Portrait of a Beauty (2008)

Profile

• Movie: Portrait of a Beauty
• Revised romanization: Miindo
• Hangul: 미인도

• Director: Jeon Yun-Su
• Writer: Kee Jung-Myeong (novel), Han Su-Ryeon, Jeon Yun-Su
• Producer: Cho Sung-Kyu
• Cinematographer: Park Hee-Ju
• Release Date: November 13, 2008
• Runtime: 108 min.
• Genre: Period-18th Century / Romance
• Distributor: CJ Entertainment
• Language: Korean
• Country: South Korea

Plot

Retired court painter Shin Han-Pyong seeks to settle an old score with the most sought after painter of that time, Kim Hong-Do (Kim Young-Ho). Shin raises his son to surpass Kim Hong-Do, but his son commits suicide over his lack of talent. The father then pushes his daughter Yun-Jeong to disguise herself as her brother and enter the world of court painters.

Now the grown-up Yun-jeong (Kim Gyu-Ri), better known as “Hyewon” – the pen name of Shin Yun-Bok, finally enters the court and learns to paint under the guidance of Kim Hong-Do, who is trusted by by King Jung-Jo.

Kim Hong-Do quickly notices Yun-bok’s huge potential as well as his girlish features. Things remain normal until Yun-bok goes out and comes across a playful seller of mirrors, Kang-Mu (Kim Nam-Gil). When their romantic adventure takes off, it is Kim Hong-Do who ends up heartbroken. Kim’s jealousy, and his desire to own Yun-Bok physically and emotionally, soars to a perilous level.

Shin Yun-bok, better known by the pen name Hyewon, is a real figure who produced a host of thematically provocative and artistically excellent paintings in the 18th century. However, not one record of the painter still exists. A story about a genius painter who loved his patron’s lover and then lost everything, only to leave a miindo of the lady.