Sea People

Starring:Hume Cronyn, Joan Gregson, Tegan Moss, Shawn Roberts (II), Ron Lea, Arlene Mazerolle, Don McKellar, Cedric Smith, Janet Kidder, James Mainprize
Director: Vic Sarin
Studio: Showtime Ent.
Product Type: DVD

Description

(Foreign/Drama) A sixty year old man has been raising a young girl since she was six years old and plans to marry her next month when she turns seventeen. Living their lives together on a fishing boat, he is very protective of her and will gladly put an arrow into anyone who touches her. She's content with her life until a young man shows up and introduces her to a world beyond - which changes everything.

Customer Reviews:

Not Kim Ki-Duk's best, but good nonetheless.........2007-06-16

Kim Ki-Duk is a very acclaimed director from Korea. He is responsible for Korean Masterpieces: THE ISLE, SPRING SUMMER FALL.., TIME, BAD GUY, 3-IRON and some others. This director's style is that he expresses his films with very little dialogue, he intends the actors, actresses to express the story through the expression of raw emotion. You may say his films are a bit on the "artsy" side, but for me, his films deal with the frailties of the human spirit, man's weaknesses and their ability to adapt.

The story centers around a man in his sixties who has been raising a young girl(Han Yeo Reum, Samaritan girl) since childhood on a ship that floats unanchored off Korea's western coast. Though the borders of her world are obviously quite limited, she seems happy, and the old man plans to marry her the day she reaches legal age. The two make their living by hosting fishermen aboard the boat, and also tell fortunes in a rather bizarre and dangerous fashion, by shooting arrows whizzing past the girl's head into a Buddhist painting on the side of the boat. (This method of fortune-telling appears to have been invented by Kim, though possibly inspired by the common practice of dropping a dart onto a spinning disc)

The film opens in striking fashion with a shot of the weapon that inspired the film's title. When fitted with an additional piece, the bow becomes a stringed instrument. Sadly, however, the instrument doesn't fit into the film's plot beyond providing for occasional mood music. The bow is utilized more often as a means of fending off lecherous fisherman from the young girl, who braves the dead of winter in a flimsy dress, and who (like all the women in Kim's films) is pretty gorgeous. Soon, however, a sensitive male college student shows up on board, and the old man discovers he's going to need more than a bow if he wants to keep the delectable young thing for himself.

Kim's mostly common approach to expression is to set the story in an isolated or a marginalized world, usually a physical space or a way of life(like 3-IRON, Time), places that certain specific rules and customs would apply. Examples are the floating temple in Spring.., the red light district in Bad Guy, the lake in the Isle, the motel in the Bird Inn, etc. The delight of watching his films come from exploring and coming to understand these worlds and how it operates.
In the bow, we see that the bow itself is a means of defense for the old man and the girl in a series of repeating incidents. It characterizes the "society" of the boat by showing first, a man's skill with the bow, and then how the girl's spatial knowledge of the boat and archery skills is a second line of defense.
These scenes don't add to character depth, and compounded by the fact that they hardly talk to each other, while much of the film shows the old man and the girl growing more emotionally detached, all they can do is trade angry/annoyed stares at each other. (over and over again, again and again)It gets a little repetitive after a while, however, the strong performances of the two leads does help the film along. You can really observe that one building emotion within.
Kim's style with the limited dialogue approach hampers this film, it comes more like a gimmick and not an integral part of the film. The lack of words by the lead characters(because they hardly know each other) in THE ISLE and 3-IRON worked very well because they could communicate emotionally and the silence accentuates their strange bond. Kim's approach to his film "TIME" would have served well in the "The Bow".

I have the Korean Region-3 release, and from experience, I know Tartan will utilize the transfer from this dvd. The Korean release is almost 122 minutes long, I'm not sure how long the U.S. version is, specs say 90 minutes, I'm not sure.
PICTURE: Anamorphic Widescreen. The transfer is fitting to the film. It is sharp and has good black levels. Some scenes have a bit more grain than others do.
AUDIO/SUBTITLES: Korean 5.1 DD and DTS. The subtitles are well timed and executed.
EXTRAS: Trailers, Interviews, commentary.

In Closing: Although "The Bow" it is not one of Kim Ki-duk's best, it is very much still worth a look. Always approach his films when you are in a certain mood. You will not be able to figure this one out until its climax.
Done perfect or not, Kim Ki-Duk always takes you on a ride. As with most of his films, the ending is pretty much open to the viewer's interpretation. Whether you take it literally or as a metaphor(that's how I took it) is entirely up to you, it is the beauty of Kim's film making.
RECOMMENDED!!

A Quiet Life at Sea.......2007-05-05

Ten years or so ago an old man kidnapped a seven-year-old girl and took her to sea. On his small boat the old man provided the girl with food, clothing, and care, but he never allowed her to leave the boat. Although at first the old man might seem like a kindly, albeit creepy, grandfatherly figure, the man's plans for the girl are not so pure because he plans to marry her on her seventeenth birthday.

The old man and the girl live isolated from society, but in order to provide for himself and his young "fiancé," the old man allows weekend warriors to fish on his boat. Also, the couple is able to predict the future through an odd divination in which the girl swings in a swing attached to the boat in front of an image of the Buddha while the man shoots three arrows into the Buddha. The girl then removes the three arrows, whispers her fortune to the old man, and then the old man whispers the fortune to his patron.

Because the girl has spent more than half of her life on the boat she is incredibly naïve and trusting. Dressed in thin dresses, even in the bitter cold, the girl is not hesitant to sit close to the fishermen and because she has grown into a stunning young woman, many of the fishermen try to take advantage of her simple nature. However, the old man is always on guard and shoots arrows at anyone whose hands become a bit too adventuresome.

Ignorant of the world, the girl seems content to live with the old man even allowing him to bathe her every night, however, one day a teenage boy is amongst those who come to fish on the old man's boats and the young girl feels a stirring in her heart that she has not felt before. After this meeting, the girl tries to grow distant from the old man and refuses his affection. However, can she truly escape her watery prison and does she really want to escape?

Being that The Bow is my first introduction to the films of Kim Ki-duk I am a little at a disadvantage to understand the themes of his films, but I can say that I truly enjoyed watching the film. The music sounds a bit like a New Age recording, but it is quite enjoyable and it fits the solitary nature of the film. This is definitely a film that I need to watch again; along with other Kim Ki-duk films, in order to truly appreciate it. Although the dialogue is at the bare minimum, I believe this film has a deeper meaning that words cannot convey.

Average customer rating:

One for the family
A gentle, magical tale of the human spirit and the sea
Delightful, Witty Family Film

Sea People
Starring: Hume Cronyn , Joan Gregson , Tegan Moss , Shawn Roberts (II) , and Ron Lea
Director: Vic Sarin
Manufacturer: Showtime Ent.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005MM5T
Release Date: 2001-09-25

Amazon.com

A fading New England fishing town is the setting of this gentle fable in which teen swimmer Amanda, troubled by her father's absence, skips school with some mild vandalism in mind but winds up saving a man who has jumped into the river. The man (Cocoon's Hume Cronyn) was actually just out for a swim, as he and his wife (Joan Gregson) are sea people--the politically correct term for mermaids. Amanda (Tegan Moss) gets drawn into the elderly couple's quest for colder water, enlisting the help of a schoolmate (Shawn Roberts) with a fishing boat and a little sea people history of his own. Director Vic Sarin wisely chose to forgo special effects in this charming fantasy-drama that premiered on Showtime, letting his excellent cast do the work of convincing the audience instead. The intelligent script by Wendy Biller and Christopher Hawthorne manages to avoid both over sentimentality and cynicism. The result is an old-fashioned tale inhabited by thoroughly modern teens. Although appropriate for any age, this 90-minute movie will most intrigue ages 7 and up. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Customer Reviews:

One for the family.......2001-08-11

Last night my 19-year-old son said, 'Mom, come watch this movie with me. It gets me every time.' So I did. I especially enjoyed seeing Hume Cronin again. His character was sweet, gently teasing Amanda to let go of her fear and to find a smile and a friend. I also liked the fact that these were not obviously 'mer-people' -- no tails or scales. The ending was happy-sweet-sad. This is a story your whole family can enjoy together. We did! (How many movies can you say that about these days?)

A gentle, magical tale of the human spirit and the sea.......2001-02-28

After reading a negative review of "Sea People" on Internet Movie Database, I was a little hesitant to rent the movie. But after two or so viewings I'm glad I did, because I would have missed out on a mystical, touching family film.

Director Victor Sarin chose to avoid special effects such as a mermaid tail (The McRaes cleverly quip that only the Florida mermaids have those) in favour of explaining the origins of seapeople as being human.

"Sea People" never seems to drift beyond the realms of the possible. It tenderly expresses a girl's passion for life and the sea and her relationship with an elderly couple that have a lot to teach her in return for her friendship.

The cast did a fantastic job, especially Hume Cronyn. It was a pleasant surprise to see that the film was shot in Nova Scotia and that the cast is entirely Canadian (look for a guest appearance at the end from Cedric Smith).

Delightful, Witty Family Film.......2000-09-29

This delightful video put smiles onto the face of our 4th grade son. I loved it for the wonderful humor which was witty and demeaning to no one. It is a current, upbeat film for the family, being intelligent, sensitive, and imaginative. We stretched out bedtime so we could watch it through to the end. Highly recommended!

Porthole TV DVD Ship: Norwegian Sky & Asia Tour

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Porthole TV DVD Ship: Norwegian Sky & Asia Tour

Manufacturer: TravelVideoStore.com
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Sidney Cohen takes you on another memorable tour. This time it is the Port of Everglades, one the two major ports in South Florida, the other being the Port of Miami. Aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines, Norwegian Sky, youll see what ship stretching is- making shorter ships longer. Sidney and his wife share their home videos from their trip to Southeast Asia including Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Also learn why it is smart to buy art onboard a cruise ship. Welcome to Porthole TV -- the magazine television series that features the cruise ship experience and its intriguing ports of call. Provocative, colorful, adventurous with a dash of sexiness, Porthole TV takes you behind the scenes on the worlds' most incredible cruise ships, along with tours of picture-postcard destinations. Porthole TV is an offshoot of the highly successful Porthole Cruise Magazine a bi-monthly consumer magazine that is available on a subscription basis or on newsstands around the world. Porthole TV is the creation of Bill Panoff, publisher and editor-in-chief of Porthole Cruise Magazine, and Sidney M. Cohen, television executive producer and avid cruiser. As the modern-day cruise industry has diversified with all sizes of ships and amenities, so have the decisions vacationers have to make, when they are interested in taking either their first, or their 50th cruise. This is what makes Porthole TV such an interesting concept; it is on the cutting edge of the developments in the cruise industry.

Secrets Aegean Apocalypse (History Channel)

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Secrets Aegean Apocalypse (History Channel)

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
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Around 1,200 BC, an ancient Armageddon destroyed nearly every known civilization. What could have caused it? The theories are many, but most now include one mysterious and massively destructive factor--a force only the Egyptians survived to name: The Sea People. Who were these warriors and how could they take down the world's greatest powers in a span of just 50 years? Scale the dizzying heights of Crete's mountain fortress with archaeologist Krzysztof Nowicki as he searches for clues.

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