French reviews of April Snow !
This week is a special week. YJ’s interview from GQ magazine left a deep impression on me, I don’t have the mood to do anything. But this morning, after reading Fumi’s posting translated by Cam on Quilt freeboard, I find my energy again.So here we are, I would like to share two another April Snow reviews I translated from French blogs.
From Jihem’s blog Bleu Citron
http://sphere.dnsalias.org/dotclear/index.php/2006/05/13/13-oechul-april-snow-2005-jin-ho-hur
translated from French to English by camille
Oechul (April snow) (2005) - Jin-ho Hur
By Jihem, May 13th 2006
Car accident, In-su’s wife is in the coma. At the hospital he meets Seo-Young who cries, her husband is also in the coma, he was in the same car. The waiting starts for In-su and Seo-Young, which discover very quickly that their spouses were lovers. They share the waiting, the incomprehension, the pain, a helpless desire of revenge and, little by little, a mutual attraction: “We could have an affair together, just to annoy them…” It is spring. Two love stories in the coma, a new ones takes form between the two shipwrecked people, alone in the world. But the reality catches up with them, the social conventions put them aside, one of the spouses wakes up. Will their raft be able to resist the waves?
Jin-Ho Hur achieves a small pearl of poetry, a kind of Korean In the mood for Love. But when Wong Kar Wai lingered on his characters, with his unforgettable slow motion on Maggie… where he gave them a maturity and a character which choked more between the narrow walls of their environment, the couple of April Snow appears much more fragile, passive, dragged away without resistance by the linking of the external events, such as a nut shell on a sea which exceeds them. This total powerlessness makes the final scene even more touching … A beautiful movie.
From Valclair’s blog, April 14th 2006
http://valclair.canalblog.com/archives/2006/04/14/1701890.html
translated from French to English by camille
omit…
Finally I’ve watched “April snow”, a very beautiful Korean romance, this movie obviously pleased me a lot. I left the theatre with a liveliness of heart, a little tender music inside me, and it is that which finally counts more than intrinsic cinematographic qualities. It is certainly not a masterpiece, nothing exceptional in the way of the setting, not spectacular nor composition of exceptional actor, just a well made movie, true feelings, a palpable tenderness for these ordinary characters confronted to love betrayal, dramatic accident, death and possible rebirths. The feelings are constantly chaste and the love approach which sketches slowly then achieves is marked with a great emotion. There is no villain in it, but people confronted with their desire to live and their deep feeling of compassion which lasts in spite of betrayals for those they’ve loved, that they still love. The scene where the future lovers approach is slow, the mutual taking clothes off is made of waiting, reserve, vibrating sensuality. It is a soft scene and yet a wonderful eroticism ones. Per moment the movie is a little slow, it lingers, we can be bored but this slowness is naturally wanted, it marks that precisely the desire is often, not a brutal enthusiasm, but an effect of a slow taming. We fear a moment that the film will fizzle out, each protagonist going away separately with their pain. We say ourselves : but goddamn, the cell-phones, for what they’re useful, call to each other, don’t let the chance go away… There is snow and there are spring flowers piercing under snow. Life continues. The two protagonists can finally welcome it. It’s that which we’re indebted to them when the black screen comes back and we return to the concrete of our own life. It’s that which gives to our heart this sweet feeling that we carry away when we leave them : yes the life continues, the love continues, let us know how to receive them too….
Snows and flowers… I looked at the weather in Tunisia. 14 to 28 degree in the next days, where I go tomorrow for a week, I’m very pleased, I need some warmth while leaving this coldness which persists, there is not any snow there but the caress of the sun…
camille : this year, the winter in France lasts a bit long than usual.
posted by Toujours_BYJ @ 5/27/2006 08:48:00 AM
14 Comments:
Dear Camille,
How are you? First time entering a comment in your refreshing and informative blog. By the way, I love the song too. Glad to hear that you have picked up the mood to write again. Please keep up the excellent translation.
Is there a followings of YJ fans in France? Especially after April Snow? Lastly, hope spring will come soon in Paris. I remember visiting Paris many years ago in May and it's quite hot already. Have a good weekend!
funny.. i really shouldn't feel surprised that the french audience enjoyed AS. but each time i come to your blog wondering if there'll be more AS reviews, i'm still surprised to see that there're more... esp after all this time.
but it's a good surprise, mind you. love your translation. love that the movie has been so well-loved. thanks, camille.
and... just something for you to consider... how about writing something in both english and french on KOB? just share the response to AS from your country? you know, like how AS is screened in fewer screens like the other korean 'blockbusters', but it has lasted longer and it has received quite positive ratings from the various sites and from the blogs, seems like members of the public loved it too.
then maybe you can pick the key sentences that talk about the movie and the parts that talk about yong joon from each of the fan-review you've translated and share on the same posting?
i just thought that with so many good reviews, will be a shame if people don't notice how the french have enjoyed the movie. so i was thinking why not summarize the situation and share the key parts from each review...?
anyway, just a suggestion... no pressure or obligation to do it, ya? thanks once again for everything you've done, camille. really appreciate your effort to spread the love and share the pride.
Yes, I agree with bb.
It is a pleasant surprise for me to know so many people liked April Snow in their own way.
As many of the French viewers noted,it is not a spectacular film, but it leaves a warmth that lingers as we leave the theater.
That is what I wish YJ feels - warmth and comfort. Only if we can give it to him.
Hi Jaime, thanks for dropping by my blog. This year we have one of the longest winter and spring is a a bit late. It's hot in the south but here in the north of France, it's often cloudy, windy, rainy and a little bit cold, about 18, 20°C. The weather in France strange. I hope next time you visit France, we can meet and chat together.
Hi bb, I'm very very touched by your nice words. Thank you very much for your great suggestion, I will try to find time to do this. Today is Mother's day in France (we don't celebrate the same day as others countries), I'm quite busy and next week-end we will have guests at home for some days. Sigh ! How I wish I have 48h a day, as Jaime has said !
Hi Flowerbossa,
Yes, we don't need a spectacular movie to feel well, I think it's why AS is very perceived here while others Korean blockbusters failed.
hey... camille, you're fast! i saw your posting on quilt and KOB already.
i hope i wasn't being too much of a busybody with my suggestion. i just wanted more people to know about how well-received AS is in france, and i also hope your translation effort would go further.
saw that korean fan suehan has started to translate your posting on KOB... that's wonderful! higher chance that BOF or yong joon or even the media will pick it up. i really hope the korean media will see it :p
It's been a while since AS was shown in your country but it still gets a lot of good reviews. That is a joy worth sharing so thanks for translating it camille.
Dear bb
It's me who must say thanks to you for your suggestion, your encouragement and your support. Without you, I never created my blog for YJ, do you know that I'm one of your fan too ?
As I had some free time last night, I posted on KOB and Quilt to share. I also hope Korean media will see it but the most important thing for me is to wish YJ can read these reviews and will be more confident on his talent now.
Dear Marissa,
Yes, I'm very happy that AS is loved by French people, I still find new reviews of AS on French movie portal and blogs.
*bb blushes*
Bonjour Kate,
Je suis tellement heureuse de te connaître, ça fait longtemps que j'attends quelqu'un qui écrit en Français sur mon blog.
Es-tu une fan de Yong Joon ? Tu as trouvé l'adresse de mon blog sur un site coréen? Wow, je ne le savais même pas, à part byj.co.kr je ne connais pas d'autres sites coréens car je ne connais pas cette langue.
Merci pour ton compliment, j'adore April snow, d'ailleurs il faut le voir plusieurs fois car le metteur en scène distille beaucoup d'indices dans le film.
Pourras-tu me donner également l'adresse de ton blog ? Cela nous permettra de nous communiquer aussi.
A bientôt.
Bonjour Kate
Je viens de mettre également les liens vers tes blogs dans le mien, merci beaucoup pour ton compliment, ça m'est allé droit au coeur.
Bonne journée.
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