X
  • 2003
  • Unrated
  • Kino International
  • 2 h
  • 2003
  • Unrated
  • Kino International
  • 2 h

Summary Im Kwon-taek's ninety-fifth film tells the story of renowned nineteenth-century painter Jang Seung-up (Choi Min-Sik), an artist whose revolutionary work - and persona - has forever changed the face of Korean art. (Kino International)

Directed By: Im Kwon-taek

Written By: Yong-ok Kim, Byung-sam Min, Im Kwon-taek

  • 2003
  • Unrated
  • Kino International
  • 2 h
  • 2003
  • Unrated
  • Kino International
  • 2 h

Painted Fire

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 21 Critic Reviews
78
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary Im Kwon-taek's ninety-fifth film tells the story of renowned nineteenth-century painter Jang Seung-up (Choi Min-Sik), an artist whose revolutionary work - and persona - has forever changed the face of Korean art. (Kino International)

Directed By: Im Kwon-taek

Written By: Yong-ok Kim, Byung-sam Min, Im Kwon-taek

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 21 Critic Reviews
78
95% Positive
20 Reviews
5% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 21 Critic Reviews
78
95% Positive
20 Reviews
5% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
While this isn't a masterpiece on the level of his great "Chunhyang," it packs a sophisticated cinematic punch.
By David Sterritt FULL REVIEW
90
Old-fashioned, beautifully crafted biopic of painter Jang Seung-up.
FULL REVIEW
83
Art history majors may write in with corrections. Meanwhile, I'm declaring that the masterly, big-canvas biographical drama Chi-hwa-seon: Painted Fire is about the Jackson Pollock of 19th-century Korea.
By Lisa Schwarzbaum FULL REVIEW
80
Scene after scene blends masterfully with the work of Ohwon’s paint brush, and the power of images and symbols reveal not only a great artist, but also a pivotal era in Korean history.
FULL REVIEW
75
The film is art in all its visual splendor, and no matter how confusing the historic story line may be to Westerners -- and it is -- the images on screen more than compensate for the faults.
By Marta Barber FULL REVIEW
70
Mr. Im's own aesthetic command is evident in the movie's wealth of beautiful, perfectly framed images of nature -- shots so full of passion and perception that they could almost be paintings themselves.
By Dana Stevens FULL REVIEW
50
In the scope of things, Ohwon's story is a route into the larger story of an uncertain and tumultuous period in Korea, and it's here that Chi-hwa-seon loses its grip.
By Scott Tobias FULL REVIEW

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Details

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Production Company CJ Entertainment, Taehung Pictures
Release Date Feb 14, 2003
Duration 2 h
Rating Unrated
Genres
Tagline The Life of Painter Jang Seung-up
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Awards

Cine21
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Busan Film Critics Association (BCFA)
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Blue Dragon Awards
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations

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