THE HANDMAIDEN (1 Viewer)

[Ernest]

In 1930 Korea, during the Japanese occupation, a new girl is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress who lives a life of seclusion in a large countryside estate with her uncle. But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese court to help him seduce the heiress to elope with him so he can rob her of her fortune then arrange for her to be locked up in a madhouse. The plan the swindler has put in motion is proceeding according to his design until the handmaiden and heiress have some unexpected emotions.

This is a very good movie with many twists and turns to maintain the suspense.

Audio: Korean/Japanese DTS-MD 5.1
Subtitles: English & Chinese
Running Time: 139 minutes
Region Code "A"

 

[titch]

This has quite obviously gone under the radar on this forum. It's an incredible film, a really entertaining and surprising thriller - just shows how nothing being made in the US can compare to what's being made overseas, far beyond the boundaries of what US studios can make. I just watched the Director's Cut (which is 25 minutes longer, superior and more explicit than the theatrical cut), available for a ridiculously low price on UK Amazon (region B-locked). In comparison, the Sony American blu ray only features the theatrical cut and is long out-of-print. It's been a while since I saw such an erotic film, the story is superb and full of twists, the production values are exquisite. Also, the picture projected onto a large screen was excellent. The costumes and period setting reminded me of Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, but this is entertainment on a completely different level. It's a film which you really don't want to know too much about the plot of, before seeing it!

See on Amazon

 

[Robert Harris]

ordered via domestic amazon. Recommendation appreciated

 

[titch]

ordered via domestic amazon. Recommendation appreciated

I will be very interested to hear your views (maybe "A Few Words About...."?) when you have seen this! I think it's one of the most invigorating Korean films of the last twenty years.

 

[Robert Harris]

I will be very interested to hear your views (maybe "A Few Words About...."?) when you have seen this! I think it's one of the most invigorating Korean films of the last twenty years.

Not expected to arrive in the Colonies for about 3 weeks, which always me time to get through screenings toward those annual awards. Expect something after that.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

This has quite obviously gone under the radar on this forum. It's an incredible film, a really entertaining and surprising thriller - just shows how nothing being made in the US can compare to what's being made overseas, far beyond the boundaries of what US studios can make. I just watched the Director's Cut (which is 25 minutes longer, superior and more explicit than the theatrical cut), available for a ridiculously low price on UK Amazon (region B-locked). In comparison, the Sony American blu ray only features the theatrical cut and is long out-of-print. It's been a while since I saw such an erotic film, the story is superb and full of twists, the production values are exquisite. Also, the picture projected onto a large screen was excellent. The costumes and period setting reminded me of Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, but this is entertainment on a completely different level. It's a film which you really don't want to know too much about the plot of, before seeing it!

View attachment 125028
View attachment 125029

See on Amazon

I recently watched it on Amazon Prime streaming (in 4K/HDR) after having the UK BD sit in my Amazon UK cart for ~1+1/2 years -- haven't been able to order anything for import during that stretch unless I wanna pay like $30-plus extra for shipping and then still be quite limited on what they'd be willing to ship most times.

Don't recall if the Amazon Prime version is the director's cut (probably not), but yeah, I liked it. If I can't import that UK BD for much longer, I might eventually just buy the iTunes digital instead -- I have that on my CheapCharts wishlist to track pricing.

Hmmm... didn't realize that UK BD is now available more directly for import on the US site... though I probably won't get around to watching it again for quite some time at least...

_Man_

 

[titch]

I recently watched it on Amazon Prime streaming (in 4K/HDR) after having the UK BD sit in my Amazon UK cart for ~1+1/2 years -- haven't been able to order anything for import during that stretch unless I wanna pay like $30-plus extra for shipping and then still be quite limited on what they'd be willing to ship most times.

Don't recall if the Amazon Prime version is the director's cut (probably not), but yeah, I liked it. If I can't import that UK BD for much longer, I might eventually just buy the iTunes digital instead -- I have that on my CheapCharts wishlist to track pricing.

Hmmm... didn't realize that UK BD is now available more directly for import on the US site... though I probably won't get around to watching it again for quite some time at least...

_Man_

The 4K streaming version on Amazon Prime is the 25 minute shorter Theatrical Cut.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I'm reading that "extended version" might not actually be a true director's cut though... and it certainly doesn't seem described/labeled as such...

Also, I imagine that extended version might be too graphic for some -- the theatrical version is already quite graphic as is...

Too bad I'm still blocked from importing it (and a bunch of others in my cart) via Amazon UK. I'd definitely jump all over that £7.99 price otherwise...

_Man_

 

[titch]

I'm reading that "extended version" might not actually be a true director's cut though... and it certainly doesn't seem described/labeled as such...

Also, I imagine that extended version might be too graphic for some -- the theatrical version is already quite graphic as is...

Too bad I'm still blocked from importing it (and a bunch of others in my cart) via Amazon UK. I'd definitely jump all over that £7.99 price otherwise...

_Man_

The "Extended Cut" is the correct term. But $22 from Amazon US isn't such a bad price, and you get both editions + a lot of bonus material.

See on Amazon

 

[bujaki]

I never bothered with the shorter cut.
The film is indeed superb. Highly recommended.

 

[titch]

Not expected to arrive in the Colonies for about 3 weeks, which always me time to get through screenings toward those annual awards. Expect something after that.

Have been waiting to hear your verdict. Maybe the summertime break is an opportune time for a good thriller?

 

[Robert Harris]

Have been waiting to hear your verdict. Maybe the summertime break is an opportune time for a good thriller?

Still on the “to be viewed” shelf. Have been working on screenplays. Was thinking about it recently.

 

[compson]

Just ordered the UK Blu-ray. Thanks for the recommendation. I’m inclined to watch the theatrical version first, given the director’s (translated) comments:

In Korea, there are some fans who are very hardcore loyal fans around this film, The Handmaiden, this fandom has been created. This fandom has been strongly demanding that there needs to be an extended edition, anything that you have cut out, anything that you have left on the cutting room floor, we need to see. The investors they saw how well the film did at the box office and they agreed to have a extended version, and now there is one with 23 minutes of extra footage.

Park Chan-wook on The Handmaiden Extended Edition

Park Chan-wook, the director of Oldboy, talks about his latest film 'The Handmaiden', and why he's giving fans an extended cut of the film.

collider.com

 

[titch]

Park Chan-wook Gets the Picture He Wants

With “The Sympathizer,” the director of “Oldboy” and “The Handmaiden” comes to American television.

www.newyorker.com