The Throne

Two of Korea’s most esteemed actors—Yoo Ah-in and Song Kang-ho—give standout performances in this sumptuous blockbuster that dramatizes one of the most notorious and tragic episodes in the nation’s history. King Yeongjo, the longest-ruling monarch of the Joseon Dynasty, held the throne for more than 50 years, but as he himself predicted, is remembered primarily for one single event of his reign: the brutal execution of his son Prince Sado, who was locked in a rice chest for eight days before he died of suffocation and dehydration. According to historical accounts, Sado was a madman who committed sexual crimes and murdered his attendants, but the film takes a more sympathetic view, portraying him as a free spirit with an artistic soul who eventually crumbled under the relentless pressure of his father’s fanatical expectations and strict adherence to Confucian doctrine. Director Lee Joon-ik (The King and the Clown, Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet) is already a master of the historical drama, but The Throne may be his crowning achievement. Presented with the support of Korean Cultural Center New York, and as part of the Korean Movie Night New York Master Series: Lee Joon-ik.