Hey folks, Harry here... OLDBOY was in my top two from last year's picks of the year. Of course, it hadn't been seen by the rest of the world at that point, just to a theater in Austin on a certain spectacular film festival beyond compare. (That's BUTT-NUMB-A-THON! ahem) Recently I was asked by the South Korean company SHOWEAST to do a feature length audio commentary for a super special edition of OLDBOY that they have coming out in South Korea. It hadn't been announced yet, in fact I only just recorded it 2 weeks ago, along with interviews and other craziness. I'm told my commentary will be subtitled in Korean, which is kind of mind blowing. But heck, it's my first dvd commentary, and in total geek fashion having it appear on a Grand Prix winning film at Cannes that premiered at my film festival on a Region 3 South Korean $100 copper boxed set with 4 discs. Well... I hear they're only making as many as they're getting pre-orders for. Heh. I love it, a Region 3 commentary. Heh. It's a surreal life, Mr Knowles... Anyway, here's what the set is supposed to look like, and here's where you can pre-order it!
Hey harry,
I’m not sure if you have any interest in any more glowing reviews for OLD BOY, but with all that you have posted from the Toronto film fest I figured I would send something in b/c the film has been racing through my mind for a while now. I’m not in Toronto, I‘m in Austin and haven’t stopped thinking about OLDBOY for a little more than a week. I wanted to write in b/c I think there are a few things left to say about OLD BOY that until now have remained unsaid.
In the numerous (and I do mean numerous) reviews posted for OLD BOY on this site there has been a great deal of focus on the stunning imagery (which I confirm is absolutely stunning) and the heartbreakingly empathetic character development (which I do confirm is heartbreakingly empathetic). Not to mention the heavy doses of ass kicking (which I confirm did in fact kick my ass thoroughly -- halfway through the “hammer scene” it was already one of my favorite action sequences of all time).
Accordingly I do not find in necessary, stunning as they may be, to blather on about any of the aforementioned cinematic achievements of OLD BOY, as they have already been outlined by many a more articulate man then myself.
But instead I wanted to focus on a narrow, but as of yet the an overlooked, technical aspect of the film that blew me away. The thing that kept up all night after having seen the film. The thing that kept me out for two hours walking around Austin trying to put my mind in order.
As I’m sure was obvious to all, Chan-wook Park utilized the technique, as he did in Mr. Vengeance, of skipping the audience ahead in time past certain events of significance, and allowing them to then catch up through some highly informative visual cues. He does not show the scissors being used as a weapon, but he show a frozen man with blood slowly dripping from his ear. He does not show The fight in the elevator, but he shows the bodies poor out. He does not spoon feed steps A, B, and C, but instead throws the audience into the unfamiliar territory of step F, and then through an ingenious use of narrative economy fills the audience in on what they missed.
His sequences begin with an image that poses a question, momentarily confusing the audience, but we love it, b/c we know we are in safe hands and that in ten seconds, sure enough, he will bring us up to speed. The suitcase sitting on the roof, the repulsed woman in the elevator, the man poking his head through the door on the floor screaming about his imprisonment. These powerful images, in their respective contexts, each pose a question soon to be answered.
I know someone who complained that the jump-ahead jarring technique was to repetitive in Mr. Vengeance. I disagree. This person has yet to see OLD BOY, and I think he would have a change of heart regarding Park’s signature structural move.
It is through the utilization of this technique that Park achieves several things. First: Incredible narrative economy. While this same story might drag in the hands of another director, Park’s film jumps forward by leaps and bounds, while always keeping the audience up to speed. What could have been a long sequence involving Oh-Daseu’s capture and adjustment to his initial imprisonment is completely passed over in favor of the much more powerful structural move of catching up with him a month in to his torment. Second: By constantly staying a step ahead of the audience (or two steps, or ten steps) Park’s film is addictively engaging. He requires his audience to think, to interpret, to understand the meaning of his visual cues to fill in what they missed. The film is not spoon fed to you but keeps you constantly saying “huh?…Oh, I get! Huh?…oh I get it!” Because of this, it does not just hold your attention, it captures it and does not let go for two hours.
The structural and directorial/narrative achievements of OLD BOY are awe inspiring. I know now why Quentin Tarantino says he could not sleep after having seen the film. Neither could I. My mind went racing to the screenplay I am working on, and made me rethink the way I handled everything. It made me rethink the idea of narrative economy. While I have no intention of copying his technique, OLD BOY challenges one to think “How can I make my own work better?”
All film geeks and aspiring filmmakers must see this film, b/c after they do, they will begin to compare everything to OLD BOY.
To see OLD BOY is to be creatively reinvigorated like a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart.
That's all I got,
--Kyle
