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Untold Scandal

Play trailer Poster for Untold Scandal 2003 2h 4m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 29 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In 18th-century Korea, the bored Madam Jo (Lee Mi-sook) knows her husband has eyes for 16-year-old virgin So-ok (Lee So-yeon), so Jo sends her cousin, Jo-won (Bae Yong-joon), to seduce the young girl before her spouse can. But that's just the beginning of the sexual gamesmanship, as Jo-won instead wants to pursue the repressed and religious Lady Suk (Jeon Do-yeon) ; however, this lustful act might bring about more devastating consequences than the typical bedroom conquest.
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Untold Scandal

Untold Scandal

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Critics Consensus

Suitably stylish and provocative, Untold Scandal proves liaisons can be just as dangerous regardless of the setting.

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Critics Reviews

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Empire Magazine Rated: 3/5 Apr 1, 2006 Full Review Tom Keogh Seattle Times An elegant yet unassuming variation [Les Liaisons Dangereuses]. Rated: 3/4 Feb 4, 2005 Full Review Michael Booth Denver Post Adds a vibrant cultural framework to a familiar story, and it turns out nothing becomes a legend like an Asian makeover. Rated: 3/4 Jan 7, 2005 Full Review Amber Wilkinson Eye for Film If you've never seen another version and love costume drama, this is the one to see. If you have, you'll probably find it frustrating. Rated: 2.5/5 Dec 7, 2007 Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com Rated: 3.5/5 Oct 29, 2005 Full Review Matthew Smith Film Journal International Untold Scandal, the latest screen adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses is a stylish, cool and detached interpretation of an overworked text. Oct 27, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Korean ? Les Liaisons Dangereuses ?. Not a very interesting adaptation to me. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Solid retelling , interesting to see how it's translated to a Korean story. The Malkovich version is still the best. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a Korean version of Dangerous Liaisons. It is set in dynastic Korea of the 1700s. The story is somewhat different from the American film of 1988. The emphasis here is upon the Valmont character, Lord Jo-won (Bae Jon-yoon) and the chaste widow, Madam de Tourvel, here is Lady Jeong (Jeong Do-yeon). The acting and dialogue between these two is very good. This movie can be recommended based upon the interaction of these characters alone. This timeless story of deceit, revenge, depravity, seduction, and betrayal is very well done. The revenge seeking Glenn Close character is somewhat down-played. The young, aspiring lover, played by Keanu Reeves in the American film, is also given a less important role in the story. The costuming and sets are very good. There is a nice re-creation of the time period. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review jesse o This is a good movie but I found that it just doesn't really ever gets to a higher level. I like the idea of these cousins who are so morally deficient that, just for fun, they make bets with each other to ruin people's lives. I mean this is a GREAT idea, ripe for comedy and seeing how this asshole, and he really is an asshole at the beginning, tries to manipulate a good woman into doing what he needs her to do to win the bet. Of course, all this manipulation, since Lady Jung ends up being a more challenging conquest than he's used, leads to Won falling in love with her. And the arc of this character is certainly good enough, but there's something about Bae Yong-jun, who plays Won, that doesn't feel like he really changed. He's actually quite good in the role as this manipulative jerk but since he was so good at it, it was hard to believe that he would ever change, especially when there was nothing about his performance that really made you believe that he was changed by his love for this woman. Perhaps it was his body language, but I didn't buy it at all. Not to say he wasn't good, because he was. Jeon Do-yeon, who I find to be one South Korea's best actresses, is also really good in her role but there's something about the way she delivers her line at the end where it just feels like she's overacting. Perhaps it's not overacting and just the fact they try to make this love story to be too important by tragically killing off the main characters. I wouldn't call it melodramatic at all, it's just that the movie overstates the point. I don't think you needed to kill off both characters to get over the fact that they loved each other. It just felt like too much. Even with its flaws I found this movie to be good, and I found Won's attempt to conquer Jung to be the highlight of the movie. The weakest parts end up being the drama, even if it's still solid. There are some great performances in this movie though. Solid stuff right here. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A gorgeous historical cultural translation of the original French novel, with every aspect rendered in detail. Sensual and erotic, with all the satire and social commentary carried over intact. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member A good version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. The people are prim and proper with wacky hairdos and and funny hats. All of them are beautiful, which makes it more fun and more engaging. It's also interesting as a peek into Korean historical values as they discover Catholicism Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Untold Scandal

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 18th-century Korea, the bored Madam Jo (Lee Mi-sook) knows her husband has eyes for 16-year-old virgin So-ok (Lee So-yeon), so Jo sends her cousin, Jo-won (Bae Yong-joon), to seduce the young girl before her spouse can. But that's just the beginning of the sexual gamesmanship, as Jo-won instead wants to pursue the repressed and religious Lady Suk (Jeon Do-yeon) ; however, this lustful act might bring about more devastating consequences than the typical bedroom conquest.
Director
Je-yong Lee
Producer
Oh Jeong-wan
Screenwriter
Kim Dae-woo, Kim Hyeon-jeong, Je-yong Lee
Production Co
B.O.M. Film Productions Co.
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Korean
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 27, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA)
$63.3K
Runtime
2h 4m
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