Pierre Pellegrini
New Generations Grow III
The Handmaiden (2016)
The Handmaiden by Park Chan-wook, the acclaimed director of Old Boy and Stoker, is a period drama inspired by the novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. Park changed the location from Victorian Britain to Korea during the Japanese occupation in the 1930s.
Although the movie is set in Korea, the influence of Korean style is very subtle and can only be perceived twice - at the beginning of the film when we visit Sook-hee’s house and her con artist family, and when we meet the mansion’s maids. Even then, the hanbok, a traditional Korean garment from the Joseon period that is worn by the help, is changed in order to make it more appealing to westerners. The chima (skirt of the hanbok) is covered with a huge crisp apron, and the color combo is limited to a very maid-like white/gray/green/navy color scheme that blends with the mansion scenario. Still, we have to acknowledge the beautiful hanbok that Sook-hee wears in the car drive to the house that complements the natural scenery perfectly, with a floral yellow jeogori and an emerald green chima that reflect her light and cheerful personality.
Japanese and Edwardian fashion dominate the visual aspect of the film in an oddly enchanting dichotomy. Japanese costumes represent the colonization (the film commences with the Japanese military marching through the streets) but also the intrinsic desire of Kouzuki (Hikedo’s monstrous uncle) to be a Japanese nobleman. During the film, he alternates between a black silk kimono and black suits and his love of books and everything western translates in practically everything that surrounds him, from his mansion to his niece’s clothing options.
Above | Japanese officers on horseback in a narrow street in Seoul. 1904. Willard Dickerman Straight and Early U.S.-Korea Diplomatic Relations, Cornell University Library. + Opening scene from The Handmaiden.
This brings us to Lady Hikedo’s lavish and extensive wardrobe, which contains both late-Edwardian and Japanese clothes. During the first part of the movie (one of three chapters), Hikedo wears tight-laced corsets with embroideries and opulent trims that make her look like a walking Monet painting. In addition to this, she wears copious amounts of white dresses and shirts, classic shoes with low-cut pumps, low leather heels, satin slippers and wide-brimmed hats covered in plumes, silk flowers, and ribbons.
Above to the right | Claude Monet, Woman with parasol (1875)
One of the most beautiful examples of Edwardian opulence is the hat Sook-hee tries on during the exploration of Hikedo’s closet. This piece is in perfect symbiosis with the supposed fragile appearance of Lady Hikedo and is complemented by her constant use of gloves. Both accessories seem to have the job of protecting her frail complexion.
The use of different fabrics and color palettes changes as we discover more about Hikedo’s true personality, her story, and her inner strength and intelligence.
Initially, Hikedo wears dresses and kimonos in pastels and light earthy tones but gradually starts appearing in more vivid colors, such as purples, corals and of course the emerald green, present in the kimono that we see in the library scene and the evening gown with the Bertha neckline.
Sang-gyeong Jo makes something truly special when it comes to the costumes in the movie and it is simply impossible not to notice the several dimensions they add to the characters. In an interview given to the Korea Joongang Daily, the 44-year-old talks about how she started designing costumes out of her affection for movies rather than for clothes. In the same interview, she explains that her process begins with the director’s notes for the different scenarios and it could not be more noticeable. During the whole film, the costumes are perfectly intertwined with the location, the props, and the characters’ personality.
Reflections
Photographer Sebastian Magnani carefully positions round mirrors in outdoor settings to capture two landscapes at once: the ground below and the sky above.
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