If you’ve read the real history of Prince Sado, you would know that he was a horrible monster of a man. The tales are filled with his brutality. He’s one of the most controversial figures in history. A man so scarred by his father that he lost his mind along with his humanity. But this film is not about the atrocities he commited. It’s about what made him that way. What turned a bright, warm-hearted and full of life man into a madman starved of affection, who wreaked havoc wherever he went. It’s an entirely different interpretation and considerably more heart breaking. For this movie, do away with all your past knowledge of history and shatter all the preconceived notions. Because if you let it, it will move you to an extent you didn’t know was possible.
Kings cannot be fathers. Sado is essentially a story about how a King driven by his own fears and inferiority complex, destroys his son’s life. It’s about a filial son who could never win his father’s favor no matter the extent of loyalty and affection he showed. It’s about little sacrifices and huge betrayals. But most of all, it’s about how love holds no meaning when there is no understanding.
This film isn’t an easy watch. The emotional and physical abuse of such a pure--hearted man breaks your soul. There are a lot of gray areas. No concrete villains or heroes. No absolute goodness or evil. Even when you want to detest some characters, you can’t. Because the tragedy of it all is just too great.
The moment I started this film, I knew I won’t be coming out unscathed. I had a tight ball of dread firmly lodged in the back of my throat and as I continued watching, that ball quickly transformed into liquid misery and came running down my cheeks. As soon as I wiped my tears, they were replaced by more. So much so, that I just stopped wiping them at all. Halfway through, I could literally feel my cheeks burning. And my heart? I felt as if there were a thousand hammers crushing it to dust.
The funny thing is, I didn’t even watch this in one go. During one of the most intense scenes of the film, something urgent came up and unfortunately I had to put a stop to it. The only time I had, to pick it back up was an hour before I had to go somewhere. I was dressed up and had my makeup on. Only 30 minutes of the film was left and because so much time had passed since I first started watching it, I thought “oh well, now the tempo is broken, I won’t be as affected anymore. Let’s get done with it and lay my curiosity to bed”. I was wrong of course, because the moment I pressed play I was back in that horrible world- as if no time had passed at all.
I remember just staring at the screen for at least 5 minutes even after the ending credits had rolled and needless to say, my makeup was a mess. I had to do it all over again.
I know that this is an acquired taste. Nobody likes too much sad shit- excessive sobbing and you lose the emotional appeal entirely. But the thing with Sado is, even when it is over the top, it somehow feels justified and doesn’t fail to pack jarring punches one after the other. It’s disturbing and yet, simple in its execution.
After this movie was released, people invented the term “ Yoo Ah In Shi Dae” which means “Time of Yoo Ah In” or “Yoo Ah In’s Golden Age” and I honestly cannot refute it. There are no words, no expressions in which I can describe the brilliance that was his acting. This, in my opinion, is his best work ever. You can see him go the extra mile and portray an extremely controversial character in such a heart-wrenchingly sincere way that it makes you weep.
The rest of the cast hold their own. They are all spectacular. The women, The King and especially the child actors.
It’s been 11 months since I last gave out a ten rating. Usually, when I rate something I deliberate a lot about it but surprisingly whenever I give out my 10’s, I don’t think or fuss at all. It’s always spontaneous and absolute. I know there could be flaws but my heart completely overcomes any critical thinking I could have done and I have no regrets.
The soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful, both manic and melancholic; perfectly embodying the Prince’s life. The fusion of past and present is impeccably done. The movie caters to small details, for example: the resemblance between the the actors playing the past and present of a character is remarkable, thus increasing authenticity.
I will re-watch this. There’s no doubt about that, but only when I’m feeling particularly masochistic.
Watch this if you want to experience the cream of Korean Cinema.
Enjoy!
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The ending isn't a surprise because it's a movie where you go knowing the heartbreaking truth, which is explained by a serie of flashbacks where we see Sado prince since he was little and how the relationship with his father keeps deteriorating with time. We have a proud father and a son who isn't "mad".
The main question who as a viewer you're going to wonder is how can be a son that horrible to try to kill his father or how can be a dad that cruel to kill his son but when you finish the movie you'll realise that there isn't bad guys or good guys.
Last year was Yoo Ah In's year with two great movies which are veteran and the throne, I can't even rate the acting for this movie he did a great job not portraying a simple character instead showing us a complex human which isn't one dimensional. Of course we can't forget Song Kang Ho who is spectacular as always and let us see more than a simple king, it's a great portrayal of a person who is king and dad at the same time. I don't forget the supporting cast and special mention to Moon Geun Young who returns after 9 years to the big screen.
Music it's a haunting song who I keep hearing after watching this workf of art (actually it isn't a song but you'll understand it after watching the movie).
This isn't a movie that I would rewatch once in a while because it really punchs you in the face.
If you like Yoo Ah In or you're interested in korean history and you want a masterpiece this movie is a MUST WATCH.
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"In the royal household, they regard their children as enemies"
This was a hard film for me to write a review for. The Throne told the events leading up to the explosive event in 1762 when King Young Jo took his troublesome son’s punishment into his own hands. Or at least part of the events, giving reasons or making excuses for Crown Prince Sado’s reprehensible behavior depending on how you looked at it.Crown Prince Sado is called before his father after a possible aborted attempt to kill the king, something largely frowned upon. The king is in a jam because he can’t execute the prince for being a traitor because of the problematic law that states the whole family of a traitor would be judged, implicating the king and royal grandson as well. If the prince kills himself, his retainers and supporters are afraid they will be executed. Eventually, the king settles on locking the prince in a rice box with no food or water. The story then flips back and forth in time to explain how the two came to this moment of deadly impasse.
King Young Jo prided himself on his studies and discipline to Confucian ideals and decorum. Sado enjoyed art and hated studying. As the young prince grew up, the king became more disenchanted with the crown prince and more critical. When he made Sado a regent, Sado attempted to change taxation and create laws to benefit the people instead of the nobles. Rival factions were not amused and the king stepped in fearing a loss of power and prestige for himself. Regardless of what decisions Sado made, the king ridiculed him. And apparently because his daddy was mean to him, Sado snapped and became a murdering deviant.
In real life, Sado murdered a eunuch and carried the head around in his private quarters. He beat and raped the women in his circle and murdered many servants. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The serial rapist/murderer behavior or a distant critical father? In the film the Queen Dowager, his wife, and other women seemed to care for him and dote on him so he wasn’t without attention and positive affirmation. It felt like the film was attempting to drum up sympathy for Sado, but I dare say all of the people he murdered and raped would not feel much compassion regardless of the reason for his brutal and inhuman behavior. Glossing over his vicious actions seemed to weigh the scales without all the facts.
The costumes, wigs, and sets were all beautiful and luxurious. The Throne excelled in the poignant performances by most of the actors including Song Kang Ho, Yoo Ah In, and Kim Hae Sook. Song showed how the king was strictly disciplined in his own life, having no leniency for Sado’s more lax behavior. He also portrayed the king as distraught by the actions he felt had to be done for the country and to spare his grandson. Yoo brought out the complexities of this screen prince who wasn’t in a hurry to be king and had his own ideas for the crown. The dissent into madness was believable. Kim played the pivotal role of the Dowager Queen who saw more good in her grandson than her son did.
If I hadn’t read about Sado’s unbearably cruel behavior, I would have rated this film higher. Somehow leaving out the details seemed disingenuous when assigning blame for his actions to the king’s critical conduct toward his son. If you can block all that out and enjoy the film for the quality acting and cinematography, it is a stunning film to watch.
4 December 2024
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The Throne deliver the history differently. Despite the unchanging fact, the PD made us see what drove both our hero apart. We got to see how much Yeongjo longing of a filial son and decent successor, as well as Sado loneliness and his hope for his father's affection. This movie shows us a brand new side of the history. Where no one's at fault. And the pain lies within their own expectation of each other.
The production team brought the best of the story with an awesome script writing and support the intense story with proper music job. All together make The Throne was so much painful yet satisfying for us. Thus, rewatching The Throne is a big no for me because I'm not sure I would okay if I experience the intense and painful story once again.
Acting-wise, what did you hope when Song Kang Ho, Yoo Ah In, and Moon Geun Yong filled your screen with such emotion in their eyes? Only tears left me. And I'm contented with it.
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I’ve said it before, I don’t often rate things a 10. I was actually torn this time because I find accuracy in history important. I still rated this that highly however because it walks in the gray area that surrounds the why in which a person became what he was, rather than the end result. Despite the memoirs that survive from that time, the truth of how he got there is still open to conjecture. This film takes a monster and turns it into a man, instead of the other way around.
Also as others have said, and I have to reiterate, the acting is just beyond phenomenal. As any role, and especially as SaDo, this man has a way of changing his entire countenance according to the character he plays. (I watched this with someone who had recently watched Chicago Typewriter with me, and he didn’t even recognize Eom Hong Sik (Yoo Ah In). He’s usually pretty damn good with recognizing faces, too.)
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STORY
First of all, I knew the movie was based on historical facts, but knew nothing about the story of Prince Sado and King Yeong Jo (again, not a history fan). Despite the political and historical elements, The Throne isn't simply relaying facts and events of the past: at its core is the relationship between a son and his father, and how ultimately, the issues between them cost Sado his life, and the King, his son.
What is fantastic about this movie is how you can easily hate and love both characters: there is no bad guy vs good guy, there is no true villain. Both the Prince and the King could take the role of the victim and the role of the oppressor. This gives them a realness that is rarely portrayed in movies or shows. The characters are truly nuanced: they have good in them, but the pain they cause each other and their frustrations lead them to terrible actions and decisions. Throughout the movie, you start understanding why they both acted they way they did. Both their perspectives are explored, and you end up feeling compassion for both characters, despite them having become enemies and basically doing horrible things.
CAST
Absolutely fantastic. Yoo Ah In and Song Kang Ho gave incredibly emotional performances that will tear your heart into shreds (still collectiong the pieces of mine). How the son and his father gradually come to hate each other, disappointment after disappointment, pain after pain, you can see it all, so be ready and grab some tissues.
Yoo Ah In did an amazing job at portraying this character who falls into madness, while still showing how human side. This movie confirmed what I alread knew: he's an outstanding actor and I'm gonna keep watching everything he is in.
MUSIC
Intense. Will support your emotional journey through this fantastic piece of cinematography (and possibly haunt you afterwards too).
REWATCH
I plan on rewatching it, but I'll wait for a day when I feel particularly in need of a cry ^^
Basically, I highly recommend watching The Throne, even if you're not into historical stuff. The complexity of human emotions and relations is the true heart of this movie. Just be ready to cry and enjoy that rollercoaster ride.
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Yoo Ah In is really underrated imo.. he just handled the dramatic scenes with ease.. became a fan.. Kang Sang Ho, the veteran, is beyond words, definitely, in the top 10 actor of the world imo..
The bgms are also applaudable, blended well with the scenes. The cinematography is really memorable from frame to frame. Overall, a movie I would recommend.
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