"Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" receives standing ovation in Venice
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The 62nd Venice Film Festival is likely to become a contest between Korean and Japanese movies. While the Korean movie "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance", starring Lee Young-ae, is receiving wide acclaim from the international audience, its Japanese rival "Takeshis", directed by Japanese filmmaking master Kitano Takeshi, is rapidly emerging as a formidable contender.
"Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" is vying for yet another award, this time for its director Park Chan-wook, who received the Jury's Award last year in Cannes and has now grabbed the spotlight in Venice. But it is likely to face fierce competition for the Best Director and Best Picture awards from "Takeshis", the "To Be Announced" movie of the festival.
Takeshi has won two awards in Venice so far: the Golden Lion award for his movie "Hana-bi" in 1997 and the Best Director award for "Zatoichi" in 2003. This time, he stands a good chance of winning the Best Director award for "Takeshis", as the movie advanced to the main competition after being shown immediately after the opening ceremony, much like Kim Ki-duk's "3-Iron" last year, which brought Kim prestigious accolade.
"Takeshi" is an experimental fantasy movie depicting one man's dreams. It received rave reviews from the jury after its preview on Sept. 2 (local time).
But "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" is not lagging behind. The movie's preview and press conference held on Sept. 2 at the Palagalileo Theater on Lido Island drew a multitude of journalists, some of whom watched the movie from the hall due to a lack of seats.
And after the official preview at the Sala Grande Theater on Sept. 3, the movie received a five-minute standing ovation. The local media even published special reports on the movie, giving it generous praise.
"Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" is vying for yet another award, this time for its director Park Chan-wook, who received the Jury's Award last year in Cannes and has now grabbed the spotlight in Venice. But it is likely to face fierce competition for the Best Director and Best Picture awards from "Takeshis", the "To Be Announced" movie of the festival.
Takeshi has won two awards in Venice so far: the Golden Lion award for his movie "Hana-bi" in 1997 and the Best Director award for "Zatoichi" in 2003. This time, he stands a good chance of winning the Best Director award for "Takeshis", as the movie advanced to the main competition after being shown immediately after the opening ceremony, much like Kim Ki-duk's "3-Iron" last year, which brought Kim prestigious accolade.
"Takeshi" is an experimental fantasy movie depicting one man's dreams. It received rave reviews from the jury after its preview on Sept. 2 (local time).
But "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" is not lagging behind. The movie's preview and press conference held on Sept. 2 at the Palagalileo Theater on Lido Island drew a multitude of journalists, some of whom watched the movie from the hall due to a lack of seats.
And after the official preview at the Sala Grande Theater on Sept. 3, the movie received a five-minute standing ovation. The local media even published special reports on the movie, giving it generous praise.
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