Untold Scandal
| Untold Scandal | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster
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| Hangul | - |
| Hanja | 스캔들 - |
| Revised Romanization | Seukandeul - Joseon namnyeo sang'yeoljisa |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŭk'aendŭl - Chosŏn namnyŏ sang'yŏlchisa |
| Directed by | E J-yong |
| Produced by | Lee Yoo-jin Oh Jeong-wan |
| Written by |
Kim Dae-woo Kim Hyeon-jeong E J-yong |
| Based on |
Les Liaisons dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos |
| Starring |
Bae Yong-joon Jeon Do-yeon Lee Mi-sook |
| Music by | Lee Byung-woo |
| Cinematography | Kim Byeong-il |
| Edited by | Kim Yang-il Han Seung-ryong |
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Production
company |
Bom Films
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| Distributed by | CJ Entertainment |
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Release date
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Running time
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123 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Budget | $5,000,000 |
| Box office | $5,762,801 |
Untold Scandal (Hangul: 스캔들 - 조선 남녀 상열지사; RR: Seukandeul - Joseon namnyeo sang'yeoljisa; lit. "Scandal: The Love Story of Men and Women in Joseon") is a 2003 South Korean romantic drama film directed by E J-yong, and starring Bae Yong-joon, Jeon Do-yeon, and Lee Mi-sook. Loosely based on the 18th century French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, this adaptation takes place in late 18th century Korea, during the Joseon dynasty.
In Japan the film was given an R-18 rating by the Japanese Film Ethics Commission. The film was a major commercial success, and became the fourth highest grossing domestic film of 2003 with 3,522,747 tickets sold nationwide.
A beautiful but cynical noblewoman makes a bet with her free-spirited cousin that he can have sex with her if he is able to seduce a young woman of great virtue. He accepts the challenge with enthusiasm though not suspecting the nasty trap he is walking into.
Monsieur de Tourvel (Madame Marie de Tourvel/Lady Jeong's husband), who was away for a court case in the novel, was in the film deceased, making Lady Jeong a widow of nine years. Furthermore, Lady Jeong lived in Ganghwa Island, and in the film, she is living in Seoul as there was a plague at her hometown at that time.
Jo-won (Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont) and Madam Jo (Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil) were in the film cousins (Jo-won the younger cousin), and it is revealed that Jo-won's first love was Madam Jo, whereas in the novel, they were rivals, yet using the same tools for their revenge: sex.
Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil (Madam Jo)'s former lover is arranged to be Cécile's future husband in the novel, but in the film, his character is Madam Jo's husband. In So-ok's case, she is being made into a concubine of Madam Jo's husband for the continuity of the family lineage with the elders' consent.
Lee So-ok (Cécile de Volanges) was ushered in to Madam Jo's care to be the concubine of her husband, and is conspiring with Jo-won to make her pregnant for revenge (with Madam Jo telling her husband what really happened to So-ok at her husband's deathbed).
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