''The Sound of a Flower'' () is 2015 South Korean

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

film based on the life of

Jin Chae-seon Jin Chae-seon (born 1842 or 1847) was a Korean pansori singer, widely regarded as the first female master of a male dominated genre, although she was probably not the first woman to perform pansori, as gisaeng courtesans might have performed it ...

, who became

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

's first female ''

pansori ' () is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer. The term ''pansori'' is derived from the Korean words ''pan'' (Hangul: 판) and ''sori'' (Hangul: 소리), the latter of which means "sound." However, ''pan' ...

'' singer in 1867. Jin risks her life by cross-dressing as a man, at a time when women were forbidden to sing in public or perform on stage. The film focuses on the relationship between Jin and her pansori teacher,

Shin Jae-hyo Shin Jae-hyo (; 1812–1884) was a theoretician and adapter of ''pansori'' in the late Joseon Dynasty. While not a famous singer of pansori, he contributed much to its development. He organized and recorded the six stories of pansori: ''Chunhyangga' ...

. The Korean title, ''Dorihwaga'', is a song written by Shin about his protégée after she became a court singer. The film was directed by Lee Jong-pil, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Kim Ah-young.

Bae Suzy Bae Su-ji (; born October 10, 1994), better known as Bae Suzy, is a South Korean singer, actress and model. She was a member of the girl group Miss A under JYP Entertainment. She made her debut as an actress with television series ''Dream High ...

, who plays Jin Chae-seon, studied pansori for a year to prepare for the role.

Ryu Seung-ryong Ryu Seung-ryong (born November 29, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Ryu began his acting career in theater, subsequently becoming one of the most versatile supporting actors in Korean film and television. In 2013, he headlined '' Miracle in Cell N ...

plays her teacher, Shin Jae-hyo.

Kim Nam-gil Kim Nam-gil () is a South Korean actor, producer, director, singer and philanthropist. He is best known from leading roles in disaster blockbuster '' Pandora'' (2016); crime thriller ''Memoir of a Murderer '' (2017); adventure film '' The Pirate ...

is the king's father and regent (the

Heungseon Daewongun Heungseon Daewongun (흥선대원군, 興宣大院君, 21 December 1820 – 22 February 1898; ), also known as the Daewongun (대원군, 大院君), Guktaegong (국태공, 國太公, "The Great Archduke") or formally Internal King Heungseon Heon ...

) and

Song Sae-byeok Song Sae-byeok (born December 25, 1979) is a South Korean actor. After gaining attention as a supporting actor in ''The Servant A servant is a person working within an employer's household. Servant or servants may refer to: Places * Servant, ...

is Kim Se-jong, a famous pansori singer.

Lee Dong-hwi Lee Dong-hwi (born July 22, 1985) is a South Korean actor and singer. He gained recognition through his role in the critically acclaimed television series ''Reply 1988'' (2015–2016). Lee starred in the film ''Extreme Job'' (2019), the second ...

and

Ahn Jae-hong Ahn Jae-hong (, December 31, 1891 – March 1, 1965) was a Korean activist, politician, and journalist who participated in the Korean independence movement. See also * Korea Independence Party The Korea Independence Party (; KIP) was a p ...

play Shin's disciples.

Plot

is an orphan raised by a ''

gisaeng Kisaeng (Hangul: 기생, Hanja: 妓生, RR: ''Gisaeng''), also called ginyeo (Hangul: 기녀, Hanja: 妓女), were women from outcast or slave families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men ...

'' during the

Joseon era Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

in 1867. She enjoys pansori performances and eavesdrops on lessons at the pansori school. She secretly practices singing when she is alone, and asks pansori teacher

to teach her. She is immediately rejected because females are not allowed to learn pansori and perform in public. She then disguises herself by cross-dressing as a man, but got rejected again. When Shin hears the news that the king's father and ruler of Joseon,

, is going to hold a national pansori contest, he changes his mind and decides to train Jin for the competition. However, no one must discover that Jin is a woman, or they both will face death. After a period of training, Jin performs the ''

Chunhyangga ''Chunhyangga'' is the most famous ''pansori'' (musical story telling) in Korea, having had considerable popularity in the country for the past century. ''Chunhyangga'' is considered to be the best ''pansori'' musically, and as a work of literature ...

'' at the palace. Heungseon Daewongun is enchanted by her performance and decides to keep her at court. Shin Jae-hyo then realizes how much he loves her and composes "Dorihwaga" to express his longing for his pupil.

Cast

as Kim Se-jong *

as Chil-sung *

as Yong-bok * Kim Tae-hoon as Low level official *

Shin Cheol-jin Shin Cheol-jin is a South Korean actor. He made his debut in the 1976 play ''Naughty in the West''. Filmography Television series Film Awards and nominations * 2005 Korean Theater Actors Association Actor of the Year * 2008 The 12th Hector ...

as Government Official *

Kim So-jin Kim So-jin (born 1979) is a South Korean actress. She is known for playing a prosecutor in crime drama '' The King'' (2017), for which she received critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Blue Dragon Film Award, Grand Bell Awar ...

as Chae-seon's mother *

Ham Sung-min Ham Sung-min is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as '' Sweet Revenge'', ''Save the Family'', ''Gangnam Beauty'', ''Tunnel'' and '' All of Us Are Dead''. He also appeared in movies such as ''Psychokinesis'', '' The ...

as Dongrijeong Temple disciple

Release and reception

The film was released in South Korea on November 25, 2015. It was widely anticipated due to the high-profile cast, and had the most ticket reservations. However, it ranked a disappointing fourth place in the box office, drawing only 245,000 viewers during its opening weekend. Industry watchers attributed this to the film's "boring plotline" and Suzy's "unpolished" vocal performance. Lee Mi-ji of '' StarN News'' blamed the film's loss of focus and "stagnation" in its second half; it focused on the romance between Jin Chae-seon and Shin Jae-hyo, rather than Jin's life story. The film ranked thirteenth place in its second weekend, and had sold a total of 300,729 tickets at that time, earning ₩2.1 billion (US$1.8 million). The film received mostly negative reviews from critics, who criticized the editing and screenplay, as well as Suzy's performance. Jin Eun-soo of ''

Korea JoongAng Daily ''Korea JoongAng Daily'' is the English edition of the South Korean national daily newspaper ''JoongAng Ilbo''. The newspaper was first published on October 17, 2000, originally named as ''JoongAng Ilbo English Edition''. It mainly carries news a ...

'' gave the film a mixed review. She praised Suzy's performance, but criticized some aspects of the screenplay, complaining that "somewhere along the way the film became an ode to Suzy, not Jin Chae-seon".

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sound of a Flower 2015 films South Korean biographical drama films Films set in the Joseon dynasty Pansori 2015 biographical drama films CJ Entertainment films Films set in 1867 Biographical films about singers South Korean historical drama films Cultural depictions of South Korean women Cultural depictions of folk musicians 2010s historical drama films 2015 drama films 2010s South Korean films