The Face Reader (Korean: 관상; RR: Gwansang; lit. "Physiognomy") is a 2013 South Korean period action drama film starring Song Kang-ho as the son of a disgraced noble family who goes around Joseon and a gwansang[2] expert. He is able to assess the personality, mental state and habits of a person by looking at his or her face. His talents bring him to the royal courts where he becomes involved in a power struggle between Grand Prince Suyang and general Kim Jong-seo, a high-ranking loyalist to King Munjong.[3][4][5] It is the first installment of the Jupiter Film's three-part film project on the Korean fortune-telling traditions and was followed by two sequels, The Princess and the Matchmaker and Feng Shui in 2018.[6]
| The Face Reader | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 관상 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Gwansang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kwansang |
| Directed by | Han Jae-rim |
| Written by | Kim Dong-hyuk |
| Produced by | Kim Woo-jae Yu Jeong-hun Ju Pil-ho |
| Starring | Song Kang-ho Lee Jung-jae Baek Yoon-sik Jo Jung-suk Lee Jong-suk Kim Hye-soo |
| Cinematography | Go Nak-seon |
| Edited by | Kim Chang-ju |
| Music by | Lee Byung-woo |
| Distributed by | Showbox Mediaplex |
Release date |
|
Running time | 139 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | US$61 million [1] |
The Face Reader became one of the highest-grossing films in South Korea in 2013, with 9.1 million admissions. It won six awards at the 50th Grand Bell Awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Han Jae-rim, and Best Actor for Song Kang-ho.[7][8] This film is Lee Jong-suk's only historical project to date.
Plot
editNae-gyeong, the most skillful face reader in the Joseon dynasty, was living in seclusion when he was offered a lucrative partnership by Yeon-hong, a gisaeng. Nae-gyeong accepts the proposal to read the faces of Yeon-hong’s guests only to get involved in a murder case. With his face reading skills, Nae-gyeong successfully identifies the murderer and his skills are soon acknowledged by King Munjong who orders him to identify the potential traitors who threaten his reign. However, after the unexpected death of Munjong, Nae-gyeong is courted by Grand Prince Suyang who yearns to become King himself by killing the young successor Danjong. Nae-gyeong decides to keep his loyalty to the late King and help Kim Jongseo protect the young King which forces him into the biggest power struggle in the history of the Joseon dynasty.
Cast
edit- Song Kang-ho as Nae-gyeong
- Lee Jung-jae as Grand Prince Suyang
- Baek Yoon-sik as Kim Jongseo
- Jo Jung-suk as Paeng-heon, Nae-gyeong's brother-in-law and assistant
- Lee Jong-suk as Jin-hyeong, Nae-gyeong's son
- Kim Hye-soo as Yeon-hong
- Kim Eui-sung as Han Myung-hoi
- Jung Gyu-soo as Park Cheom-ji
- Chae Sang-woo as Danjong
- Lee Yoon-geon as Jo Sang-yong
- Lee Do-yeop as Kim Seung-kyu
- Yoo Sang-jae as Hong Yun-seong
- Lee Ae-rin as Hong-dan
- Lee Yong-gwan as Yang-jeong
- Yoon Kyung-ho as Im-woon
- Seo Hyun-woo as Jin-moo
- Lee Chang-jik as Hwangbo In
- Kim Tae-woo as King Munjong
- Ko Chang-seok as His Excellency Choi
- Kim Kang-hyeon as Suspect 3
Production
editKim Dong-hyuk's screenplay won the grand prize at the 2010 Korean Scenario Contest held by the Korean Film Council.[9]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 50th Grand Bell Awards | Best Film | The Face Reader | Won |
| Best Director | Han Jae-rim | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Song Kang-ho | Won | ||
| Lee Jung-jae | Nominated | |||
| Popularity Award | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Jo Jung-suk | Won | ||
| Baek Yoon-sik | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Kim Dong-hyuk | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Go Nak-seon | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing | Kim Chang-ju | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | Lee Ha-jun | Nominated | ||
| Best Lighting | Shin Kyung-man, Lee Cheol-oh | Nominated | ||
| Best Music | Lee Byung-woo | Nominated | ||
| Best Costume Design | Shim Hyun-sub | Won | ||
| Technical Award | Kwak Tae-yong, Hwang Hyo-kyun (Special Make-up) | Nominated | ||
| Im Dae-ji, Choi Tae-young (Sound) | Nominated | |||
| 34th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | The Face Reader | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Han Jae-rim | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Song Kang-ho | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Lee Jung-jae | Won | ||
| Jo Jung-suk | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Kim Hye-soo | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Kim Dong-hyuk | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Go Nak-seon | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | Lee Ha-jun | Nominated | ||
| Best Lighting | Shin Kyung-man, Lee Cheol-oh | Nominated | ||
| 33rd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Actor | Song Kang-ho | Won | |
| Lee Jung-jae | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Jo Jung-suk | Won | ||
| Best Music | Lee Byung-woo | Won | ||
| CJ CGV Star Award | Lee Jung-jae | Won | ||
| 2014 | 5th KOFRA Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Won | |
| 9th Max Movie Awards | Best Actress | Kim Hye-soo | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Lee Jung-jae | Nominated | ||
| Jo Jung-suk | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Kim Hye-soo | Nominated | ||
| Best Poster | The Face Reader | Won | ||
| Best Preview | Nominated | |||
| 19th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Director | Han Jae-rim | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Lee Jung-jae | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Kim Dong-hyuk | Nominated | ||
| 8th Asian Film Awards | Best Costume Design | Shim Hyun-sub | Nominated | |
| 50th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Film | The Face Reader | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Lee Jung-jae | Won | ||
| Kim Eui-sung | Nominated | |||
| 23rd Buil Film Awards | Lee Jung-jae | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | Lee Ha-jun | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "Face Reader (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2014-09-16.
- ^ Korean version of Physiognomy
- ^ Tae, Sang-joon (14 August 2013). "Director and Stars Gather for THE FACE READER Press Conference". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
- ^ Ho, Stewart (27 March 2012). "Song Kang Ho Cast in His First Historic Movie Physiognomy". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- ^ Do, Je-hae (2 August 2013). "Period pieces dominate Korean cinema, TV". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2013-08-03.
- ^ Park, Jin-hae (13 August 2018). "Land determines one's fate in 'Feng Shui'". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2018-09-16.
- ^ Lee, Hyo-won (1 November 2013). "The Face Reader Shines at South Korea's Dae Jong Film Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
- ^ Conran, Pierce (4 November 2013). "THE FACE READER Picks Up 6 at 50th Grand Bell Awards". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
- ^ Lee, Hye-ji (28 August 2012). "The Thieves stars Lee Jung-jae, Kim Hye-soo join Song Kang-ho's 1st historical film". TenAsia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
External links
edit- Official website (in Korean)
- The Face Reader at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)
- The Face Reader at IMDb
- The Face Reader at HanCinema