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Min-sik Choi, Ahn Sung-ki, You Ho-Jeong, Yunjin Kim, Ye-jin Son ... see more see more... , Han Myoung-Gu , Tae-Woo Jung , Choi Jong-Sung , Sung-kee Ahn , Ho-jeong Yu , Yejin Kim , Yeo-jin Kim

Renowned Korean director Im Kwon-Taek (Chunhyang) tells the story of legendary iconoclastic Chosun Dynasty artist Oh-won (Choi Min-Sik). With little reliable documentation of the artist's life, the di... read more read more...rector (along with co-writer Kim Young-Oak) used dramatic license to fill in the details of the man's life. Born a peasant named Jang Seung-ub in 1843, the artist used his talents to escape a life of poverty. A wealthy nobleman, Kim Byung-Moon (Ahn Sung-Ki), recognizes Jang's talent, and takes him in at an early age. Master Kim recommends Jang to a respected art teacher, and his career path begins. As a young man, Jang grows in stature for his ability to flawlessly copy well-known Chinese paintings. He also falls in love with a noble's daughter, Mae-Hyang (You Ho-Jeong). Because of the class difference, he can never be with her, and he's heartbroken when she marries another man. This sets him on the path he follows for much of his life -- that of a drunken wanderer. Despite his self-destructive hard drinking, his penchant for consorting with prostitutes, his impoverished background, his refusal to follow anyone's rules, the political turbulence of the times in which he lives, and the fact that he rarely signs his own work, Oh-won rises to prominence as an artist. Director Im shared the Best Director prize (with Paul Thomas Anderson) at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, and Chihwaseon was also featured in the 2002 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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74% liked it

1,109 ratings

Critics

83% liked it

40 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 57 min.

Directed by: Kwon-taek Im

Release Date: February 14, 2003

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DVD Release Date: February 3, 2004

Stats: 65 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (65)

  • kiriyamakazou
    November 5, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    Jang Seung-Up is an artist that just can't catch a break. His talent is noticed at first, but he is soon buried beneath an ever increasing number of art students. He is eventually noticed after making a perfect copy of a more established artists painting, after having just one lo... read moreok. This brings about attention, which is also his downfall. He is shunned for outclassing his own teacher, and soon becomes a drunken mess. There's a lot of redemption in this film, almost anyways. Jang is a man that can only excel whilst drinking. This leads to an obviously large amount of problems. Chihwaseon is a very breautiful film, in terms of the arts it presents, and the way it presents itself. The acting is highly emotive and believable, with Choi Min-Sik, carefully balancing the dependent Jang, with touches of hostility and openness. It's only drawback is the predictable nature of the biopic. Take an individual's life, and truncate it to 2 hours, and you're bound to run into similarities with other famous people of the past.
  • jimbotender
    January 18, 2009
    jimbotender
    Up until recently,a number of films dedicated to the lives and times of exceptional painters,fine artists in a broader scope started emerging out of nowhere.Ladies,gents,I present you the unanimous masterpiece of them all,forget Pollocks and Fridas,Sung-up,a humongous legend in t... read morehe Joseon dynasty in Korea,a fabulous poetic journey by the hands of an elderly Im Kwon-taek and yet profoundly young,Min-sik proves he is an Actor.

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Critic Reviews

Desson Thomson
June 20, 2003
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

It is quietly observant, with a detached eye for the telling moment, and the visual compositions are often exquisite.

Jonathan Rosenbaum
June 6, 2003
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

[Chihwaseon] rushes through the life of its subject in nimble leaps and bounds, concentrating on the livelier and more spectacular parts and avoiding the dull historical and biographical stretches. Full Review

Michael Wilmington
June 5, 2003
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

Another masterpiece from one of the world's more neglected great directors, a master artist who here reveals the soul of another. Full Review

Wesley Morris
May 16, 2003
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

The movie's attention to anthropological and historical detail means things are slow to come alive. But once they do, the nature of Jang's psychic torture is palpable and unmistakable. Full Review

Manohla Dargis
May 16, 2003
Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times

A vividly entertaining portrait. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
March 14, 2003
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

A handsome film, filled with lavish costumes and set designs and told in a series of exquisitely composed images. Full Review

Gene Seymour
February 14, 2003
Gene Seymour, Newsday

There's much to fill the eyes. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
February 14, 2003
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

Slow and stilted.

Andrew Sarris
February 13, 2003
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

If you've never seen a South Korean film, or even if you have, Chihwaseon is an ideal place to start or continue. Full Review

Ed Park
February 11, 2003
Ed Park, Village Voice

The film succeeds as the rehumanizing of a near mythical figure. Full Review

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