Overview of ‘The Last Princess’
‘The Last Princess’ is the first film which tells the life story of Korea’s last Princess in the Joseon Dynasty. The film picturises the life of Princess Deokhye in Japan and the struggles she encountered while trying to return to her homeland from Japan. In the direction of Hur Jin-ho, the film ‘The Last Princess’ was released in 2016.
Profile
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Movie: ‘The Last Princess’
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Genre: Biography, Period Drama, Action
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Direction: Hur Jin-ho
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Screenplay: Hur Jin-ho, Lee Han-eol, Seo Yoo-min
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Produced by: Kim Jung-hwa
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Production Companies: Hofilm, DCG Plus, CJ Entertainment
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Distributed by: Lotte Entertainment
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Languages: Korean, Japanese
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Release Date: 3rd August 2016
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Running time: 127 minutes
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Country: South Korea
Cast
Main
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Son Ye-jin as Princess Deokhye
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Kim So-hyun as teen Deokhye
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Shin Rin-ah as young Deokhye
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Park Hae-il as Kim Jang-han
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Yeo Hoe-hyun as teen Jang-han
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Lee Hyo-je as young Jang-han
Supporting
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Yoon Je-moon as Han Taek-soo
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Ra Mi-ran as Bok-soon
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Kim Jae-wook as Count So Tkeyuki
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Jung Sang-hoon as Bok-dong
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Ahn Nae-sang as Kim Hwang-jin
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Park Joo-Mi as Yang Gwi-in
Synopsis
The film ‘The Last Princess’ picturises Japan’s powers over the Korean Empire back in 1925. The Japanese imperial government tries ‘Japanizing’ the royal family members as part of their strategy to widen the boundaries. As a result, the life of the final Princess of the Joseon Dynasty turns upside down.
Princess Deokhye is the daughter of the late King who is assassinated by poisoning. Before the death of her father, the princess enjoyed her life in the palace. However, at the age of 13, she becomes the victim of the nasty imperial rule of Japan. Claiming a better education for the princess, the Japanese army takes her to Japan as per the order of the Emperor. Against her will, she leaves Korea as she is threatened. To save her empire and people, she sacrifices her life in Korea and moves to Japan.
The immediate change in life makes her homesick. She lives a frightful life in Japan. To school, she carries her own water bottle as an aid to prevent herself from getting poisoned.
The eyes of the pro-Japanese General Han Taek-soo follow her everywhere and he blocks her return to Korea. He says that since the two countries have become one there is no need to go back. Her every attempt to return home ends tragically. She gets rejected whenever she approaches the authorities hoping to return home.
The warm and friendly nature of the princess is what the Japanese imperial government feared. They fear that this trait of hers one day will ignite the spirits of the Koreans, which will eventually turn them against Japan. Living in Japan, she is restricted to address herself as a Korean.
One day, when she addresses a crowd as her fellow Koreans and acknowledges herself as their princess, the patriotic spirit blooming in their heart is suppressed by the Japanese army. When she returns to her residency, she gets beaten up for taking the opportunity.
One day, the helpless Princess Deokhye meets her childhood friend Kim Jang-han. Kim Jang-han serves in the Japanese army with strong patriotic feelings for Korea. Learning about the misery caused to the princess, he tries to help her and her brother to escape to Shanghai. However, their plan fails when Han Taek-soo learns about the conspiracy. After this incident, Kim Jang-han and Princess Deokhye get separated from each other.
Princess Deokhye gets married to Count So Takeyuki and they have a daughter. The new responsibilities and the pressure of her running life burden her down and makes her a victim of schizophrenia.
In the meantime, Kim Jang-han leaves the army and starts to work for a newspaper. Years later, one day he figures out Princess Deokhye is trapped in a mental asylum in Japan. Remaining faithful to the princess, he starts pulling strings to bring her back home.
On the day when Princess Deokhye set her foot again in the land of Korea, her court ladies receive her respectfully feeling both relief and love.
Theme
Princess Deokhye suffered a pitiful life not only because of being born as a Korean but because she is the destined princess of the Korean Empire. Being the only princess in the Joseon Dynasty, she is destined to rule her people one day.
As an adorable princess, her mastery of influencing the people around her is soon dictated by the Japanese Empire. This scares Japan since a princess with such a command over the hearts of people can boost patriotism in the countrymen and overthrow the power they have over Korea. As a caution to prevent Princess Deokhye from influencing the people, the Emperor of Japan detaches her from her people and her country by threatening her to leave Korea for her studies.
The life of Princess Deokhye in Japan is pre-determined by the Japanese empire. In that foreign country, she is caged and disrespected. The new life deeply hurts her pride and dignity. Furthermore, the intense longing to return home damages her memory and takes her sanity away, leading her life to end up in a mental hospital in Japan for a long period of time. Finally, she returns to Korea after suffering so much mental and physical pain.
Awards
- Blue Dragon Film Awards
Popularity Award – Son Ye-jin - Grand Bell Awards
Best Actress – Son Ye-jin
Best Supporting Actress – Ra Mi-ran
Best Costume Designer – Kwon Yoo-jin, Im Seung-hee
Best Music – Choi Yong-rak, Jo Sung-woo - Korean Film Producers Association Awards
Best Actress – Son Ye-jin - KOFRA Film Awards
Best Actress – Son Ye-jin
Best Supporting Actress – Ra Mi-ran - Baeksang Arts Awards
Best Actress – Son Ye-jin - Golden Cinema Festival
Best Actor – Park Hae-il
Interesting Facts about The Last Princess
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The movie ‘The Last Princess’ is an intermixing of the real life of Princess Deokhye and fiction.
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The director Hur Jin-ho is inspired and touched by the documentary he once watched about the life of Princess Deokhye.
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The novel ‘Princess Deokhye’ written by Kwon Bi-young in 2009 influenced the screenplay of the film ‘The Last Princess’.
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Kim Jang-han is a fictional character created for the movie to help Princess Deokhye to return to her homeland in the movie ‘The Last Princess’.
FAQs
- Is the movie ‘The Last Princess’ a real-life story?
The film ‘The Last Princess’ is a real-life story as it portrays the life of Princess Deokhye. However, the movie also contains fictional content. - Who is the director of the film ‘The Last Princess’?
The director of the movie ‘The Last Princess’ is Hur Jin-ho. - Who enacted the role of Princess Deokhye in the movie ‘The Last Princess’?
In the movie, Shin Rin-ah played the role of young Deokhye, Kim So-hyun played the role of teen Deokhye and Son Ye-jin played the role of Princess Deokhye. - What is the Instagram ID of Son Ye-jin?
@yejinhand.
