La Belle (2000)
La Belle (2000)
DVDRip | MKV | 800 x 432 | x264 @ 1664 Kbps | 93 min | 1,43 Gb
Audio: Korean AC3 5.1 @ 384 Kbps | Subs: English and French (srt's), Chinese (embedded)
Genre: Drama
DVDRip | MKV | 800 x 432 | x264 @ 1664 Kbps | 93 min | 1,43 Gb
Audio: Korean AC3 5.1 @ 384 Kbps | Subs: English and French (srt's), Chinese (embedded)
Genre: Drama
On one gloomy night a writer encounters an unexpected paid visit by a woman of his past. From that day on, they cherish each other's body and divulge in ecstasy, although the man finds himself becoming slowly obsessed with her with every minute they spend in his room. But whenever the woman receives a phone call no matter the hour, she always bolts out of the door leaving the man behind utterly confused. While having no clue as to what she does outside, the man patiently waits and jots down his growing feelings for her in his journal. As this continues on day after day, their erotic relationship becomes threatened one day when he discovers that the mysterious phone call turns out to be her ex-lover who constantly abuses her whenever they meet. Set out to keep their obsessive relationship in tact, he recklessly goes out to seek revenge for his beautiful lover.
… For a movie that was not well received by the Korean public when it was released in theatres there, it has certainly enjoyed longevity as a DVD. It is still in print, and sells for a hefty twenty plus US dollars on the Asian market.
I've seen comments elsewhere regarding the performance of Oh Ji Ho, in that it is not top rate. I would therefore like to point out that this film is his debut effort, having come from a career as a successful model.He was also quite young when he made the film. He was born in 1976.
Were this film to be made now, as he approaches the age of thirty, I feel the role would have been handled far better. He would have been more credible. The character he plays is older, mature, a professional writer of some standing. The interior struggle of the man needed clarification, which would have come from clear translation (good subtitles). We did not have that. Therefore we can't judge Mr. Oh's interpretation of the role very fairly.
If it were not for the subtitles, I would have rated it as a 10, simply because it is a daring plunge into a convoluted tale by a master director who was willing it seems, to take a chance, to present a puzzle that requires the thought process. A little much to ask of the average viewer going to see a film presented as erotic, and perceived as soft-core pornography.
There is a great difference between the utter stupidity of soft-core/hard-core pornography, which relies on the display of sexual behavior in greater or lesser degree, sans art, sans viable plot, sans any modicum of sensitivity, and any trace of the difficulty presented to the human race in the course of an agonizingly debilitating relationship based on sexual obsession and unrequited love, that can only end bitterly, leaving the dust of shattered, pulverized souls behind it.
It's a fine art film that happens also to be an elegant piece of erotica.Excerpt from IMDB Review
(click to enlarge)
La Belle (2000)
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