Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

The Handmaiden Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 9, 2017

Winner of Vulcain Prize for the Technical Artist at the Cannes Film Festival, Park Chan-wook's "The Handmaiden" (2016) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. There are no supplemental features on the disc. In Korean, with optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Untie me

Perhaps it is finally appropriate to start comparing Park Chan-wook to Nagisa Oshima. I’ve thought about it in the past, but I wasn’t fully convinced that Park can be as effective of a provocateur as Oshima was. His potential became obvious in the Vengeance Trilogy, but after Stoker it seemed like he had started evolving into a more mellow mainstream director. Park’s latest film, The Handmaiden, appears to have reversed the process and quite possibly fully restored his desire to once again be bold and contentious.

The film was inspired by Welsh writer Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, but there is no doubt that it is an original Park project. Indeed, it keeps that familiar playful attitude even when it seems like it is overstepping the boundaries of decency or trying to intentionally shock, and it has the special dark mystique that Park’s best early films are known for. So the main qualities that shaped up Park’s reputation are again on full display in this delicious period gem.

The story is set during the 1930s and is broken into three uneven parts. In the first, the con artist Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo) and his partner Sook-Hee (Kim Tae-ri ) travel to a lavish mansion somewhere in Japan-controlled Korea where the lonely Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee) awaits her new handmaiden. After Fujiwara presents himself as a wealthy aristocrat with a special appreciation for the arts and Sook-Hee assumes her duties, a series of flashbacks reveal that the two impostors have an ambitious plan -- Fujiwara will make Lady Hideko fall in love with him and after they marry and he takes control of her assets Sook-Hee will be promptly compensated for her invaluable assistance. At this point Fujiwara and Sook-Hee’s arrangement will end and they will be free to part ways as soon as possible. For a while the plan works precisely as intended, but when Sook-Hee realizes that she is attracted to Lady Hideko it quickly becomes useless. The second and third parts then introduce a number of interesting twists that further complicate the relationships between Sook-Hee, Fujiwara, Lady Hideko and the remaining occupants of the mansion.

Park’s film channels the wit and elegance of Stephen Frears’ Dangerous Liaisons, but it has the fearless heart of Oshima’s In The Realm of The Senses. It does a lot of things differently and at the end it leaves a vivid, lasting impression. This I think is a special accomplishment because Asian cinema has evolved dramatically since Oshima’s controversial film and explicit or graphic footage alone is no longer enough to create ripple effects.

While the entire cast is very easy to praise, it is Park’s direction that is absolutely crucial for the film’s attractiveness. Indeed, it provides it with multiple identities that in return allow the cast to shine in a number of different ways. The film’s striking period look is also effectively complemented by a brilliant soundtrack blending a wide range of baroque and contemporary harmonies.

*The version of The Handmaiden included on this release is approximately 144 minutes long. Apparently, there is a longer version in existence, but I have not seen it yet and cannot comment on the additional footage. Later this year, British distributors Curzon Artificial Eye will release the longer version of the film on Blu-ray. You can see our listing of this upcoming release here.

The Handmaiden Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Park Chan-wook's The Handmaiden arrives on Blu-rtay courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

The Handmaiden was shot with the Arri Alexa XT Plus camera (with multiple lenses) and it has that familiar very sharp and clean look that we have come to expect from material done with this type of contemporary equipment. A lot of the close-ups, in particular, boast exceptional detail and on larger screens it is incredibly easy to see even very tiny facial pores (see screencapture #5). On the other hand, the wider panoramic shots impress with excellent depth, but interestingly enough also have the some of the same organic qualities that film has (see screencaptures #2 and 6). A lot of the primary colors can be very rich and vivid, but there are also some lovely muted nuances that support the period cinematography quite well. Image stability is outstanding. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Handmaiden Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with portions of Japanese). Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless 5.1 track is exactly the type of track that I would use to test new audio equipment. While the film does not have any elaborate action sequences with pounding bass and sudden spikes in dynamic activity, its nuanced sound design offers plenty that can impress serious audiophiles. So the 5.1 track has the perfect amount of 'colors' that I like when trying to determine if the equipment I am testing is worth investing in. For the record, there are no purely digital anomalies to report in our review.

The Handmaiden Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray release.

The Handmaiden Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is now virtually impossible for contemporary American directors to shoot films that can truly surprise filmgoers -- and it isn't because there is an alarming shortage of brilliant script writers; the truth is that political correctness has basically purged the risk takers and allowed what I like to call 'safe mediocrity' to rule the industry -- but there are a few foreign auteurs that occasionally manage to sneak a genuinely unique film and create some ripple effects. Park Chan-wook's latest effort, The Handmaiden, is precisely that kind of an original film -- it will take you on a wild cinematic journey and it will surprise you. Sony's technical presentation of The Handmaiden is outstanding, but unfortunately there are no supplemental features on the Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED (when you find it with a decent price tag).