Customer Reviews

il Mare: A Love Story

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let me just warn you if you are looking at this wanting a Korean film.The movie is dubbed in Mandarin and Cantonese only!
There is no Korean. How someone managed to leave off this important piece of information is truly mind- boggling and enormously irritating. Personally I find the Chinese dubbed audio detracts enormously from the quality of the film. It is like watching STAR WARS in french or something. Just because the langauge is Asian doesn't make it any less stupid!

Try Amazon.co.jp for the Korean version under the title 'Il mare'.

Anyway, what follows is about the Korean film version I saw on TV before i bought this.

The few South Korean films I have seen possess a quietly tragic, deeply pervasive sense of sadness and loneliness, of people who struggle to find a happiness that evades them. This film is no exception. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, it is a gorgeous, poignant, magical and touching film.

It tells the story of two people who each live in the same house two years apart. Eun-ju lives in 1999. As the movie starts she is leaving a small and extraordinarily beautiful house by the sea. Sunghyon is moving in- but two years earlier. He finds a letter form her in his mailbox, addressed to the next owner of the house. Something is wrong here, and soon we have a clear idea that the chronological order of this film is unusual to say the least.

They share a magic portal of sorts- their letter box. Through this they start to exchange letters and thoughts and help each other through the sometimes sad loneliness of their lives- always 2 years apart. Eventually the two arrange a date in the future where they shall both finally meet. For her it is two weeks away, for him two years.

As this takes place, the two central characters are seen removed from the happiness of others around them. They celebrate christmas alone, work late through new year, and eat alone. There is a soft beauty in their dignity and their solitude, but Eun-ju's sadness tells us something has gone wrong. A quiet unstated love develops between them. We are aware of it even as they are not. They do not meet, and movie proceeds to unravel the story that surrounds them.

The small house by the sea, 'Il Mare', gives this movie its sometimes seen Italian/international title. The cinematography here is divine and the colours are exquisite. Much of the film is pervaded by a quiet, almost silent, sadness. Despite this the movie is, through the quality and genius of the script and the screenplay, almost shamlessly romantic and curiously uplifting. Watching this I smiled as I cried - for a whole number of different reasons, waiting for my heart to burst.

It is an unforgettable and magical film...but only if it is in Korean. Having seen the original Korean, the Chinese dub really is a load of garbage.

Il Mare is a real gem of a find movie from South Korea, if you can find it in the foreign film video section.

Il Mare is "The Sea" in Italian and the love story takes place in a seaside house. A man and a woman live there but are separated by two years. He is in 1997 and she is in 1999 and they correspond through a magical mailbox that crosses time. As their letters continue both try to solve the mystery and see if they can bridge time to meet. It's a beautiful tale of how love can be so perfect yet timing so imperfect. The right person for you is THAT nearby but a flip in the time continum keeps you star-crossed permanently. If you are able to scout it ... look for the Japanese film "Love Letter" which was released in the late 1990's. A similar theme of love, loss, and redemption through letters.

This review is related to the 'Tai Seng' release of 'Il Mare'. I actually think 'Il Mare' could be one of my top ten favorite Korean Movies but I will have to wait until a watchable version of this film is released on DVD in this country. This release was horrible. Truly atrocious. Do these people watch the DVD's they produce? The screen is stretched, aspects/ratio's anybody. If that wasn't bad enough the gloomy haze of the picture prevents you from enjoying what may or may not have been beautiful scenery of the Korean coastline. If you've ever been victim of one of those bootleg DVD's where the screen is off-kilter and people suddenly start walking in front of the screen, well this isn't any better than that. Still, I watched the movie through and even through the haze & distortion I could discern that I liked the movie but will wait for a watchable version. I know there's a Region 0 Double Disc edition out there but I think that the transfer on that one sucks too. I'm hoping that with the American Remake with Sandra Bullock this lovely little film will get the DVD release it deserves. IE: Watchable. I gave my copy away to a friend at work

I watched The Lake House first and Il Mare two days later. Enjoyed both.

My Il Mare is the 3-disk version. Both titles and transfer (1.85:1 Anamorphic) were great .. aside from some translation issues.

My wife and I both enjoyed Il Mare .. and likely would not have enjoyed The Lake House as much as we did if seen second. Moving the story to Chicago, and giving it "star power" did have an effect.

This particular version is not in the original Korean, but in Mandarin w/ English subtitles. The film is a haunting romance, deceptively simple, yet rich in subtextual meaning. In short, everything lacking in the abomination known as The Lake House. I saw the film in Korean at Fanime in 2006. On seeing it a second time, I thought it might have been a shorter cut, but cannot tell. Enjoy.

This is one of the best Korean movies to come along in a long time. The spoken Korean is absolutely beautiful and the images are as well. After you see this movie, you will want to lean Korean as well as you will realise how much subtlety there can be in just one or two words.

This is a very literary movie about the power of letters and words and conversations and how they can change your life for ever. Truly wonderful.

Hello I am a man of European descent... Italian and Irish but being 3/4 Sicilian makes me very passionate about everything or I was just born that way I guess. I love everything about Asian culture I guess I was Asian in another life because I always felt so connected. Anyway on with my review. I had wanted to purchase the Il Mare DVD for some time and I finally did. The Asians have deeply passionate minds and souls and I found it easy to relate. I watched this at night at home all alone and as I was sitting watching I told myself out loud that " I know this is going to make me cry !!! " I had seen the lakehouse and it had the same affect but this original was by far more interesting . It is romantic, poignant and deeply emotional I literally cried with my hands in my face for even an hour after it was over. The ending did console me though although I won't give it away and you don't see it coming anyway. Il Mare is a film of great art and I must mention that I am an artist but you don't have to be an artist to appreciate Il Mare. There is nothing better than a love story that takes place by the sea and that is what Il Mare means in Italian ( the sea ) I loved this movie and on a scale of 1 to 10 I give it an enthusiastic 100 !!!!

Thanks for letting me share,

J. F. Frustaglia A. K. A. Talho

I was curious to see the original love story, because I loved The Lake House, which is the remake. The pace of this one is definitely slower - the American screenwriters had to add to the story because they probably thought it wasn't interesting enough as it is. It's simple, beautiful and touching - and a little different from the remake. For dreamers.

I just want to warn potential buyers about the quality of the image on this Chinese release. Korean films generally have superb visuals and the transfer means a lot. The transfer to this DVD is especially poor. It doesn't help that the original film used the reduced palette and moody lighting that is too common on Hollywood products. Still, it managed to be a pleasure for the eyes on those DVDs with a pristine transfer (and Korean dialog) that are now available. For those seeking the best experience, find one of those DVDs. This DVD is only for the desperate.

As for the movie, in tone, it's not significantly different from it's Hollywood offspring that came out 6 years later, THE LAKE HOUSE. Both are quiet, almost listless mood pieces. The actors in the Korean version are very attractive (Jun Ji Hyun as the girl would become a big star thru out Asia with her next film MY SASSY GIRL). The endings are subtly different but I don't dare explain.

My disappointment isn't in the movie itself, as I was VERY excited to find this film available in the US! I've been wanting a copy since I had the opportunity to watch it a few years back... however, the fact that it is for some reason DUBBED IN CANTONESE just ruins it for me :( It takes out a lot of emotion from the talented cast of Korean actors and actresses in this film. It doesn't even have an option for the original Korean audio track.

POOP!

... now if you can go find a used rental that has the Korean audio in tact, I TOTALLY recommend this film!