Comparing the Hwang Jin Yi’s, Ha Ji Won vs. Song Hye Gyo
So, being a huge fan of historical dramas (in fact, that’s all I ever watch) I’ve had the opportunity to watch both the drama version with Ha Ji Won and the movie version featuring Song Hye Gyo, which both attempt to portray the life of Korea’s arguably most famous gisaeng.
First, a brief background: Hwang Jin Yi (gisaeng name: Myung Wol, or “Shining Moon”) was a gisaeng, a female entertainer that existed up until the Joseon dynasty. It’s easy to draw the comparison between gisaeng and Japanese geisha, however, the gisaeng tradition began a couple of thousand years before the geisha appeared. Another big difference is that some gisaeng were employed by the state, called “gwan-gi,” (관기 or 官妓) and all institutions supporting geisha were privately run. Neither gisaeng or geisha were prostitutes, however, depending on their rank, gisaeng were obliged to sleep with their patrons when deemed socially necessary (there is a scene from SHG’s movie version that references this). Lastly, most gisaeng came from cheonmin, the lowest tier of Joseon society.
In terms of plot strength…the drama pretty much left the movie in the dust. I know that might not be a fair comparison since the drama spanned about 30 episodes and the movie ran about 2 hours but the drama deftly painted a vivid picture of Ha Ji Won as Hwang Jin Yi, a master dancer and artiste extraordinaire, from her childhood to her adulthood.
The movie, on the other hand…left me confused and bewildered at times. I had no idea what they were trying to do with Song Hye Gyo’s character. The gisaeng, a class of demimonde (a term referring to women living on the fringes of “respectable society”) were women who were oppressed socially due to their low social status. However, it can be argued that these women were granted freedoms that were denied higher-class women, who were obliged to spend their lives lorded over by husbands and sons. It is this strong and independent image of gisaeng that led them to be called the “Cultural Icons of 2006.”
This is why I could not understand why the movie went so far as to portray SHG being subjected to physical abuse by a patron, as that doesn’t fit the image that gisaeng that many people were forming in their minds. This isn’t to say that abuse such as that didn’t happen in Joseon society, it was probably an unfortunate fact of life, but the movie didn’t fit with the image of Hwang Jin Yi that I was expecting.
Ha Ji Won’s Hwang Jin Yi, on the other hand, while subjected to identical societal pressures still manages to come out on top (her first love, a son of a nobleman, dies of a broken heart after being forbidden to marry her, due to their difference in class status…I’ve never cried so hard watching anything as I did that scene). She roundly beats noblemen in poetry contests, and with her wit and charm has the ability to attract powerful patrons and the heart of any man she meets. She is also a gifted dancer and excels in the pursuit of artistic perfection. She is able to rise above the limitations of her low social status and occupation and is a fiery, kick-ass woman who doesn’t take crap from anyone. It’s a bit heartbreaking in the end because she does end up being unlucky in love, but it’s a choice that she makes, trading her art for her shot at love.
I watched both, and since I don’t have any knowledge about Korean’s history, I was able to comment as a viewer only.
The movie version was a lullaby for me. On the other hand, the drama was more enjoyable. And I like these mysterious smiles of HaJiWon’s version.
i watched both with my mother. she said that while the drama was catered to what the viewers likely wanted, the movie followed the storyline written in history books. i enjoyed both. the drama was pretty to watch whereas the movie was more realistic. i didn’t find the movie confusing.
the life of a gisaeng in reality was not as fanciful as hwang jin yi’s from the drama. don’t forget they were gisaengs. there’s always a dark side (aside from the pretty dresses & dancing & instruments). yes, even the story of how she started her life as a gisaeng that was in the movie is the real story that was passed down generations, not that whole she was an orphan of a gisaeng enraptured by the dancing who became a gisaeng herself story from the drama. actually, i think the real story that my mom told me is much more fascinating than all the love stories thrown into the drama. but i do agree the drama was more fun to watch because of all the pretty dresses & dancing.
i watched the drama and movie, and i must say i loved the DRAMA!!the story was great and it made me admire Ha Ji Won as an actress..
I haven’t watched any of the two, but I know Ha Jiwon is a better actress, but Song Hye Gyo is still prettier than her. Haha.
I watched Song Hye Gyo’s Hwang Jin Yi’s potrayal. I found the story boring and passable but also at the same time I coudn’t stop gushing at her beauty. Song Hye Gyo’s beauty is ethreal.
I am not a Ha Ji Won fan but her face has more character than Song Hye Gyo’s… Looking at the photos and clippings from both the versions of Hwang Jin Yi it seems like Ha Ji Won showed more substance than Song Hye Gyo in their individual portayal of the famous gisaeng.
Song Hye Gyo left me only the impression of Hwang Jin Yi’s beauty and nothing else.
I agre with Kaybee
spesho I think Ha jiwon is more gorgeous than song hyegyo, who is only a lifeless doll. She has no spark. I loved the ending of the Drama because hwangjini didn’t need a man in her life to be successful which is rare in kdramas.
Well, techically geisha did not appear until the 1700 but already before that they were female entertainers in Japan (Saburuko and Shirabyoshi existed between 1185-1333)not to mention the high class courtesans tayu and oiran after that.
I loved the drama version, Ha Ji Won had such passion in her potrayal and she really showed Hwang Jin Yi as the artist that she was.
Song Hye Gyo was beautiful, there is no denying that but the story was confusing and her acting was bland.
i love Hwang Jin Yi drama verson better . I cried a lot when I watched this drama T_T
orual said:
I think Ha jiwon is more gorgeous than song hyegyo, who is only a lifeless doll. She has no spark.
I agree with everything you just said. I find Song Hye Gyo’s acting mediocre at best.
Song Hye Gyo can never beat Ha Ji Won’s top notch acting in general.
I think the reason why Song is not so good is because she is not willing to abandon herself into the character, Like I noticed, in all her dramas, even her crying doesn’t seem realistic…like when she cries, you could really see that she is worried about how she’ll look when shedding tears, which way that tear falls and that she’s so careful about her facial expressions and every movement. It’s like everything has to be perfect and so calculated. Everything is so Stepford Wifish. A good actress is someone who’ll give you the feeling that she isn’t acting.
Ha Ji Won on the other hand really gets into the character, abandoning every inhibitions and vanity. She BECOMES the character that she’s portraying and she does it in such a subtle and natural way. When you watch her, you are not reminded that she is an actress, instead…she IS that character.
okay…do you really have to ask this?
It’s quite pointless…
It’s Ha Ji Won of course!
I totally agree with Pammy on this. I can understand that the drama can add in a lot of things to impress you than a movie can since it’s much longer. But just by comparison, Ha Ji Won is a better actress just like Pammy said.
SHG some how can’t get my heart to feel the emotion that the storyline wants it to. With Ha Ji Won, I ended up feeling happy with her, sad with her, sorry with her, angry with her, etc.
HaJiWon is a much better actress than SHG.
even though i havent seen both versions,
i can tell the drama is much better.
I like the movie version than the drama
Ha Ji Won character in drama annoyed me.
me tooo~ i cried so much wen Jang guen suk died in da drama ><
i loved the drama so much more den da movie!
the movie got kinda wierd nd confusing coz it was so different frm the drama T_T
Ha Ji Won no doubt about it! the Drama is my all times fav. drama!
I refuse to see the movie just because I know SHG is not a good actress (and I’m being nice here!)
No doubt she’s pretty – but unfortunately that’s all she is – pretty.
Ha Ji Won on the other hand may not be as pretty but she’s sexy as hell and she can kill with just a look! not to mention she’s one of the BEST actresses!
When portraying such a strong character you need a strong actress to hold it all together and HJW did a fantastic job!
i LOVED the drama….i think ha ji won did a great job as the character.
Song hye gyo is beautiful but i just couldn’t get in sync i guess? with her character…i dunno although i think she’s lovely sometimes i think her beauty is too soft to be hwang jini.
ugh but i def loved ha ji won as her. ^^
I watched both versions.
Both are gorgeous women! I understand that the two were setting different mooods and tones. I agree with you that the movie was confusing because the storyline was going nowhere.
As pretty as SHG I don’t think she didn’t do a great job in portraying Hwang Jin Yi other than being pretty. The movie didn’t help her at all. It was supposed to be a deep and moving piece but I just thought it was draggy and a bore. And the bed scene was supposed to be something huge but it was really blah. I guess that was just hype and promotion.
Ha Ji Won on the other hand was amazing! I didn’t know she could be so fierce! I never fell in love with a historical drama before!
watched both and i like the drama version better, when jang geun suk’s character died, i cried so much! I think that Ha Ji Won portrayed hwang jini better
I watched the movie with my mom…. though it’s better to watch the movie if you know about the history of Hwang Jinyi. If you don’t know, it might leave you puzzled in some areas.
I was told that Hwang Jin Yi was attracted to Gisaeng stuff and loved enticing men (like the man who drew on her inner robe and she showed it to everyone publicly and embarrassed the man)
Drama ver. and movie portrayed two different HJY and so it’s hard to watch one and compare it to the other. In the drama, one factor was that HJY was the daughter of a gisaeng. In the movie, she became one entirely on her own will.
I actually didn’t mind the movie since I wasn’t even thinking about the drama while I watched it. It wasn’t the best, but no the worst either.
I watched the drama again and HJW is simply WONDERFUL. So strong, arrogant and at the same time so lonely!!
Was HJY really like that ? I suppose since she is a very popular historical korean person.
I watched both version but i still like HJW’s version the best. Maybe i’m kinda bias because she’s been one of my favorite actress and her acting skill is well known to be good.
But still the drama kicked ass, the part where she lost her first love is so tragic and sad. The part where she transformed after the death of her first love is just intense, love her facial expressions and those mysterious smile of her.
Overall, she has so much more characteristic and the “OOMPH” that SHK’s lacks. She’s pretty but that’s all.
i watched the drama and fell in love with it so went to see the movie, since i like SHK, but i was very dissapointed.
I came into the movie expecting a simpler plot as it was a much shorter film but the movie was trying way to hard to impress and HJY wasn’t as proud as she was in the drama, she was actually kinda bitchy in the drama, but it was part of her charm.
I didn’t like the way HJY was protrayed in the movie, I don’t think its SHK’s fault, but more of scripting, HJW’s version was just to strong a character and had alot of build up.
Also the dancing scene was horrible, there was barely any at all, SHK’s dancing skills needs some working on, HJY was supposed to be a great dancer, HJW was a great dancer, i read somewhere online her trainer said she was good enough to be professional.
All in all, the movie wasn’t that bad, but didn’t have the same charm in its leading character compared to the drama.
I think that Ha Ji Won’s is better, her character is complicated and she managed to present it well, we know not only one side of Hwang Jin Yi but all about her, her anger, jealousy, pride,etc. But Song Hye Gyo’s…well she is just pretty I think, maybe because I watched the drama first, Ha Ji Won out shined her, SHG’s potayal is just one side, flirtatious…That’s it, the movie just passed like nothing in my head. There seemed like no plot at all while on the other hand, HJW’s had a very strong image that is unforgettable…