The reviewer in the San Francisco Chronicle said this about the movie Chunhyang: "What begins as a charming folktale becomes, in the hands of prolific Korean director Im Kwon Taek, a passionate cultural statement. Im frames the traditional star-crossed lovers story within a modern balladeer's stage performance of the tale. The singer, variously playful, intense, soulful and cajoling, makes such direct contact with his audience that some of the gutless wonders that pass for communicators today should be struck speechless." -- B. Grahm

 After reading such a gushing review of a Korean movie with English subtitles, my wife and I decided to drive into San Francisco and view the movie for ourselves. I was vaguely familiar with the tale of Chunhyang, and during the car ride downtown, my wife filled me in on the details as best she could. I didn't know quite what to expect. The most recent Asian movie that I saw was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That movie turned out to be one of my all-time favorites.
 
 I enjoyed the two hours watching and listening to Chunhyang, even though none of the characters leaped from roof to roof like the stars of crouching tiger. The interplay between the stage performance and the folk tale was at first unsettling, but as the story progressed I could see that the interplay did not subtract from, but added to the telling of the tale. Before my eyes I saw old Korea re-created on the screen: High-class men wore white clothes and horse-hair hats, houses were wooden with thatched roofs, and common people worked in the rice fields with cycles. Like magic, Korea was transported backward 200 years in time. But even more than pictures of old Korea, the values of old Korea were on display. To understand the Korean psyche of today, one must understand the values of Koreans yesterday. Let me make two observations about Chunhyang. (I'm still digesting this movie, so maybe I'll make more comments later).

 First, have you ever tried to define the word "han" to an American? This Korean word defies English definition. There is not a single American-word equivalent or even a 20-word definition that does the job. "Passion", "suppression of feelings", "revenge", and "fate" are English words that describe some aspect of Korean "han". If Americans want to understand Korean "han" they need to watch Chunhyang and identify with the young woman in the context of her culture. Chunghyang is just dripping with "han". She is pure, then she is seduced, then she is married, then she is betrayed, then she suffers, then she is redeemed. She runs the gamut of emotions at times suppressing her feelings and at other times overly expressing her feelings. Above all, she is a victim of her fate. What is "han"? Chunghyang is han. What is Chunghyang? Watch the movie.

 I found one small part of the movie especially revealing. When the young governor confronts the old corrupt governor, he asks him "Why were you so cruel to Chungyang?" The bad governor says, "I was the king's representative, she was a courtesan. I gave her an order and she disobeyed. It's a simple as that." The young governor, whose dearest love was just cruelly tortured, says nothing. He seems to look into space and nod in agreement. It appears that the corrupt governor was guilty of mistreating the king's people, but not of mistreating poor Chungyang. His cruelty to Chungyang was a privilege of his position. What do you think? I'm still digesting the movie.