[HanCinema's Film Review] "Fidelity" + Full Movie

Despite dying at 37, Ha Gil-jong managed to live an impactful legacy in Korean cinema with his films. Apart from "The March of Fools", which is his most renowned work, he also directed 7 more films, with "Fidelity" being one of the most impressive, both for its audiovisual approach, but also as a subversive accusations towards Park Chung-hee regime. It is also worth noting that the number of violent scenes were so lengthy and brutal that the government censors cut twenty minutes of them, although the aforementioned attack eluded them.

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The film is set during the ancient Three Kingdom Period (220-280 AD) and begins with Yoo-sin, a rather skilled swordsman, returning to his village after ten years, only to find that his wife and daughter, as much as his village actually, have being ravaged by a cruel warlord. Through flashbacks, we learn of the troubles he had while in the army, but most of all, the way his wife and daughter had to endure poverty, epidemics, drought and a number of violent attacks from the warlord, all the while waiting for his return.

"Fidelity" begins like a western/samurai film, but this kind of action does not reappear until the very finale. Instead, the movie focuses on the tortures his wife Jil-rye and daughter Yong-boon had to suffer, in a rather brutal approach, that reminds quite intently of the "grotesque melodrama" style of Kim Ki-young, and is as far away as possible from the crowd-drawing aesthetics Shin Sang-ok repeatedly used in his movies. In that fashion, scenes of starvation and sexual exploitation fill the screen, in a comment though, that is there to highlight the misogynistic climate of the era, while mirroring the evil warlord with Park Chung-hee essentially. The approach is actually quite difficult to watch, with the sound of the women being tortured and the demonic laughter of the men adding to the appalling nature of the events.

At the same time, some lackadaisical elements do exist, as the presence of ghosts and the aforementioned action scenes, as much as the intense melodrama, which here takes a truly horrific form, as the protagonist never find any kind of solace or catharsis through their troubles, with the ending cementing this approach in the most eloquent fashion. One could easily say that the way the protagonists end up, is actually a mocking of the title of the movie, since there is no kind of reward, for any kind of fidelity here, in a rather ironic comment.

Apart from context, the truly impressive aspect of the title is the overall artform. Music plays a rather central role, with Ha commissioning gayageum player Hwang Byung-ki and famed pansori singer Kim So-hui to create the historically accurate soundtrack, with the narrative quite frequently following the music, instead of the other way around. In that fashion, the film frequently resembles an opera of sorts, with the rhythm of events on screen mirroring that of the music, in an element that also highlights the excellent editing by Yu Jae-won.

The intense coloring, frequently in the brutal scenes, also works quite well in terms of the atmosphere implemented here, adding to the overall impressive visuals, as also presented through the job done in the set design and the costumes. You Young-gil cinematography is exceptional in capturing all the aforementioned, in a no-punches pulled approach that zoom-ins relentlessly during the torturing scenes.

The acting is probably the weakest factor of the movie, with the excessive performances by Hah Myung-joong as Yoo-sin and Oh Ji-myung in the role of the overlord becoming annoying after a fashion. Park Ji-yeong as Jil-rye and Lee Young-ok as Yong-boon are somewhat better, particularly since their roles are rather hard considering the tortures their characters endure.

Apart from this, however, and despite the fact that it is quite hard to watch due to the excessive violence, "Fidelity" emerges as an excellent movie that thrives in both context and production values.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"Fidelity" is directed by Ha Gil-jong, and features Hah Myung-joong, Park Ji-yeong, Lee Young-ok, Yoon Il-bong, Oh Ji-myung, Lee Hyang. Release date in Korea: 1974/03/23.