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I really liked the symbols in the story that seemed to foreshadow the upcoming events, especially the children playing cat's cradle in the beginning. It seemed to tell the audience that twisted and complicated events were to come up, and I thought this was really clever.
ReplyDeleteAll the characters were unique, and it seemed that they were all strongly obsessed with something (the maid: the teacher / the wife: making sure the family doesn't fall apart / the teacher: saving his family...etc). Each character had its own strong color, and I think that helped in making the story more interesting and thrilling.
The Housemaid is not a typical movie with a subject matter that I would have thought to be taboo in such a conservative Korea in the 1960s. However, I believe the subject matter of adultery was a pretty popular topic because of the westernization occuring during that time. The film was portrayed with many American aspects, like the clothing and hairstyles that were very representative of the 60s in America. Also, there were English subtitles for some parts and even the actress spoke a line in English. The American influence can be clearly seen in the movie, but still there seemed to be a longing for a Korean element. I noticed that while all the other characters wore American style clothing, the wife throughout the film wore traditional Korean clothes called a hanbok.
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised at first to see the plot of the movie, since it was released when Korea was very conservative. However, the way the different characters acted in the situation went on to portray how conservative Korea was at the time: the wife sacrificed many things and faced humiliation in order to hold her family together and save her husband's reputation in public. This would not be how the average wife would act in this day and age. It was interesting, however, to see that the man began to lose some of his exertion of control once he realized that the maid was pregnant, and suddenly the wife was shown to begin taking control and make big decisions, such as encouraging the girl to get an abortion.
ReplyDeleteThe film had some interesting camera movement that reminded me somewhat of Hitchcock. There was a lot of zooming and tracking movement to redirect the audience's focus to important parts of the scene, such as a character's reaction to a situation, and also to create feelings of surprise or suspense. I thought it was interesting that there was a closeup of the maid holding the water with the rat poison, because it created suspense. I also noticed a connection between the appearance of rats and the presence of Ms. Cho in the teacher's home; eventually there is a connection that is developed between rats and rat poison and Ms. Cho and the maid.
From the very beginning "The Housemaid" insidently reminded me of the movies that was made this year; "The Bat" or "Mother," because they share in it's highly tense and sophisticaed story development and it's weird/strong phsycological empact. Especially, the begining of the movie wehre the two children play with the rope resembeled so much of the unexplainable tenstion and confusion that was presented in the beginning of "Mother" where an old women slowly dances for a long time in the middle of the yellow field. Altough the film quality and camera system is much more primitive in 1960s, the film maker's comprehension and the actors' ability is as good as that of today.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw "The Mother," it was too weired that although it had certain artitic qualities that are praise worthy, it is altimately the mutated monsterous product born out of 21st century Media/Culture. However, seeing "The Housemaid" I realized that it wasn't so. This made me realize tthat The cultural status(morality?) in 1960s was not much different from that of today, 2009.
From the very beginning "The Housemaid" insidently reminded me of the movies that was made this year; "The Bat" or "Mother," because they share in it's highly tense and sophisticaed story development and it's weird/strong phsycological empact. Especially, the begining of the movie wehre the two children play with the rope resembeled so much of the unexplainable tenstion and confusion that was presented in the beginning of "Mother" where an old women slowly dances for a long time in the middle of the yellow field. Altough the film quality and camera system is much more primitive in 1960s, the film maker's comprehension and the actors' ability is as good as that of today.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw "The Mother," it was too weired that although it had certain artitic qualities that are praise worthy, it is altimately the mutated monsterous product born out of 21st century Media/Culture. However, seeing "The Housemaid" I realized that it wasn't so. This made me realize tthat The cultural status(morality?) in 1960s was not much different from that of today, 2009.
[Da Yoon Kim]
The Housemaid was completely different from the typical 1960s films and it probably was ahead of time. It dealt with adultery which is pretty common nowdays in Korean dramas and movies. However, I think it would have been viewed as a taboo because of the extreme story and too much exposure. Although some contents were bizzare, distinct characters allowed the story to flow smoothly.
ReplyDeleteHyundo Park
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ReplyDeleteIt is fairly well known that Asian cultures around the world are, for the most part, conservative and Koreans are no exception. "The Housemaid," regardless of being a Korean film with its implications of conservativism in the beginning, addresses sensitive subjects like adultery and abortion. There were a few comedic moments where the father disciplined the children, however, most of the movie was serious and dramatic when portraying the dynamics of marriage and gender relations. The movie implies that only tragedy can come out of adultery. The ending was unexpected and the comical element there serves to reinforce the moral of the story, that which is family and happiness is not worth risking. (Anny Wong)
ReplyDeleteThe camera shots and editting made the movie much more interesting. For example, the shot where the teacher strangles the maid's neck, the sculture one the wall from the maid's perspective looks blurry. Also the strong tension between the characters catch the viewers' interest untill the end not only because of the story but also because of the dynamic camera angle of the face shots. Although the tone of the movie was united through the story, the movie constantly showed unexpected shift of the story. Of course the biggest shift was at the end, where the viewers realize nothing actually happened to the family or the main character starts to talk with the audience, but even in personality of the teacher's wife had a big change throughout the story. On the other hand, there were expectable symbols like the two dead rats poisoned by the rat poison appointing the death of the teacher and the maid. Overall, complexity of the movie made itself interesting in many ways
ReplyDeleteThis film is full of suspense, and the sound effects were helpful to keep the tension throughout the film. In terms of the camera movement and the plot, the film was more dynamic than I have expected. The ending of this film was interesting and unusual: the teacher started to speak to the audience. In fact, his questions made me to think about how much people are vulnerable to temptation. I found this ending effective.
ReplyDeleteAlthough most of the scenes of this movie were taken in one setting, the two-storey house, the director used each and every single space (the interior location of the house per sequence) adding meaning to every one of them. The articulate relationship between space and sculptures were also things not to miss out throughout the movie. The mask with a sneer look hanging on the wall of the piano room (piano room = space of sneer), the gypsum crown symbolizing judgement, hanging on the wall next to the stairs (stairs = space of judgement) and the gypsum with a painful look at the corridor next to the stairs (corridor = space of torment).
ReplyDeleteThe use of foreshadowing alongside the eery music allows the suspense to hold the attention of the viewer. At the very beginning, the game of cat's cradle foreshadowed just how one thing can lead to another. The one camera angle that stuck out was the cabinet camera which showed the girls face, the rat poison, from inside the cabinet. This allowed for a greater dramatic effect emphasizing the rat poison and how it played an important role in the movie. The movie changed scenes at well thought out places and was able to successfully pass along the moral. After allowing the viewer to begin to feel strong emotions towards the characters such as attachment, and hatred, the film concludes by taking all those emotions of the audience and turning them into laughter and joy which I found to be very relieving.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the film, I found that certain things the characters said revealed a lot about the social expectations of family life and of women at the time. For instance, after the teacher had an affair with the maid, the maid exclaimed that he should take responsibility for her since no one will marry her because she is no longer a virgin. Also, the teacher's wife is seemingly less concerned with her husband's cheating than she is with the possibility of the towns people finding out about it. The film on its entirety was very unique in its use of music -- almost entirely horror-esque -- and its use of intense screen shots of the actors. However, I found the movie could have used less of the rat poison method as a threatening device. Towards the end of the film, I was looking for something other than the constantly recurring poison-in-a-bottle that seemed less menacing with each appearance.
ReplyDeleteFrom the start, the film "The Housemaid" captured extra attention from me; I've read from an article that the director Kim Ki-Young is looked up upon by my favorite director Park Chan-wook. The representation of femme fatale character in the film "The Housemaid" reflected the female character Taejoo from Director Park's film "Thirst" (2009). The impression of the female power must have been shocking enough to last so many years. The factory girl standing behind the cold window with a vengeful expression keeps coming back to my mind.
ReplyDeleteThe film "The Housemaid" was very successful to deliver the eerie atmosphere because of the sound effects and the camera work. Also, the rain and thunderstorms for the background gave more strange and ominous feeling whenever the maid appeared in the film. Slight irony at the end of the film was very successful to catch audience's attention and to deliver the lesson.
ReplyDeleteThe film "The Housemaid" comprised of unique film techniques such as shooting certain scenes through the eyes of the characters (ex: camera swerving from side to side to depict the taxi loosing control, blurring the focus of the camera to signify the mistress' vision as she is about to faint,shooting through the glass of water as the mistress is about to poison the young son, etc) and foreshadowing (thundering, lightening, dramatic background music when someone bad is about to happen). Most importantly, the film awkwardly makes certain scenes over dramatic or a bit frightening. However, it seems that this is made on purpose to tie into the ending where the man warns young men not to be lured by housemaids. In a sense, the consistent drama and horror seems to work to scare men from falling into the same scenario as depicted in the film.
ReplyDeleteThe Housemaid was full of drama and thrill. I felt that the music is what made the scenes so intense and i liked how the director used different camera angles throughout each scene just like modern movies. Also, how the camera would follow the housemaid on the balcony and show her point of view as well as the piano student's and the husband. Although I don't know how open minded people in Korea were at the time, I feel as if this movie displayed a lot of explicit ideas for a 1960's Korean movie which was really surprising for me.
ReplyDeleteThe Housemaid portrayed a dark and taint picture of the life of what would initially appear to be a regular family. The perception that the characters involved in this plot are commonplace and normal seemed to disintegrate as character development advanced; the individual who becomes the housemaid is quite eccentric and seemingly uncontrollable. The daughter of the family is on crutches, the son lies as if part of his nature and the wife is overly dramatic, where the father/piano teacher seems most normal out of everyone else in the film. Kim Ki-yong plays with ideas of mortality as introduced by rat poison, coincidental circumstances, and flawed human nature, which is interesting because of the time period in which this film was produced. The ambience of the film was low and heavy, with the ending turning into a type of lesson or public service announcement which contradicted how the viewer felt for the duration of the film. The ending itself was unexpected and left the viewer puzzled as to why one had endured through the horrid plot of the film. Nonetheless, the film was unique and unprecedented, even to my experiences. -Abraham Chon
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the most interesting shot of the entire 108 minutes of The Housemaid was the reflection shot in the bar; the glasses and bottles frame the scene quite nicely. The rest of the filming, however, seems repetitive in terms of techniques and angles used - for example the continual viewing of the music room from the side corner, zooming up towards the piano. The Housemaid is shocking in its absurdity as well as its provocative nature. It is furthermore emotionally dark and heavy due to its dealings with topics including abortion, murder, adultery, and suicide. The soundtrack and the camera lingering on creepy expressions contribute to the intensity of this melodramatic experimental film.
ReplyDeleteOne of the first things I noticed was the improvement in cinematography that helped to develop the characters and expand the confines of the two story house where most of the shots took place. One of the key shots was the tracking that would occur from the mistress’s room to the piano room. This really helped to expose another part of the set and showed another aspect of the how devious the housemaid was by sneaking around unnoticed. Also the close ups whether it was a face in the window or of the poison in the water added to the intensity of the more dramatic scenes. The film really revealed the time period it was filmed in as evidence of western influence was spread throughout (clothing style, use of an English idiom, lots of cars, jazz music). Yet it still felt very Korean because of the high importance of family that was carried throughout the film.
ReplyDeleteCompared to Homeless Angels, The Housemaid showed a great contrast in numerous artistic touches. The Housemaid had smoother transitions from scene to scene, much better lighting, soundtrack, and greater angles than Homeless Angels, hinting a significant improvement of the film industry over the two decades. What I also noticed the most about the film is the careful costume design: the mother was often wearing white clothing while the housemaid often wore dark clothing, representing good and evil.
ReplyDeleteIt is debatable weather this is a horror movie or comedy or drama. Basically, unlike the first movie (Homeless Angels), the camera angle and the story was more dynamic. There was foreshadowing, special effect of rain and lighting strikes.
ReplyDeleteWhile watching the movie, I was trying to see how the movie related to Korean history of 1960s, and why the movie focused on adultery if such actions were viewed with scorn. Well Korea was developing and implementing reformation policy since the war had ended in 1953. As more modernization and western influence merged with developing Korea, I believe that movie was trying to deliver a message of how Korea was losing its tradition. It also showed class distinction of how factory workers (or lower class people)and middle class had begun to slip apart ever since capitalism was brought to South Korea. It is interesting to see how the husband tries to relief himself from misery but worries more about the financial status and providing food to his family. However, the story of the movie is some how projecting South Korea of today, and perhaps this may be the reason why that the movie is still not forgotten.
Even though the movie had somewhat sexual materials, like improper love between housemaid and the host, I thought that the techniques of filming were advanced, compared to the last movie, Homeless angels. Also, by arranging people in the movie in both inside and outside of the stories, it gave the movie more realities. (I mean, the same people are appeared both when they talk about the newspaper articles and when the real main stories were spread out). At the last part, although it was funny for hero to warn audiences as he really talk to us, it was so special in that usually nowadays, people acts as there are no cameras in front of them. I’m looking forward to watching more advanced movies than today for the next class.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the film it is clear that several advancements had been made in cinematography since Homeless Angels. We are exposed to several tracking shots which follow a character or move around to keep an eye on the action with one shot, as opposed to cutting it up into multiple shots. We also find a more substantial use of music to create a sense of foreboding or suspense, in most cases over the top, representative of the melodrama genre. While we are exposed to new techniques, we still find that traditional conservative Korean ideals are still present in the film showing that while progress is being obtained there is consistency in the major themes.
ReplyDeleteWith my expectations of a 1960's Korean film, The Housemaid was nothing but impressive. I believe that coming into the film without knowing much about it amplified its effect. One particular scene that stood out was when the mother was going up the stairs and the noticeably loud piano music that the maid was playing was in unison with the mother's steps. This was when the mother just found out that the maid was pregnant. I believe the sychronizing of music and steps were to emphasize and dramatize the scene and to provoke more thrill. This type of film in Korean cinema definitely seemed to makes it mark in history. Recorded under the "Golden Age", The Housemaid is different from other Korean films because it came out during a time of liberation and less limitation.
ReplyDeleteThe film covered many controversial issues. I noticed the gender issues and gender relations the most. The film was careful not to blame either sex for adultery. The woman's anguish in her body being treated as an object or toy sensitively reflected that adultery is not completely the adulteress' fault. Likewise, the father was portrayed respectably as a man struggling to honor his duties. Advanced techniques added to the horror and suspense effectively. The surprise ending balanced the film's creepy drama and made it more enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the film, the music teacher states that half the life of the household depends on the housemaid. This becomes more than true for them as their life and ultimately becomes dependent on the housemaid. The teacher succumbs to "primitive instincts" to seek immediate pleasure in an act seen as so immoral that there is a law sentencing adulterers to jail time. This "law [was] created in the belief that adultery damaged the social order." When the housemaid gains power through her blackmail, she begins to obstruct the structure and hierarchy of the household which causes the derailment and destruction of the family. The girl has a face of a innocent virgin at first but then she also succumbs to her own immediate pleasures of smoking and is later depicted as evil in fast cuts (?) to her face looking in from the outside as an unwanted outsider forcing her way into the household. At the end, direct address is used to show the closeness of the world in the film and our own reality so as to point out that this can also happen in our world.
ReplyDelete*ultimately fate
ReplyDeleteThe Housemaid was produced in a different approach compared to other movies I have seen in the past. First off, the plot in general was different from movie scenarios seen today. What the producer tended to do in the movie was parallel character emotions with the weather; for example, if something bad was to happen, lightning would strike in the background. So to a certain extent, several scenes were very predictable. Focusing more on the actual “acting” in this melodramatic movie, I sensed that the actors exaggerated a lot of their emotions through obvious body language and sounds making it seem very unrealistic--- very different from acting today.
ReplyDeleteAs I was watching this film, I began to have respect for Korean movies. I thought Korean movies were just to entertain people, unlike in other countries, some films get you to think deep and learn. In the movie "The Housemaid", I thought it really made fun of how men think of women and it showed women's power rather than men's power. This was surprising because in Korean culture, men are powerful than women. I really liked how the director played the scenes with the sliding door. When the door opens, an even starts and when it closes, that event ends. I didn't like the ending where the guy talks to the audience
ReplyDeletebecause it felt like he was giving away too much information where if a question is left behind, the audience can relate or connect to the film.
It is interesting to see how seriously extramarital affairs were viewed in the Korean culture during the 1960’s. The affair with the housemaid not only complicated the teacher’s life, but affected his whole family as well. What struck me most was how far the family was willing to go in order to prevent the maid from going public about the affair, out of fear that their lives would be ruined. Despite having her husband cheating on her and her son murdered right in front of her, I was extremely surprised, if not disturbed, to see how the wife didn’t really seem to care and was much more concerned about their economic loss if their reputation were to be tainted. This just comes to show how much society and culture affects and plays a part in people’s lives. Compared to that of Korea, the grave nature of extramarital affairs almost seems like a minor violation in our present-day America.
ReplyDeleteThe film seemed to use cinematic techniques that resemble those of American films, but the meandering of the narrative and the abrupt changes in tone had a disorienting effect. The director would employ suspense techniques such as rapid editing or ominous music, but the melodrama undermined the horror and make it campy. Although the ending was an interesting gimmick, the previous subjectivity of the film did not suggest that the story was solely from the male’s point of view. There are even shots that specifically show the housewife’s perspective (such as when the man chokes her and we see her view of the statue shaking and blurred). And often the woman figure is the watcher, or more specifically, the spectator, and though she is the one who is the most exaggerated, she is also the most interesting, active, and complex.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed the film once again. I liked that every character had his or her own distinctive personality and depth. As for the opening of the film, I had to wonder about why it began with the children playing cat's cradle. Cat's cradle, as we all know, is an endless game, until someone messes up. One could arguably draw a parallel comparison between the plot of the movie and the game -- or, perhaps, the director only meant it to be a distract for the viewers to watch as the opening credits rolled on screen. I thought the film was very well crafted, although it was hard for me to adjust to the film in some ways -- the overly dramatic music, for example, and some abrupt mood changes. Also, I thought the maid was, as a character, slightly confusing. (But then again, she was a little crazy.) The plot itself was extremely intriguing in many aspects, but at one point, I just had to step back and say, "Wow, this poor family has been driven to a crazy situation where not only do they house a murderess in the house, they are controlled by the whims of a mentally unstable woman." So, moral of the story? Girls, don't marry a good looking guy, and boys, don't hire a young, beautiful, and insane maid. Everyone, don't keep rat poison in your house, and Steven, please let us out at 12:40 sharp. =)
ReplyDelete"The Housemaid" is a fantastic example of the suspense genre. As I watched I couldn't help but be reminded of Hitchcock, with the deft use of sound and music to amplify the tension. The cramped setting of the house also served to build the suspense, along with the constant reminder of the rat poison in the cabinet. Another thing that struck me was the utter helplessness of the man--after having consummated his affair with the housemaid, he is rendered completely inert, tossed about by the will of the women in the house, even agreeing to a joint suicide with the maid. It seems that the women are the true actors in the film, with the males being victims: the husband a victim of seduction, the son murdered, and the newborn son threatened by the presence of the housemaid. Also surprising was the wife's insistence upon maintaining some sort of order within the household, blaming the affair on herself instead of her husband, yielding her husband to the maid, and not reporting the murder of the son.
ReplyDelete“Melodramatic horror.” This film has far-reaching implications about gendered and socioeconomic dynamics in Korea during the 1950/60s. The self-sacrificing, faithful wife, the rejected female tormented by unrequited love, and the temptress housemaid turned mistress, are all female figures whose lives hinge upon the decisions of one married man. Ironically, the film’s narrator expresses the opposite; such that once a man’s decisions have been influenced or seduced by women (including his wife who had initially asked for a new house, material wealth), all is doomed and their identities change forever. This message is indicative of the patriarchal society in Korea. The fixed identity of the stereotypically good wife, mother, and woman is evident; all the temptress characters that attempt to tear a good family apart are “working girls” from the factory, as opposed to domestic women. The psychology behind the film is realistic – both the “prey” and “predators” are tormented throughout, and occasionally the prey/predator relationship seems to alternate. Disparity between the bourgeois and the lower class is evidenced by the question appropriately raised by the housemaid – why should it be only she, a working maid, who loses a son while the wife of a bourgeois household keep hers?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this film, the characters were strange in their own ways, and the house itself was creepy. The ending of the film was a total 360 degree turn, but I guess to ease the minds of the Korean audience of the 60's, it had to turn out that way. The rat poison that was in the movie was quite effective as the motif used in this film. It was what had the audience thinking in the back of their minds about who would fall victim to the poison, since the tone of the film seemed dark and deathly. The whole time, I thought that the housemaid was going to kill everyone in the family. The movie had the audience guessing who will end up dying, and how? The ending was ridiculous in a way, but it is understandable that at the time before the Park Chung Hee era, Korean film was consolidated into a government run industry. So censorship and educating the public might have been a sticking point.
ReplyDeleteThe Housemaid brought huge impact on my expectation of old Korean movie. The movie based on thriller between poor homemaid and cold minded house owner brought shocked and scared audiences by spectacular sound and background effects. One thing I surprised about this film was it ended with a funny and serious lesson about immorality. I think the Homemaid criticised social relation problems with strong inspirations.
ReplyDeleteI could definitely see how Korean movies from the 1950's have evolved to the Korean movies shown today. Everything about this film such as the music, acting and the way it was directed was melodramatic, but I think that many Korean films today are just as dramatic or even more. This film also showed important gender roles where although the husband was the one who committed adultery, the wife had to suffer the consequences and work even harder. She forgave her husband, and let the woman who killed her son continue to live at her house and sleep with her husband. She allowed this because she couldn't imagine what her life would become if her husband did not have that job any longer. This shows how powerless woman were in Korea in the 1950's as well.
ReplyDeleteFrom the very beginning of this film with the shot of the clenched fist to the open palm with smoke filling the screen was one of the most powerful images I've seen on film. You can immediately tell that Kim-ki-yong is an image maker, that he loves genre films, and that he is influenced by western directors and cinematography. He is a director who understands how to manipulate the audience and how to pick at the nerves of our secret desires and sometimes psychotic obsessions. Though I don't think the ending did justice to the film, it was what made it a dark comedy which was the point because throughout the film Kim-ki-yong let's us know that this story does not exist in realm of reality.
ReplyDeleteIndeed for the 20 years of interval, Housemaid shows many different factors from Homeless Angels: better camera work, smoother scene change, and most of all, much more unrestricted plot. I might have been able to directly tell that this movie was made after Korean's liberation from Japan without any information when it was filmed. The interesting part was the starting scene and ending scene is linked together by starting the movie with zooming into the house through the window on a rainy day, and ending it by zooming out from the house to the full-shot of the house and the street, then again, zooming into the house that appears in the first scene. Overall atmosphere of this movie is very dark, humid, and gruesome, but the starting and ending is somewhat bright, a technique that seems very fresh for me. Though the contrast of brightness and darkness appears often in many movies, Housemaid's contrast is special because the ending is very shocking: ending not like a normal movie but like a propaganda film made by the government to enlighten people. Similar contrast of brightness and darkness could be found in the movie by the piano, once being a symbol of the harmony of well-educated person's family, and once being a medium of showing the gruesomeness of the housemaid.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the movie, I was quite confused by symbolisms. Many symbolisms unrelated to the theme of the movie confused me and I was not sure where the movie is heading until the scene where the music teacher suddenly turns to the audience and warns adultery. I noted complicated relationship among Kwak, Kyunghee, the housemaid and the music teacher, but i couldn't really identify significance of Kwak and Kyunghee even though I thought they were the main characters of the movie in the very beginning. This movie touches on the subject matter that is not often discussed openly even today among Koreans: excessive sexual desire leading to adultery. The movie is somewhat revolutionary, although I was disappointed with the misleading symbolisms.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was so twisted. I honestly did not expect for a movie produced in the 1960s to be this disturbing. For the time period in which the movie was made, I would say that the director, Kim Ki-yong, was courageous to shoot such a film with this specific story line. I would think that audiences would be in an uproar about the perversion of the film. On the other hand, Kim Ki-yong did an excellent job in putting the movie together. I was captivated by the plot despite how much I do not like watching movies of this genre. There was not a single point in the movie when I was bored. In fact, my eyes were glued to the screen because the director did a good job of keeping the audience in suspense throughout the film. The ending of the movie was unexpected. I forgot it was just a daydream the whole time. Additionally, when the actor playing Mr. Kim faced the camera and talked to the audience, I almost thought he was about to give a Public Service Announcement. This was not even the case. It almost seemed like it was supposed to be a funny and lighthearted story which I found slightly disturbing.
ReplyDeleteThe film, while interesting, was a little awkward to sit through and somewhat difficult to keep up with. The plot started with Miss Kwak and Kyung-Hee, but they were pushed aside by the later introduced housemaid. The ending of the film was abrupt and almost disappointing in a way. The complexity of the characters and their conflicts were at once lost when the film ended with a public service announcement like warning. Though the thought of excessive sexuality in a sexually repressed society (as well as being taken hostage by that sexuality in one's own home) was and still is a contemporary concern and fear in Korea, the overly dramatic and uncharacteristically ruthless characters did more to take away from the film than add to it.
ReplyDeleteThis film was an interesting film for its time in which it focused on the concerning subjects of adultery, abortion, murder, and suicide. The director did a great job portraying his message about the dangers these heinous acts could bring not only to the people who commit these acts, but also to the love ones around them. The director showed how one crime could easily lead to another and vividly presented how much the loved ones around the piano instructor had to suffer as a consequence of his wrong doings. The director indicates his intention of making this film by making the piano instructor speak directly to the audience at the end. In this dialogue, he warns the audience about the dangers these type of crimes could bring and how they could destroy many lives.
ReplyDelete“The Housemaid” creates the tension at the beginning through the cat’s cradle with a discordant music. Throughout the film, there is a constant suspense by using the sound effects, same images like mouse, poison, and piano and close-up shots. The sound effects like thunder and orchestra music also play role as foreshadowing. Additionally, the repeated scenes and limited setting such as the house and the music classroom increase a tense atmosphere. The different angles of the filming and soundtrack help to produce a better quality of the film. The movie demonstrates the people’s lifestyle and thoughts during 1960s.
ReplyDeleteCompared to the previous movie, The Homeless Angels, this movie, too, represented its era- the Golden Age. This era consisted of melodramatic themes, and The Housemaid encompasses this concept well. By incorporating techniques such as close-up on actors' faces, sudden changes in camera angles from one face to another, and high-pitched music, Kiyong Kim conveys numerous topics that suit the melodramatic theme- abortion, sexual immorality, love and murder. By combining these controversial themes, he captivated the audience. He demonstrated that these human emotions influence their lifestyles and perhaps ultimately control their lives. He conveys a message that these pathos overcome logos and become dominating forces. For example, the right act for the main character should've been to call the police and remove her from his household despite the damages that it might have brought upon the family. However, he chose not to, which only created more problems. Kiyong's purpose in creating this film is to convey a point that human lives are affected by these controversial issues,and because we're humans with feelings, we're in fact doomed to live lives with complications. His message is rather true, and these issues are stil prevalent till this day, in reality and in movies.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this film, the Housemaid. Each character represented their social position and their responsibility to maintain(or rise) it. Also, the director decribed delicately enough to show their emotions. A woman who is in low position (the housemaid) desires to have a higher position and to be loved exclusivey by a man who is in higher position. A woman (who is the mother and the wife) who is in high position cares her family, helps her husband to keep the family, and still wants to have a higher position. A man (who is the father, the husband and the teacher) pursue the happiness from the responsibility to keep the family , but also it can a pain and a pressure. Also, the format of this film was outstanding that the story was only an imagination.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the key aspects of the film that the directer Kim Ki-Young utilized is the use of diagetic sound. During various times the background of the piano being practice or pounded on really added to the suspense of the film. Other instances were the sound of water trickling or the squirrel running in its cage during silent moments. I also recognized Kim's excellent use of symbology lke the cat's game in the beginning as a symbol of the complications in relationships throughout the movie. There was also a scene that took place soon after the teachers affair where he looked into the mirror and the camera angle changed to show him and the reflection while the mistress put herself in between them symbolizing her interference and imposition on his values. Overall, I thought the movie was well-made and I enjoyed the noir elements involved in the film like the femme fatale and the inevitable fate of the protagonist.
ReplyDeleteIn the unpredictable film "Housemaid", the significance of human desires plays a vital role, where it can lead to serious conseuences. By utilizing reiterating images and similar camera angles such as all the characters' behaviors and facial expressions when it comes to rat-poisening. The repeating camera angels and similar facial expressions in the rat-poisening for every single characters emphasizes that it is not necessarily the individual's mistake but it is human nature that takes deep root in our culture. Furthermore, th ending was very unpredictable. By watching the character on the film speak directly to the audience, it relieved tension and was able to sum up this entire film into a comic film.
ReplyDelete-Julia Kim
What interested me the most in the movie “The Housemaid” was the ‘two-sidedness’ of the characters’ personality. The father (Tong-Sik), who plays a big role in the film, seems like a standard father with parental warmth and financial responsibility. He maintains a good relationship with his children and even cooks curry rice for his sick wife. However, his sullen and easily tempted soul reveals as the housemaid’s seduction begins. While Tong-Sik’s high self-confidence has prevented him from having an affair with his students in the past, the housemaid’s feminine feature and aggressive attitude finally make him give in.
ReplyDeleteThe mother, who tends to be strict on children’s education and tries to set a perfect role model for them, becomes very dependent and effeminate in front of her husband. For example, she screamed and overreacted when a rat appeared in the kitchen in order to gain attention from her husband.
The housemaid, unquestionably the most interesting character of all, is the most suitable representation of multiple personality. Unlike most other audience, I feel pitiful toward her rather than being furious. With my effort to be part of the movie in her point of view, I could understand her situation better. I believe it was her longing for belonging rather than material needs that made her become so obsessive and morally corrupt. Her seductive behavior towards Tong-Sik was not out of love but resulted from her desire to gain other’s affection and feel special for at least once in her life. Even when Tong-Sik loses his temper, she begs him only not to kick her out of the house promising that she will no longer ask for any money or cigarette. The fact that her core soul is not evil is hinted numerously in the scenes when she agrees to intentionally fall down the stairs while pregnant, and when she cooks for Tong-Sik’s daughter who has been refusing to eat since her brother’s death.
The way the house is divided into two stories and multiple rooms, each with different function and mood, provides a perfect setting for the portrayal of multi-sidedness. The filming technique in which the camera stays outside the window when viewing the piano room intensifies the suspense for the audience. Also, the rapid tracking on the housemaid’s face allows her presence to unexpectedly shock the viewers. The director of “The Housemaid” should be called an experimentalist who was not afraid to take risks and play with various visual representations.
Kim Ki-Young, the Korean Hitchcock’s “The Housemaid” not only created a new genre as “Korean horror melodrama” but also brought out a huge controversy at the time because of the sensational and violent plot. Despite its somewhat unsuitability at the time in Korea, one of the things that made this film special and memorable is his use of camera angles. First there are a lot of tracking shots for characters’ entrance and exit, allowing us to see with the character’s eyes and to become more involved. Second, in contrast to frequent appearance of long takes, he also used a lot of inter cuts and fast cuts, depending on the mood of each scene. Thirdly, “frame in the frame” shots were noticed especially when the camera pans from looking inside of the housemaid’s room to the piano room. This technique allows us to be audiences that are one step closer as if we are secretly spying on their private lives. His advanced and unique use of camera opened a completely new gateway of filmmaking in 1950s’ and his creative plot led him to be a pioneer of avant-garde films, being a precursor of Korean film history with his greatest film “The Housemaid”.
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