The Royal Tailor
       
                     
Director: Lee Won-suk
Year: 2014
Rating: 6.5
Country: Korea
I have never been a fan of the hanbok, the traditional Korean female attire. It is more utilitarian than aesthetic, hiding more than accentuating the female form. Which was probably intentional in a very conservative parochial society. Its origins go back over two-thousand years and for the most part it hasn't changed that much. In the older days, it was generally white to signify the woman's purity. During ceremonies, some dash and color would be added. It feels rather drab especially in comparison to the traditional female garb of other Asian nations - the kimono, the cheongsam, the sari and the ao dai from Vietnam. Male fashions for men in Korean history were no more interesting - the wide brimmed hats, the absurdly long sleeves and colorless shapeless gowns. That is the background for this film set in the royal court during the Joseon period.



Court intrigue, rivalries, marital difficulties all take part in the narrative but what will really capture your imagination are the ornate at times glorious costumes of the film. There are a number of themes that run through the film - the primary one being conventional thinking vs innovative imagination. As history has shown us the old tries to stymy the new - to doubt it, condemn it, burn it, crucify it and erase it - but in the end change always comes.  



Jo Doi-seok (the great Han Suk-kyu - Shiri, Christmas in August) is the Royal Tailor, responsible for designing and producing all the clothes for the King, Queen and the Court. He has a large array of seamstresses to help him. But there are rigid rules in place as to what the clothes can look like and they haven't changed through Doi-seok's tenure to three Kings. A new King (Yoo Yeon-seok) has come to power after his brother died. Yeongjo of Joseon (1694 - 1776) was born to a consort of lowly origins and this hung over his first years as King. He is full of anxiety, insecurities and doubts about his worthiness to replace his brother. His queen is Jeongseong (Park Shin-hye), who in real life he was married to when he was eight years old and she was ten - in the film they are older when this occurs. Months into the marriage, she is rumored to still be a virgin. Based a bit on history. Though, he was to have children with a number of consorts over the years, she never had any. The Court is trying to persuade him to take on another Queen to have an heir.



Into the court intrigue and marital discord, is the Royal Tailor and his rival. There is a new tailor on the block - Lee Gong-jin (Go Soo) who is young, flashy, modern, full of ideas and very attractive to women. He designs some outfits for the men and women of the court that do away with the long sleeves, adds color, style and form to the hanbok. Doi-seok admires this young man - even envies his talent - but at the same time sees him as a potential roadblock to his becoming a noble. Especially, when the Queen hears about him. Doi-seok warns the man that upsetting the status quo is dangerous, but Gong-jin will not listen. He needs to express himself. It is hard not to think of Mozart and Salieri as this plays out. The real star of the film is Jo Sang-gyeong, who designed some spectacular looking hanboks that the Queen and her rival wear. Plus, over a thousand other hanboks for other women to wear. The whole film is a feast for the eyes though I wish it had moved along a little faster. I have to guess that though the King and Queen are real historical figures, the remaining is fictional.