Chi-hwa-seon
| Chi-hwa-seon | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Hangul | 취화선 |
| Hanja | 醉畫仙 |
| RR | Chwihwaseon |
| MR | Ch'wihwasŏn |
| Directed by | Im Kwon-taek |
| Written by | Im Kwon-taek Do-ol Min Byeong-sam |
| Produced by | Lee Tae-won |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Jeong Il-seong |
| Edited by | Park Sun-deok |
| Music by | Kim Young-dong |
| Distributed by | Cinema Service |
Release date |
|
Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | $6.9 million[1] |
Chi-hwa-seon or Chwi-hwa-seon (Korean: 취화선; also known as Painted Fire, Strokes of Fire or Drunk on Women and Poetry) is a 2002 South Korean historical drama film directed by Im Kwon-taek. It stars Choi Min-sik as Jang Seung-eop (commonly known by his pen name, Owon), a nineteenth-century Korean painter who changed the direction of Korean art.
The film was entered into the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, where Im Kwon-taek won Best Director, shared with Paul Thomas Anderson for Punch-Drunk Love.[2]
In 2020, the film was ranked 13th by The Guardian among the classics of modern South Korean cinema.[3]
Plot
It begins with the Korean artist being suspicious of a Japanese art-lover who values his work. The story then goes back to his early years. Beginning as a vagabond with a talent for drawing, he has a talent for imitating other people's art, but is urged to go on and develop a style of his own. This process is painful and he often behaves very badly, getting drunk and being hostile to those who care about him and try to help him.
These events are set against the struggle for reform within Korea, caught between China and Japan (annexed by Japan in 1910, outside the film's time-frame).
Cast
- Choi Min-sik as Jang Seung-eop
- Ahn Sung-ki as Kim Byeong-mun
- Yoo Ho-jeong as Mae-hyang
- Kim Yeo-jin as Jin-jong
- Son Ye-jin as So-un
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 42 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "A fittingly artful biopic about the life of a brilliant painter, Chihwaseon offers an uncommonly compelling look at a singularly creative life."[4]
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[5]
Awards
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23rd Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | Chi-hwa-seon | Won | |
| Best Director | Im Kwon-taek | Won | ||
| Best Leading Actor | Choi Min-sik | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Kim Yeo-jin | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Jung Il-sung | Won | ||
| 55th Cannes Film Festival | Palme d'Or | Im Kwon-taek | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Won | [2] | ||
| Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics | Grand Prix | Won | [6] | |
| Camerimage | Golden Frog | Jung Il-sung | Nominated | |
| 28th César Awards | Best Foreign Film | Chi-hwa-seon | Nominated | [7] |
| 3rd Busan Film Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kim Yeo-jin | Won | [8] |
| Best Cinematography | Jung Il-sung | Won | ||
| Chicago International Film Festival | Gold Hugo | Im Kwon-taek | Nominated | |
| 22nd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Cinematography | Jung Il-sung | Won |
References
- ^ "Chihwaseon (2003) - Box Office Mojo". Archived from the original on 2018-03-17. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ a b "Festival de Cannes: Chi-hwa-seon". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (13 February 2020). "Classics of modern South Korean cinema – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ "Chi-hwa-seon". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ^ "Chi-hwa-seon". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
- ^ "Kim Ki-duk, Grand Prix de l'UCC". La Libre Belgique (in French). January 9, 2006. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
- ^ "Ivre de femmes et de peinture". Académie des César (in French). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
- ^ "제3회 부산 영평상 수상작 발표, '복수는 나의 것' 최우수작품·감독상". 부산일보 (in Korean). 11 June 2002. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
Sources
- Distributor's page
- "Im Kwon-taek's Retrospective". Koreafilmfes. 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
- James, David (March 2003). "Chihwaseon: Review". Film Comment. Vol. 39, no. 2. pp. 75–76.
- Johnston, Sheila (2002-06-14). "Master's art of observation". Screen International. No. 1359. p. 24.
- Kim, So-young. "Korean Film History and 'Chihwaseon'" (PDF). Korean Film Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-10-02. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
- LeMarie, Yannick; Michel Ciment; Hubert Niogret (December 2002). "Im Kwon-taek (Review of Chihwaseon and Interview)". Positif (in French). No. 502. pp. 4–5, 9–14.
- MacNab, Geoffrey (June 2003). "Chihwaseon Drunk on Women and Poetry". Sight & Sound. 13 (6): 40–41. Archived from the original on January 16, 2006. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
- Morrison, Alan (July 2003). "The reviews". Empire. p. 52.
- Ralske, Josh. "Chihwaseon". Allmovie. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
- "Rushes: the bigger picture: portrait of the artist". Sight and Sound. Vol. 13, no. 6. June 2003. pp. 4–5.
- Stratton, David (2002-06-03). "Film Reviews". Variety. p. 22.
External links
- Chihwaseon at IMDb
- Review at koreanfilm.org