King and the Clown

"Forbidden desire, sumptuous tragedy."

2005 2h 1m KO

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 125

DramaHistoryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two clowns living in Korea's Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh.

“Forbidden desire, sumptuous tragedy.”

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Cast

Kam Woo-sung
Jang-sang
Lee Joon-gi
Gong-gil
Jung Jin-young
King Yeonsan
Kang Sung-yeon
Jang Nok-su
Yoo Hai-jin
Yuk-gab
Jang Hang-seon
Cheo-sun
Jeong Seok-yong
Chil-duk
Lee Seung-hun
Pal-bok

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lee Joon-ik
Writers: Choi Seok-hwan, Kim Tae-woong
Languages: Korean
Countries: South Korea

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lee Joon-ik, shot by Ji Gil-woong. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lee Byung-woo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kim Jae-beom shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Kam Woo-sung and Lee Joon-gi and Jung Jin-young carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Forbidden desire, sumptuous tragedy.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0492835 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lee Joon-ik directs. Ji Gil-woong behind the camera. Lee Byung-woo scores. Kim Jae-beom cuts. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in Korean.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 21 years ago.
2Directed by Lee Joon-ik, shot by Ji Gil-woong. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Lee Byung-woo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Kim Jae-beom shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Kam Woo-sung and Lee Joon-gi and Jung Jin-young carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Forbidden desire, sumptuous tragedy.".
7IMDB entry: tt0492835 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 17 themes, including "friendship", "jealousy", "gambling", "suicide attempt".