Tyrant king and clowns rule S.Korean box office

By Jon Herskovitz and Kim Yeon-hee

SEOUL (Reuters) – While Hollywood anointed new stars at the
Academy Awards ceremony, South Korea was celebrating its
biggest ever box office hit — a film with subtle gay themes
about a tyrannical ruler and his jesters.

“King and the Clown,” made for about $4.5 million, has
taken an estimated 82.6 billion won ($85 million) at the box
office, an official at the production company said by telephone
on Monday.

Nearly 12 million people — a quarter of the population —
have seen the film since it was released about 10 weeks ago,
the producers said in a statement.

It became the number-one film in South Korean box office
history over the weekend, and industry officials said it could
be the first to pass the $100 million mark domestically.

“King and the Clown” is the fictional story of two jesters
who are taken into the court of a king and entertain him with
satires as he battles various plots to oust him.

The king becomes enthralled with one of the male jesters,
who has the beauty of a young girl. The other jester also likes
the young man, who fans have dubbed with the Korean term of
“kkotminam,” or “flower boy.”

The film has become an unexpected success.

It does not have any major stars. It is a historical piece,
whereas most of the biggest movies at the South Korean box
office have had themes about separation from the North. It was
also made with a modest budget.

Critics say it has become popular because it has scored
with different cross-sections of the population for a variety
of reasons.

Women have formed fan clubs to support the actor who plays
the effeminate clown. Middle-aged men have enjoyed the story of
political intrigue, while younger viewers have enthused about
the movie over the Internet.

The film has also attracted a cult following of people who
cannot get enough of the story and the actors.

“I’ve seen the movie 12 times,” one fan wrote on a Web site
devoted to the movie. “My parents don’t know I’ve seen it that
many times, but my friends understand.”

The film was also helped when South Korean President Roh
Moo-hyun watched it, even though he has seldom seen movies
while in office. Since then, political opposition groups have
compared Roh to the ineffectual king, which has created more
buzz for the film.

Producers of “King and the Clown” have played down
comparisons with the U.S. movie “Brokeback Mountain” about two
gay cowboys who keep their love a secret.

The relations among the three men in the South Korean movie
are not well defined and there are no steamy sex scenes —
instead, the king shares longing looks with the effeminate
clown.

The film’s director, Lee Jun-ik, told the Korea Times
newspaper there were elements in the story that were similar to
Shakespeare’s “King Lear” and “Hamlet.”

“Conflicts within the royal government during Korea’s
Chosun Kingdom (1392 to 1910) are not so different from those
of Europe in the Middle Ages,” Lee said.

(With additional reporting by Lee Jin-joo)

($1=970.9 won)