Masquerade (2012 film)

Masquerade (Korean: 광해: 왕이 된 남자; Hanja: 光海: 王이 된 男子; RR: Gwanghae: Wang-i Doen Namja; 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
Hangul광해: 왕이 된 남자
Hanja光海: 王이 된 男子
Revised RomanizationGwanghae: Wang-i Doen Namja
McCune–ReischauerKwanghae: Wangi Toen Namja
Directed byChoo Chang-min
Produced byIm Sang-jin
Won Dong-yeon
Kim Ho-seong
Mikey Lee
Written byHwang Jo-yoon
StarringLee Byung-hun
Ryu Seung-ryong
Han Hyo-joo
Music byMowg
Kim Jun-seong
CinematographyLee Tae-yoon
Edited byNam Na-yeong
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

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 a 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 every bit 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 an infinitely 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

Background

Historically, Gwanghae, the 15th Joseon king from 1608-1623, attempted diplomacy through neutrality as China's Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1636-1912) 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.[25] Since he was deposed in a coup by the Westerners faction, historians did not give him a temple name like Taejo or Sejong.[26]

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."[27] 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

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,[28][29][30] but Kang left the project over differences of opinion with production firm CJ E&M.[31]

In November 2011, they were replaced by director Choo Chang-min and actor Lee Byung-hun in his first ever historical film.[32][33][34][35][36] A month later, Han Hyo-joo was cast as Lee's co-star.[37]

The film was shot at the Namyangju Studio Complex in Gyeonggi Province.[38][39][40]

Reception

Called by one review as one of the best South Korean costume dramas in years,[41] 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.[42] It became the second biggest hit film at the 2012 South Korean box office, attracting 8.2 million admissions in 25 days of release,[43][44][45][46] then 9,091,633 after 31 days.[47] On its 38th day, it became the 7th film in Korean cinema history to surpass the 10 million-milestone attendance.[48][49][50][51][52][53][54] 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).[55]

Adaptations

In theater

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.[56] 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.[57]

In television
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.[lower-alpha 1]

Awards and nominations
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[58]
 Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Won
gollark: I'd… pay a neglected for it, I'd rather not die.
gollark: They should all drop in cave at nocturne rarity.
gollark: One of its children is just called shiny shiny shiny shiny.
gollark: https://dragcave.net/view/n/Repagination
gollark: Due to sheer luck and occasional trading.

See also

Notes
  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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