Agust D draws from the film in his 2020 track Daechwita. The lyrics reference King Gwanghae, as well as rising through the ranks from poverty and servitude to become a king, while in the accompanying music video Agust D portrays a scarred Joseon tyrant, confronted by a modern doppelganger.

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Recipient Result
2012 49th Grand Bell Awards Best Film Masquerade Won
Best Director Choo Chang-min Won
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Won
Best Supporting Actor Ryu Seung-ryong Won
Best Screenplay Hwang Jo-yoon Won
Best Cinematography Lee Tae-yoon Won
Best Editing Nam Na-yeong Won
Best Art Direction Oh Heung-seok Won
Best Lighting Oh Seung-chul Won
Best Costume Design Kwon Yu-jin, Im Seung-hee Won
Best Music Mowg, Kim Jun-seong Won
Best Production Im Sang-jin Won
Best Visual Effects Jung Jae-hoon Won
Best Sound Effects Lee Sang-joon Won
Popularity Award Lee Byung-hun Won
32nd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards
 Best Technical Achievement Oh Heung-seok Won
33rd Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Film Masquerade Nominated
Best Director Choo Chang-min Nominated
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Jang Gwang Nominated
Best Screenplay Hwang Jo-yoon Nominated
Best Cinematography Lee Tae-yoon Nominated
Best Art Direction Oh Heung-seok Won
Best Lighting Oh Seung-chul Nominated
Best Music Mowg, Kim Jun-seong Nominated
Technical Award Kwon Yu-jin, Im Seung-hee
(costume design) 		Nominated
Nam Na-yeong
(editing) 		Nominated
13th Busan Film Critics Awards
 Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Won
2013 49th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Film Masquerade Won
Best Director Choo Chang-min Won
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Nominated
22nd Buil Film Awards Best Film Masquerade Nominated
Best Director Choo Chang-min Nominated
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Ryu Seung-ryong Won
Best Art Direction Kwak Jae-sik, Oh Heung-seok Nominated
Best Music Mowg, Kim Jun-seong Nominated
Buil Readers' Jury Award Masquerade Won
7th Asia Pacific Screen Awards[47]
 Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Won

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Both tvN and Studio Dragon are sister entities of the film's distributor, CJ Entertainment, under the CJ Group.

References

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  1. ^ Lee, Hye-ji (30 August 2012). "Lee Byung-hun's historical pic set to open in Korea and North America in same week". 10Asia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  2. ^ "Masquerade (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
  3. ^ Kwaak, Je-yup (14 August 2012). "Prince-pauper tale gets election-year twist in Gwanghae". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  4. ^ Oh, Mi-jung (4 September 2012). "Masquerade Turns Out to be More Comedic than Serious". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  5. ^ "Gwanghae sweeps Korean Oscars". The Korea Times. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  6. ^ Lee, Jin-ho (31 October 2012). "The Daejong Film Awards are Taken Over by Masquerade". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  7. ^ "Masquerade Sweeps Daejong Film Awards". The Chosun Ilbo. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  8. ^ Lee, Claire (30 October 2012). "Gwanghae sweeps Daejong Film Awards". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  9. ^ Kang, Byeong-jin (7 February 2012). "Korea's most anticipated films of 2012". Korea Cinema Today. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  10. ^ "Lee Byung Hun experiences being a king in Gwanghae: The Man who became King". Korea Star Daily via Yahoo!. 6 September 2012. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  11. ^ "When Actor Ryu Seung Ryong Was Compared to Lee Byung Hun, "If Only I was Born a Year Earlier..."". Korea Portal. 4 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.[permanent dead link‍]
  12. ^ Lee, Jin-ho (3 October 2012). "Interview: Han Hyo Joo Says Lee Byung Hun was the Best Actor She's Met". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  13. ^ "Han Hyo Joo Knew About Lee Byung Hun's Relationship With Lee Min Jung?". Korea Portal. 4 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.[permanent dead link‍]
  14. ^ Baek, Byung-yeul (11 October 2012). "Lee shines in dual roles in Masquerade". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  15. ^ Hong, Lucia (13 August 2012). "Masquerade main stars Lee Byung-hun, Han Hyo-joo speak at presser". 10Asia. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  16. ^ Aquino, Rowena (24 September 2012). "A Royal Performance by Lee Byung-hun: Review of Masquerade". Asia Pacific Arts. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  17. ^ 정재영, 강우석 감독 진정한 페르소나...5번째 작품!. OSEN [ko]. 4 February 2011. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  18. ^ 강우석 감독, 첫 사극 '나는 조선의 왕이다' 연출. The Dong-A Ilbo. 14 March 2011. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  19. ^ 강우석·정재영·유준상, '광해'서 다시 뭉친다. Star News. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  20. ^ Han, Yeo-wool (4 November 2011). "Lee Byung-hun mulling historical film role". 10Asia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  21. ^ Kim, Jessica (14 November 2011). "Lee Byung-hun historical pic role confirmed". 10Asia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  22. ^ Kim, Ji-yeon (14 November 2011). "Lee Byung Hun To Star in Historical Film". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  23. ^ "Lee Byung-hun to star in The Prince and the Pauper remake". Korea JoongAng Daily. 15 November 2011. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-18.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^ Noh, Jean (17 November 2011). "Lee Byung-hun to star in Choo Chang-min's Masquerade". Screen International. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  25. ^ Lee, Claire (27 February 2012). "Lee Byung-hun to star as Joseon king in movie". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  26. ^ Hong, Lucia (20 December 2011). "Han Hyo-joo to join Lee Byung-hun in historical film". 10Asia. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  27. ^ "Namyangju Studio Complex". Dynamic Korea. 29 November 2005. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  28. ^ Hong, Lucia (27 February 2012). "Lee Byung-hun's 1st historical film cranks in". 10Asia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  29. ^ Frater, Patrick (28 February 2012). "King of Joseon now shooting". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  30. ^ Elley, Derek (18 October 2012). "Masquerade". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  31. ^ Paquet, Darcy (21 September 2012). "Box office, September 1–15". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  32. ^ Kim, Hyun-min (25 September 2012). "Box office pull of 2 hits". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  33. ^ "Korean film Gwanghae hits local box office". The Korea Times. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  34. ^ Lee, Tae-ho (2 October 2012). "Masquerade Continues to Steam Competition for 3rd Win". 10Asia. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  35. ^ Lee, Hye-ji (8 October 2012). "Masquerade Rules Box Office After Scoring 8.2 mln Ticket Sales". 10Asia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  36. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (16 October 2012). "Gwanghae exceeds 9 million views". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  37. ^ Lee, Rachel (21 October 2012). "Masquerade, 7th film to reach 10 million viewers". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  38. ^ "Masquerade surpasses 10 million viewers". The Korea Herald. 21 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  39. ^ "Gwanghae sets industry record". Korea JoongAng Daily. 22 October 2012. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  40. ^ "Masquerade Sells Over 10 Million Tickets at Box Office". The Chosun Ilbo. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  41. ^ Lee, Hye-ji (22 October 2012). "Masquerade Outnumbers 10 Mln, Scores 6th Win at Box Office". 10Asia. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  42. ^ Kim, Hyun-min (23 October 2012). "Second Korean Film Breaks the 10 Million Mark This Year". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  43. ^ Kim, Hyun-min (13 November 2012). "Hollywood Stars Out in Force for MASQUERADE". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  44. ^ Lee, Hyo-won (13 December 2012). "Masquerade Becomes Third Most Watched South Korean Film of All Time". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  45. ^ Lee, Hye-ji (26 September 2012). "Masquerade to be Adapted into Stage Play". Kstar10. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  46. ^ An, So-hyoun (23 February 2013). "The Three Gwanghaes Lee Byung Hun, Bae Soo Bin and Kim Do Hyun Pose for Grazia". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  47. ^ "Korean Actor Lee Byung-Hun Accepts Prestigious Asia Pacific Screen Award". Asia Today. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
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