Charity Ann P.

Yap BSEd English3

Art 1 MTh 1:00-2:30
Sir Ryan Jimenez Activity: Film Review

I. Identify
A. Main characters and their roles
Princess Deokhye – the main protagonist
the last princess of South Korea’s Joseon Dynasty. A damsel in distress
without a happy ending. The princess who got kicked out of her own country
and spent almost all her life trying to go back to her homeland.

Kim Jang-han – the princess’ childhood friend who is part of the Korean
group who also wants independence for the country.

Han Taek-soo – the antagonist of the story. A Korean who is a pro-Japanese

and a traitor to his own Princess. He always gets in the way of Princess
Deokhye’s ultimate quest in life which is to redeem her honor and country.

B. Conflict
*Revolutionary Colonization of Japan in Korea

The King made a decision which jeopardized the country—he forthrightly

refused Japan’s intention of entering Korea. He did not know where he stood in
that meeting. Hence, his naivety brought him to his own death.
C. Theme
*Patriotism, Politics

D. Setting
* Korea, a dystopian setting
*Japan

E. Moral Lesson
* Sometimes, it’s better to be wise than be right. What is right can be fought for
but cannot be won all the time.

II. Reflection
A. Dramatic scene that triggered your emotions and explain.
Most of its scenes were full of emotions but what struck me the most was the
moment she delivered her speech to her people who were enslaved by the
Japanese. It showed the archetype of hope and resistance, similar to the
scene from the movie Hunger Games when Katniss Everdeen used an old
gesture which originally means goodbye to someone you love but later on
meant resistance of the people against the tyrants. It triggered my emotions
because resistance in the middle of a tyranny is pure hope, and I believe
hope is a beautiful thing.
B. 1-2 similar experiences from the movie
My experience which I think is closest to the Princess’ is when she tried to
escape from the people who tried to control her. I also tried escaping from
my father because he tried to control me. However, there is a big difference
between her experience and mine. She had a life and death situation while
trying to flee while for me, it only took one talk with my best friend to
 borrow money for a boat ticket. I fled my father’s dominion. She fought for
her freedom. I fought for what I thought was mine too. But later in life, I
realized what I did was just pure rebellion. I may have the easier one but I
think the better predicament to be in is the Princess’.
C. Commonality of cultural practices of Filipinos to the movie
The common practices we Filipinos have with the movie is the practice of
arranged marriage. This old practice is very common in our continent and is
still being done in many countries. In the Philippines, we can observe it in
maybe two or three generations ahead of us. Even my parents were arranged-
married. Also, we can observe this among our Muslim brothers and sisters.
D. If you are to revise the title, what will it be?
My title for this movie will be “The Toppled Hope” or maybe “The Curse
of a Royalty”
The princess’ hope is like a sprouting seed in the midst of the ashes of her
country’s beleaguerment. However, like a stampede, the colonizers toppled over it
repeatedly, not allowing it to thrive and flourish. The other title I came up with is
to mirror the life of a royalty. Sure enough, they have the extremes of luxuries and
pampering. It can be called a blessing to be born a royalty. However, as admirable
as the things being a royalty can offer, it is paired with unthinkable perils. A boon
is always coupled with a bane. That is why I can say that when you are born a
royalty, you are walking in a thin line between a dream and a nightmare. A
princess is supposed to be living her dream when the conditions of her dome is
admirable, otherwise, she will be engulfed with responsibilities and expectations
from her people. This is what I think is the curse of being a royalty. Princess
Deokhye was unfortunate enough to have experienced it.
 Criteria
My Score

Completeness 10 ___

Content 20 ___

Punctuality 10 ___

Total Score: ___