Customer Reviews

Sandglass

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

 

 

This is one of the most outstanding pieces of television drama I've seen in years, and I've seen many fine dramas from China, Japan, and Korea. In a plot reminiscent of "Angels With Dirty Faces", it deals with the lives of two young men who've been friends since their school days. One is an excellent student, mild of manner; one is a poor student, but excels with his fists.

After his family is dispossessed of their home by a corrupt landlord, the good student attends college, gets his law degree, and ultimately becomes a public prosecutor. The fighter is denied advancement in his education because his father was a Communist sympathizer, and is recruited as a thug by Korean organized crime, and ultimately rises to a top position in the mob. Between them is the girl, the daughter of a wealthy and powerful casino owner in the top echelons of the Korean gambling syndicate. All this is set in the 1970's and early 80's, during a period of major political upheavel. (I lived in Korea during the decade of the 1970's, and remember that era quite well.)

This is no sappy romance, but an extremely well written political drama that will engage the viewer from the very start, to the final shattering climax. Events such as the Kwangju uprising and the Korean "re-education" camps for malcontents, criminals and troublemakers are vividly and powerfully portrayed. The characters are vivid and the storyline is absorbing. For those worried about the quality of the subtitles, they are excellent.

A number of current Korean drama are quite entertaining, but this is a serious piece of drama which will burn itself into the memory of viewers long after the fluff (and that includes all the current American television fluff) is long forgotten. Highly, highly recommended.

This is not like the newer scannable entertainment products from South Korea. This is a production that everyone involved must be very proud of. I haven't forgotten this series and therefore, I thought of the lead actress when it was announced that Hollywood wanted to cast Gong Li as Queen Min to the understandable discomfort of Koreans.

Is this frugal? no but I bought a set of VHS tapes at this high price many years ago but had those many years with this story living inside of me and that was very important and I bought nothing else for a long time - even now, so many popular dramas' meagerness show up in the light of this series

Would I have purchased this used at a cheaper price off of craigslist? yes
Did I shop around for the best total price including the manufacturer's website? no, it was a rare thing when I bought it years ago

The score is the same Russian sad song repeated over and over again during dramatic moments. Sometimes it is louder than the dialogue. I own a very expensive VHS set and I absolutely love this series and recommend it to everyone but it would attract more new fans if they toned down the use of the Russian song.