Korean film director Im Kwon Taek has a long track record of 96 films, but Chunhyang is the first that I've seen. In fact, Chunhyang is the first Korean film I've ever seen since most of that country's film fare has remained firmly within its borders. With the success of Hong Kong films in the U.S. and the phenomenal Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon securing ten Oscar nominations and beating Life is Beautiful for top box office receipts for a foreign film, more Asian cinema should continue to be released into the U.S. market.

Chunhyang is certainly a worthy introduction to Korean cinema and to Korean culture. Indeed, the first shock you'll get is hearing pansori performer Cho Sang Hyun howling and barking to a drum beat and seeing a tiny figure in the bottom of the screen go on for a couple of minutes before we get the first visual imagery. If you haven't figured out that pansori is a Korean folk art, somewhat like opera without scenery, this will become more apparent later when you witness Cho Sang Hyun on the full screen yelping guttural tones to an intense Korean audience who hang on every word of his story. This is the first exposure to pansori that I've had, but it did remind me a bit of some lengthy Navajo chanting that I've experienced.

Im neglects to transform his film to suit Western culture, and that is one of the film's main charms (even though I heard several audience members giggle inappropriately at the pansori presentations).

Set in the 18th century, Chunhyang tells a simple folk tale of love. The sheltered 15-year-old son of the governor of Namwon, Mongryong (Cho Seung Woo), sneaks out of the palace to go riding in the Korean countryside, spotting the beautiful Chunhyang (Lee Hyo Jung), a commoner who is the daughter of a former courtesan. Chunhyang is chaste and has no plans to follow in the footsteps of her supportive mother, and she is very timid during Mongryong's initial advances.

Of course, Mongryong has fallen madly in love. He soon gains the love of Chunhyang and marries her secretly. They are passionately happy until, Mongryong learns that his father has been called to Seoul to take a position with the king. The despondent Mongryong realizes that he cannot reveal his marriage to the lowly daughter of a courtesan until he has risen to a high place in the government. The unhappy lovers vow to remain loyal to each other until Mongryong can return as a high ranking official.

The separation will last three years.

Mongryong must pass his civil tests, which demonstrate his vast knowledge of Korean culture, thinking, and literature. Meanwhile, a new governor has arrived. Byun (Lee Jung Hun) believes in brutalizing his subjects, especially the beautiful Chunhyang since she refuses to accept her legal station as one of his courtesans by declaring her loyalty to her lover. Byun orders severe beatings, and schedules her execution at a large public gathering.

This sets up potential heroics. The question remains whether a Korean folktale done in pansori tradition will be like a happy Hollywood ending or more like a Puccini opera. You'll need to seek this film out diligently to find out, or find someone else to reveal the stylized ending. Unless you are Korean or familiar with the culture, Chunhyang will be a new experience for you, and the first grunting growls and screams may startle you.

But even if you have difficulty with the growling sounds of the pansori performance, the vibrant cinematography with its bright colors and dynamic camera movement should hold your interest. Add to the mix the attractive young Korean actors and set pieces that translate the stylized fable into a unique visual picnic, and you should find enough to enjoy.

Even though the hero portrays an exceptionally intelligent character, don't expect Chunhyang to challenge your intellect to make you think about deeper meanings of life like most Swedish films. Chunhyang presents a charming Korean folk tale in a palatable format for Western audiences, yet retaining its cultural flavor. Hopefully it has convinced profit-seeking distributors to funnel more Korean films our way.