The Sword with No Name

The Sword with No Name (Korean불꽃처럼 나비처럼; RRBulkkotcheoreom Nabicheoreom; lit.'Like Fireworks, Like Butterflies') is a 2009 South Korean film based on a fictionalized account of Empress Myeongseong.[2][3] The film sold 1,671,387 tickets nationwide.[4]

The Sword with No Name
Theatrical poster
Korean name
Hangul
불꽃처럼 나비처럼
Revised RomanizationBulkkotcheoreom Nabicheoreom
McCune–ReischauerPulkkotch‘ŏrŏm Nabich‘ŏrŏm
Directed byKim Yong-gyun
Written byLee Suk-yeon
Based onLike Fireworks, Like Butterflies
by Yasulok
Produced byYun Sang-oh
Kim Mi-hee
Park Min-hee
StarringCho Seung-woo
Soo Ae
CinematographyKim Myeong-joon
Edited byKim Sang-bum
Kim Jae-bum
Music byChoi Yong-rak
Production
company
Distributed byShowbox
Release date
  • September 24, 2009 (2009-09-24)
Running time
124 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Box officeUS$10,928,195[1]

Plot

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Mu-myeong is a bounty hunter during the Joseon Dynasty who lives day-to-day by catching fugitives. His life is forever changed when, on one of his missions, he meets a beautiful noblewoman, Min Ja-young, and falls in love with her. Several years pass and Ja-young enters the royal palace to be married to Emperor Gojong as the next queen of Joseon. Lovesick, Mu-myeong joins the royal guard to be near Ja-young, staying loyally by her side as she navigates court politics and rises to the throne to become the Empress Myeongseong.

Myeongseong tries to modernize the dynasty by breaking it off from its hermit kingdom past while avoiding being colonized by Russia and Japan. She becomes embroiled in a political power struggle with the court's conservative Confucian faction, led by her own father-in-law, the regent Daewongun. As threats against the queen grow, Mu-myeong tries to protect her by fending off assassination attempts from foreign and domestic enemies.[5]

Cast

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Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Recipients Result
2009
30th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Art Direction Min Eon-ok Nominated
Best New Actor Choi Jae-woong Nominated
29th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Won
2010
4th Asian Film Awards Best Costume Designer Shim Hyun-seob Nominated
Deauville Asian Film Festival Lotus Action Asia Kim Yong-gyun Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Bulkkotcheolum Nabicheolum (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  2. ^ Park, Sun-young (27 August 2009). "Another side to Empress Myeongseong". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  3. ^ Yang, Sung-hee (1 October 2009). "Sword presents the softer side of actress Soo-ae". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  4. ^ "Theatrical Releases in 2009: Box-Office Admission Results". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  5. ^ "HOT MOVIE/The Sword with No Name". Korean Film Biz Zone. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
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