Yesterday afternoon I had some free time during my lunch hour and decided to watch a little of the drama My Delightful Girl Chun-Hyang. I already knew a little about the drama from wikipedia and friends who had already watched it, so the beginning sequence threw me off. The beginning sequence showed the setting to be a historical one, and at a very dramatic part of the Chung-Hyang story - where she is about to be killed for her actions. However, unlike Im Kwon-Taek's Ch'unghyang, the actions in this historical sequence are extremely caricatured and melodramatic. Instead of being realistic and seriously portrayed, Myong Ryong's cronies are flying kung-fu masters who leap over walls in an unrealistic manner. In this way, the drama has more similarities with CLAMP's Chun-Hyang in that the action is very fantasy-oriented and unrealistic.
As the episode progressed, it was clear that the drama wasn't a historical one at all, and actually based in the modern world. I don't know why the producers decided to have the historical sequence be a lead-in to a modern day teen drama, but I can guess. They might have wanted to emphasize the cultural importance of the Chun-hyang character, that she wasn't just another run-of-the-mill protagonist. It actually reminded me a lot of chapter seven in High Pop, "Film, Fidelity, and Literature", because it was so much like the many film examples cited in that chapter, such as 10 Things I Hate About You. Chun-hyang is an old legend and was adapted to modern-day settings to draw younger audiences in and to make Chun-Hyang that generation's "own" legend, regardless of the drama's fidelity to the original tale's plot and purpose.
I noted some more similarities between this Chun-Hyang tale and the other two we have studied in class. Like in Im Kwon-Taek's Ch'unghyang, Chun-Hyang and her mother are considered visibly lower class. Her mom is an entertainer in various nightclubs, which resonates strongly with the kisaeng role. Like in the CLAMP manga, this Chun-Hyang is a feisty, hot-tempered girl who is fiercely against "perverts". Early on in the episode, Chun-Hyang gets into a conflict with Myong Rong over being a pervert and taking inappropriate pictures of her. This misunderstanding leads to a mutual dislike, which is perhaps similar to the beginning of Im Kwon-Taek's movie.
Unfortunately, I only got to watch one episode of the series, so I don't know if they continue with the historical lead-in sequences in other episodes, or if there are any traditional themes "reinvented" in the drama.
If anyone is interested in watching this drama, you can find it here.
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5 comments:
I've watched six episodes now and each one ends in a historical clip where the characters are wearing traditional dress and they are in a traditional setting, but the script has nothing to do with that episode. The actors are the same but they are not playing the same roles. I think it's strange that the director chose to end each episode this way because they don't tie in to each episode at all. It's like the directors want to be able to claim that they have an historical aspect to the show, but actually have as little of it as possible.
I think it's just another way to add enjoyment to the drama. Some of them are kinda funny. Another thing I wanted to mention is how different the mother character is in the drama. She runs off with someone else's money and so Chun H'yang is put into more trouble because of her mother. Her mother in the drama seems very selfish in many ways and very different from the mother in Clamp's manga version. I did really like the drama....although it might have been really different from Im Kwon Taek's version. I just finished it a few hours earlier....dramas are so addictive!
Katie, I've only watched one episode so far but I'm gonna have to agree with you. I think the producers just wanted a claim that they're doing a drama based on Chun-hyang, but in reality all the two stories have in common are the same names.
and Rita, I noticed the thing about her mother too! She's very greedy and irresponsible, but still lovable somehow. She reminds me a lot of the father in My Girl. The mother's flaws really highlight Chun-Hyang's good qualities as a daughter, though, which is why I think they chose to make her mother such a bad parent.
word. good point.
I found it interesting that the director felt the need to tie in the historical aspect of the story, when clearly a lot of artistic freedom has been given in updating the story. My best explanation is that the drama is directly marketed towards teenagers, so the writers saw some kind of opportunity to tie in tradition and history. I guess the opening sequence where Chun Hyang faces execution also gives background and a grounding for the audience. The audience gets more out the drama by being able to compare it to the traditional story, as is suggested in "Film, Fidelity, and Literature."
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