 |
| You are not getting more images than this today. |
Dear Internet,
"The
Sword with No Name" is a 2009 South Korean romance film set in the late Joseon
period. A literal translation of the
original title "불꽃처럼 나비처럼" would be "Like Fireworks, Like Butterflies"
which makes sense with some of the films imagery and a lot more sense than
"The Sword with No Name." Specifically, the fictitious film takes place from
around 1866 until 1895. It is most
important to highlight the fictitious aspect of the film within the same breath
as the very real dates because the film tells of the very real Empress
Myeongseong and her fictitious lover/admirer Moo-myeong.
The
film centers itself around the two characters Moo-myeong, the bounty hunter who
as a child had witnessed his mother being killed for practicing Catholicism,
and Ja-yeong, the soon to be bride of the king of Joseon despite her obvious
hesitations. Ja-yeon decides to visit
the ocean once more before her marriage to ease her mind. Along the way, she comes across Moo-myeong,
whom she asks for a boat ride down the river to the sea. The man agrees, and both get close to one
another during the trip. After her
marriage, Moo-myeong attempts to gain entry into the royal guard so that he can
be closer to Ja-yeaong or even see her for that matter. Even after proving his courage and entering
into the guard, it is not for some time before he gets the chance to talk to
her again. Meanwhile, there is a
political conspiracy that comes from the outside Japanese influence and from
the old king and regent of Joeson. The
political side erupts and threatens not only Joseon's stability as a country
but also the life of Ja-yeong. It is up
to Moo-myeong to save the queen while remembering both of their positions as
ruler and subject.
You can
tell already that the film is a romance first with a history lesson taking back
stage. The dynamic of the two main
characters is the constant string throughout the film. In the beginning, we wonder if they are going
to run off and she will not marry the king.
In the middle, we wonder if they are going to run off and leave the
king. In the end, we wonder much the
same as in the middle. The relationship
between the two never gets more than platonic, although there was a night in a damp
and cold cave that left me more than confused.
Despite this, or because of this, their non-sexual relationship the romance
was for the most part done very sweetly.
You can see the devotion Moo-myeong has for Ja-yeong throughout the
film. His feelings do not stem
straightly from shallow reasons like Ja-yeong's appearance or status. He continues to strive to protect her with
his very life for the entirety of the film.
I will
not even try to touch upon the historical accuracies of this film. I will save that for someone much more knowledgeable
in that department. If you know your
Korean history, the film's suspense filled scenes that risk the safety of the
queen melt away in a moment. It is like
wondering while watching a biographical film about Julies Caesar if he is going
to die on the battlefield. If you have
paid attention to that section of your history class in school, you do not have
to worry about him until March comes rolling around. If you know how the actual queen had died,
then you know what to expect of the film.
The only question then for any sort of suspense is if Moo-myeong is
going to die first. His life is constantly
in jeopardy. Even when they return from
the trip to the ocean, he ends up taking a few knives to his back in protecting
her. This leads into the action oriented
scenes that dot the film.
There
is an immense portion of the film that is dedicated to action scenes. Moo-myeong wields a weapon that looks like a cross
between a butcher knife and a machete.
It is an intimidating weapon that he used in his life as a bounty hunter
and continued to use while a palace guard.
It does seem out of place in the film, especially when he continues to
wear it while garbed in a regulated uniform, but at least the film treats it
with a purpose rather than merely having the weapon as a flashy object. When he fights, he makes obvious use of the
blade's unique design rather than using it as a longer bladed weapon. The fights in the film are there most likely
to amuse the boyfriends and husbands of the woman that had dragged their man to
go see the film. Thankfully, the film
does not shirk away from giving its all to entertaining the thrill seekers in
the audience. The first major fight
occurs between Moo-myeong and the master swordsman Noe-jeon, who is also the
captain of the guard. Their battle is
quickly shifted to computer graphic assisted choreography. This
basically means that it becomes a fight between super-humans instead of being
realistic. That does not mean it is not
entertaining. The two men jump about two
small boats on a lake, kicking and slashing to the point that the camera can
barely keep up. Only one other time in
the film did I notice that the fight was heavily altered using computer
graphics to make it more dynamic. The
second time was a little too over the top for my taste, actually melting away
the setting. What makes me hesitant to
like the second time is the fact that there are witnesses to the fight. The film can play off the first fight as
being over the top because the two men are fighting alone, but since the second
fight is being witnessed by a large group of people, the over-the-top action
feel out of place. It is still fun to
watch it, but the gnawing problem hits the back of my head.
Within
the film, there is a great level of political intrigue and conspiracies that
take place. They were confusing to me
for much of the film. It was only about
halfway through the film that I fully understood what I should have. This might have more to do with the how
common knowledge of the timeframe is for the average South Korean as compared
to an outside viewer than it have to do with the amount of information that the
film gives out. If this is the case,
then I cannot strike it against the film.
I did, however, find parts confusing enough that I was lost for large
amounts of time. Eventually, I pulled
together who was backstabbing who, but perhaps I might just be slow when it concerns
Asian politics.
Then
there is Moo-myeong's origin scene. The
film opens up with Moo-myeong as a child witnessing his parents being killed
for practicing Catholicism. This is a
harsh stain on the history of Korea, but the film paints it less as a crime
against religion and more of an attack against Westernization. This might be because this was the reason for
the attack since through the film, the old guard is seen striving to keep Joeson
free from Western influence. The old king
constantly fights with the queen about how she interjects Western ability and
individuals into the inner court. The
film wants to makes sure that the clash of East meets West is the center point
for the confrontation between generations and individuals. This is all well and understandable, however,
the fact that Moo-myeong is shown to having lost his parents in one of these
clashes years ago is a big hole in the story.
I do not mean that it creates a hole within the narrative, but that it
creates a hole in his character. Other
than the Christian name that his mother gives him, Johannes, and a cross shaped
scar on his chest that is never explained, he has no connection to those that
dies that night years ago. He does not
seek out some sort of vengeance or shown to have any sort of ill will towards
those that killed his parent. In fact,
there is no connecting theme to his past to the events that occur elsewhere in
the film. It just dissolves instead of
being a character trait. At that point,
there really is no reason to having him be born of Catholic parents or even
parents who were "Westernized."
The persecution scene is there only to illustrate the level of
resistance that Joseon had to Western influences, not add character depth to
Moo-myeong.
"The
Sword with No Name" is an average film.
It does somewhat OK with the romance, action, and suspense, but nothing
great or memorable worth revisiting for a second time. You might find a moment or two that is poignant,
but it is surrounded by a lot of filler.
I should not make it seem like the film has got nothing going for
itself. The romance is handled very
well, showcasing Moo-myeong's devotion and the conflict with Ja-yeong having to
be queen to a king she does not love.
Instead of shirking their responsibilities, like flighty children, they
act accountable, respecting one another and the duties of the other, even if
that means denying themselves. The film
does this one thing well, but the rest was just average.
Yours in digital,
BeepBoop
P.S. Next is "Parasite Dolls."
No comments:
Post a Comment