{"id":32602,"date":"2025-12-09T00:38:26","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T08:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=32602"},"modified":"2025-12-09T00:38:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T08:38:26","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-splendid-outing-1978","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=32602","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! Blu-ray Review: SPLENDID OUTING (1978)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray from Radiance Films is\ncurrently available for purchase.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Today, South Korea is known as an international powerhouse\nin cinema. In the 21st<\/sup> century, the country\u2019s filmmakers have\ncreated such notable works as The Handmaiden, The Host, I Saw the Devil, No\nOther Choice, Oldboy, Parasite, Snowpiercer, Train to Busan<\/em> and many, many\nothers. However, superb works of art were also made in the 1970s, despite\ncitizens living under an authoritarian government. One of those pictures was Splendid\nOuting<\/em>, a drama that managed to hit audiences with a modern message\ncriticizing the treatment of women. It\u2019s also remarkable that it managed to\navoid heavy cuts from the country\u2019s censor board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film is now considered one of the country\u2019s finest. It\nhas a dreamlike tone and an arthouse flair, with eerie images that distressing\nsequences that leave a lasting impression. This is a landmark picture of the\nera that will chill audiences, who will empathize with its lead character.\nRadiance Films is now debuting the film on Blu-ray for western audiences to\nfinally catch up with. They have conducted a 4K image restoration for this\nrelease, which arrives with excellent bonus material providing even more\ncontext and meaning for those unfamiliar with life in the country during the\n1970s. It\u2019s another strong release from the stellar distributor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gong Do-hee (Yoon Jeong-hee) is a successful corporate\nbusinesswoman who manages her own multi-million-dollar company in Seoul.\nDespite experiencing a few sexist comments on the job, she\u2019s happy and takes\ngreat pride in her accomplishments, treating those around her (especially other\nfemale entrepreneurs) with kindness. After having a dream about her deceased\ntwin sister, Gong Do-hee decides to take a vacation to the seaside and try to\nrelax. Shockingly, she is kidnapped by an abusive fisherman who claims she is\nhis runaway wife. No one stops the nasty figure as he takes her to his remote\nhome on a nearby island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now trapped, she is verbally and physically abused by her\ncaptor, who forces her to do his bidding around the house. Even worse, when she\nattempts to tell other islanders about the situation, they don\u2019t believe her.\nGong Do-hee thinks she might get some assistance from the man\u2019s lover, but the\nwoman also treats the protagonist poorly. In fact, the lady sees Gong Do-hee\ntoiling away as a great benefit to her life and relationship with the\nfisherman. After an extended period of suffering, the lead finally sees a\nchance to escape, but even if she does make it back, will anyone in Seoul\nbelieve her story?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The movie certainly has a dreamlike feel at times, with the\nmain character sleeping and the world around her appearing strange and\nunwelcome. It\u2019s a beautifully shot film, but one that also feels like a\nnightmare come to life. Dream sequences used in the story intertwine\neffectively with scenes in the real world and they really make viewers question\nthe way society has been set up. Of course, it also brings to light the nasty\ntreatment that women have to endure and overcome. It isn;t depicted in a graphic\nmanner, but the ugliness on display still makes an impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also frustrating to witness the treatment of Gong\nDo-hee by everyone after she is taken. Despite pleas to local doctors, almost\nno one takes her claims seriously. She does manage to make contact with the\nmainland at one point in the tale, but the reaction of city folk isn\u2019t any\nbetter. It seems no one is much interested in this important woman\u2019s well-being\nor even looking into her kidnapping claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoon Jeong-hee keeps a lid on all of the torture she\u2019s\nexperiencing for much of the running time, only breaking down when it seems\nthat no hope is in sight. It\u2019s a powerfully understated performance that makes\nan impression. One can really feel for the character, who is consistently\ntreated as a servant by her captor and no longer possesses any power in the\nworld.  As mentioned, while the seaside location is beautiful, it does\nfeel completely isolated and the tone is effectively dreary throughout. Overall,\nthis is a powerful film with a strong message. Personally, I\u2019m not entirely\nsure about the final twist at the end, but it is a minor complaint. This is\ndefinitely a masterwork that can still move people almost 50 years after it was\nmade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The image quality on display isn\u2019t perfect, but is solid and\nlikely as sharp as the film can possibly look. Most of the photography is\nimpressive, although there are some instances here and there of scratches\nrunning down the side of the film. They aren\u2019t distracting, but do pop up every\nnow and then. This is likely due to damage during the original photography or\nthe source material in general, which one assumes can\u2019t be corrected unless a\nmassive restoration is funded. But the occasional scratch running down the\nimage is very subtle and doesn\u2019t take away much from the experience. The\nlocations are visually striking, from the bustling city streets of Seoul to the\nrocky island shoreline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the extras are equally informative and enlightening.\nThere is a commentary from film historian Ariel Schudson, who does go into the\nnumerous levels and meanings of the film. She discusses the work of prolific\ndirector Kim Soo-yang (Mist, Sorrow Even Up in Heaven)<\/em>, who seemed to\nhave strong feelings about women\u2019s rights and understood their challenges in\ndealing with patriarchy. The critic also notes how well she can relate with the\nfeelings of the main character, and notes that the protagonist\u2019s actions and\nbehavior are more relatable to women than many heroines even in modern day\ntitles. Her insight and comments are illuminating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There is an interview with South Korean filmmaker Lee\nChang-dong, who worked with star Yoon Jeong-hee on two later pictures, Secret\nSunshine<\/em> (2007) and Poetry<\/em> (2010). He talks about his experiences\nworking with the actress and her deftness at subtly helping viewers understand\nher character\u2019s emotional states. Sadly, he also notes how on their second\ncollaboration (about a woman struggling with Alzheimer\u2019s disease), the actress\nbegan experiencing symptoms of the condition herself, noting that it adds an\neven more tragic air to the proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, there is a discussion with assistant director\nChing Ji-young, who recounts his time on the set of the film and his memories\nof the movie. Also included is an impressive video essay called Stranded but\nNot Afraid:<\/em> The Island Women of Classic Korean Cinema<\/em>. As it turns\nout, the story featured in this film was part of a trend of pictures showcasing\nwomen\u2019s issues. Many of the stories would take place on remote island locales,\nand the critic describes several of them in detail. This is another interesting\nbonus that will leave viewers on the hunt for more South Korean dramas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It all comes with a booklet containing new writing and\nanalysis of the feature, noting just how important this film is in the history\nof South Korean cinema. It\u2019s remarkable that a film as ahead of its time as Splendid\nOuting<\/em> managed to sneak its way past censors. And it\u2019s also stunning that\nthe film hasn\u2019t been available in this part of the world for so long. It\u2019s a\nbeautifully made picture with themes that are every bit as relevant today as\nthey were when the movie was originally released. This disc also contains a\nwealth of features that will only add to one\u2019s appreciation of the title. This\nRadiance Films \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray is highly recommended to international\nfilm enthusiasts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray from Radiance Films is currently available for purchase. Today, South Korea is known as an international powerhouse in cinema. In the 21st century, the country\u2019s filmmakers have created such notable works as The Handmaiden, The Host, I Saw the Devil, No Other Choice, Oldboy, Parasite, Snowpiercer, Train to Busan and many, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":32604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[109,2933,2939,6251,16584,18753,18875,18876,18877,18878,18879],"class_list":["post-32602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-109","tag-blasts-from-the-past-2","tag-blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-2","tag-drama","tag-radiance-films","tag-south-korea","tag-splendid-outing","tag-splendid-outing-blu-ray","tag-splendid-outing-blu-ray-review","tag-splendid-outing-film-review","tag-splendid-outing-review"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32602"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32602\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}