The life story of Princess Deok-hye is a true drama…
The ending of hegemonies as the main subject, has given a number of masterpieces, with “The Last Emperor” being the most renowned, and probably the best among them. This time, the story of Korea’s last princess results in a film that lingers somewhere among the historic drama, the romance and the action film.
The script is based on the best-selling novel, Princess Deokhye, by Kwon Bi-young. The story begins in 1919, when King Gojong is murdered, leaving Princess Deok-hye, his only daughter, as the last ruler of the Joseon Dynasty. Her life from then on is a non-stop sequence of hardships, starting when the Japanese force her to move to Japan to avoid her growing popularity among her compatriots. While there, she is actually an in-house prisoner, since General Han Taek-soo, an associate of the Japanese empire, does not let her return, despite her continuous pleads. Eventually, hope arrives in the face of Kim Jang-han, a former friend of hers and currently an officer in the Japanese army, who is also part of the Korean independence movement. The story continues up to the 60’s.
Hur Jin-ho (Dangerous Liaisons) directs a movie that “touches” many genres. It starts as a Joseon costume drama, it becomes a drama, then an agonizing action film, then a romance, and drama again, all the while retaining its historic theme. There is also a strong and even hyperbolic at times, melodramatic element, as in the sequence in the beach, but the story justifies this excessiveness. The same hyperbole applies to the action scenes, although in this case, it looks completely out of place.
In order to fit five decades in the film, Hur Jin-ho retains a fast pace, and the ever-present flashbacks could not be missing. Both of those traits make the movie quite entertaining. Some scenes of real footage are another nice addition.
The acting is on a very high level, with both the protagonists, Son Ye-jin (The Pirates, Blood and Ties) as Princess Deokhye and Park Hae-il (War of the Arrows, Whistleblower) as Kim Jang-han, retaining a dignity that suits their characters perfectly. In that fashion, they avoid the reef of sentimentalism, which would turn the film into a melodrama. Their chemistry is evident, and one of the biggest traits of the film. Yoon Je-moon (Haemoo, Asura: The City of Madness) makes a great villain as General Han Taek-soo, as he remains despicable throughout the duration of the film.
In terms of production values, the film highlights its large budget (more than US$9.5 million), with every era depicted being accurate and impressive at the same time. In that fashion, the costumes in the first part are splendid, and the attention to detail extends to furniture, cars and every element appearing on screen, throughout the decades and the different settings. Lee Tae Yoon’s cinematography presents images of extreme beauty, with the scenes in the palace, during the Joseon era and the one on the beach standing apart. Nam Na Yeong’s editing keeps the plethora of events from becoming confusing, while it is exemplified in the fast-paced action scenes.
The Last Princess is a very entertaining film that benefits the most from the direction, acting, and production values, despite the hyperbole that occasionally appears in the script.