Untold Scandal Reviews

Beautiful Korean film of intrigue and seduction.

Based on the French novel of de Laclos written in 1782 in which two nobleman elevate seduction to an art.

Set in 18th century Korea the film proceeds at a stately pace amidst beautiful photography and stunning costumes as Jo-won (Bae Yong-Jun) sets out on the double conquest of the future concubine Soh-ok (Lee So-Yeon) and the chaste widow of 27 years Lady Sook (Jeon Do-Yeaon).

The film radiates around Lady Dho in an excellent performance from (Lee Mi-Suk) whose intriguing with her cousin Jo-won amidst their repressed sexual attraction for each other are a delight.

The somewhat stylised acting does I assume represent the customs of 18th century Korean nobility and accentuates the moments of warm personal relationships.

However this film is about the cold subtle cruelty of seduction and intrigue amidst the luxury and beauty of a Korean court.

It is the first film Bae Yong-Jun has directed as well as playing Jo-won and is a fine achievement. His second film “April Snow” is due for release in seven countries this month and will be at the top of my rental list when available on DVD.

sexy classic

if you liked dangerous liaisons, you'll love this. It's beautifully designed and filmed, with enjoyably amoral characters and an interesting final twist.

Stunning and Sexy

A beautiful and sexy fine adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Visually stunning !

Fabulous

This is beautiful to look at; boasts some superlative performances, but above all, it's very very sexy. Hugely enjoyable.

[Highly rated reviewer]

A faithful adaptation of Laclos, brilliantly re-imagined

What surprised me the most about J-Yong's film was how faithful it remained to the original novel - perhaps even more so than Vadim, Frears or Forman. Clearly there are resonances for those who know Korean history far better than I, but the story-telling is absolutely crisp, the cinematography gorgeous, the icy distance exactly right, the cruelty perfectly captured.

Excellent transformation of a book to a movie

If you like costume dramas then this will be a choice to have on the priority list.

[Highly rated reviewer]

beautiful colours but overlong

Great cinematography but overdone in terms of trying to use it keep a sensual mood whle the film spends time on its longeurs. Reasonably acted but not enough sexual tension between the leads and the use of assassins to punish someone for social indescretions seemed straight out of The Draughtsmans Contract. Plus the 'good' woman to be seduced is no where near as gorgeous as Michelle Pfieffer so I found the pursuit and subsequent love hard to believe. I would recommend someone to see Dangerous Liaisons (or see it again) rather than this.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Good, but not as good as the Hollywood version

I liked this version of Les Liasions Dangereuses, but as the Hollywood version Dangerous Liasons is one of my favourite films of all time it had a lot to live up to. I can freely admit the the cinematography is top notch and the performances are excellent. However...in my opinion the male lead was totally miscast. In the Hollywood version we had the delightfully malipulative and womanising John Malkovich convincing us with ease why he is able to seduce any woman in his path with his very charismatic sexually charged performance. In this version Mr Bae just doesnt convince me at all that he could pull a muscle never mind a woman. Ok, he doesnt 'float my boat', but believe me, there are so many incredibly handsome and charismatic Korean actors out there (Lee Byung Hun 'A Bittersweet Life'would have been ideal) that I cannot understand why they chose this actor. That gripe aside...its a nice watch, but not a patch on the American version.

Excellent!

Wow! they told the story beautifully, It's a copy of Dangerous Liasons's and boy does it do the film justice,it was sexy unlike cruel intentions version, the acting is supreme the atmosphere film of the film is great...a must watch!!!

A beautiful interpretation ...

This is a beautiful interpretation of the original Liasons Dangereuses - so much so that it seemed that the Eastern setting was ideal for the production. It is convincingly acted and lavishly filmed. A must see.

JPL.