The Throne | |
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Hangul | 사도 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Sado |
Directed by | Lee Joon-ik |
Produced by | Oh Seung-hyeon |
Written by | Cho Chul-hyun Oh Seung-hyeon Lee Song-won |
Starring |
Song Kang-ho Yoo Ah-in Moon Geun-young |
Music by | Bang Jun-seok |
Cinematography | Kim Tae-gyeong |
Edited by |
Kim Sang-bum Kim Jae-bum |
Distributed by | Showbox/Mediaplex |
Release date
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Running time
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125 minutes |
Country | South Korea |
Language | Korean |
Budget | US$8.3 million |
Box office | US$42.5 million |
The Throne (Hangul: 사도; RR: Sado) is a 2015 South Korean historical period drama film directed by Lee Joon-ik, starring Song Kang-ho and Yoo Ah-in. Set during the reign of King Yeongjo, the film is about the life of Crown Prince Sado, the heir to the throne who was deemed unfit to rule and, at age 27, was condemned to death by his own father by getting locked in a rice chest for eight days until he suffocated and starved.
The Throne won three awards at the 35th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, including Best Film. It was also selected as the South Korean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.
The film is set in the Joseon period, wherein a king tries to teach his son the way of being an eligible prince and a competent king. Confucianism is the base of Joseon kingdom, but the son has failed to absorb it and is involved in arts, dancing and dozing away from alcoholism. Efforts made by the king to straighten out his son only result in a bitter end. The king in his late age, losing hope in his son, trains his grandson for the position. The grandson excels in these aspects, making the king happy. In a drunken fury from bitterness and regret, the prince rushes to the palace one night to assassinate the king. But hearing conversations between his son and king make him aware of what he is doing and he drops his sword. The king, who initially tries to forgive, is manipulated by some members of the palace officials and ministers into thinking that the prince is beyond reckless and not worthy of being future king. The king orders his son to be locked in a rice box until his death; on the eighth day the prince dies, and ceremonies are held. The king moves to a secluded place for retirement. The palace is left in care of the officials and queens. After 14 years, the grandson meets with his grandfather, who advises him to be vigilant and be aware of the difference between emotions and principle. After the grandfather passes away, the grandson, now king, honors his father at his grave and his mother as his late father honored his mother. Both the son and mother shed tears of pride.