Introduction

The Fortress (Hangul :남한산성 ;RR : Namhansanseong ) is a2011 South Korean historical drama film directed and written byHwang Dong-hyeok, released on 03 October 2017. It is an adaptation of Kim Hoon ‘s novel Namhansanseong.

Outline

In the winter of 1636, as the Qing conquer China, they turn to the vassal kingdom of Joseon in Korea , which has remained loyal to the Ming . King Injo and his men refuse to submit, entrenched in a fortress in the Namhansanseong Mountains . While the enemy is at his gates, ready to invade, the king is confronted with the divergent opinions of two of his ministers. While one, the Minister of the Interior Choi Myung-kil, begs him to rely on the clemency of the invader, Kim Sang-hun, in charge of rites, prefers to avoid the humiliation of his nation and fight to the end. In a freezing winter, while the king is ill and his men suffer from cold and hunger, the final battle will be played out around this fortress…

Cast

• Main:
  • Lee Byung-hun as Choe Myeong: The leader of one of the two ideological cliques besieged in the fortress who wishes to negotiate peace with the Qing Dynasty.
  • Kim Yoon-seok as Kim Sang-hun: The leader of the other ideological clique who fights against Choi’s opinion and firmly believes in defending the nation against the Qing Dynasty.
  • Park Hae-il : King Injo: The king, cornered by conflicts within his ranks and worried about the fate of the nation.
  • Go Soo (en) : Seo Nal-soi: A blacksmith recruited and sent with a letter from the king to recruit fighters.
  • Park Hee-soon as Lee Shi-baek: The leader of the Joseon army who silently leads the defence of the fortress in extremely harsh weather conditions.

• Support:
  • Song Young-chang … Kim Ryoo
  • Jo Woo-jin … Jung Myung-soo
  • Lee David (en) … Chil-bok
  • Heo Sung-tae … Yong Gol-dae
  • Kim Beop-rae … Kan
  • Jo Ah-in … Na-roo
  • Jin Seon-kyu … Lee Doo-gap
  • Yoo Soon-woong … The Leader of Scholars
  • Park Ji-il … Vice-Chief of Scholars
  • Choi Jong-ryul … A Eunuch
  • Kim Joong-ki … Do Seung-ji
  • Shin Ki-joon (en) … The Crown Prince

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Hwang Dong-hyuk
• Producer(s):
  • Kim Ji-yeon … producer
  • Ji Yeon Kim … producer
  • Jeong Tae-sung … executive producer
• Writer(s):
  • Hwang Dong-hyuk
  • Hoon Kim … (novel) (as Kim Hoon)
• Music:
  • Ryuichi Sakamoto
• Cinematography:
  • Kim Ji-yong
• Editor(s):
  • Nam Na-young
• Production:
  • CJ Entertainment
  • Macrograph (visual effects)
  • Siren Pictures
  • TMS Comics
  • TMS Entertainment
• Distributor(s):
  • CJ Entertainment (South Korea, 2017)(theatrical)
  • Full Brief Marketing (Australia, 2017)(theatrical)
  • Twin Co. Ltd. (Japan, 2018)(theatrical)
  • Cine Asia Films (Australia, 2017)
  • Koch Media (Germany, 2019)(Blu-ray)
  • Koch Media (Germany, 2019)(DVD)
  • Signature Entertainment (United Kingdom, 2018)
• Release Date: 03 October 2017.
• Running Time: 160 minutes.
• Rating: Unknown.
• Country: South Korea.
• Language: Korean.

Video Link(s)