....and it's quite the surprising choice.
Although by now it has sort of lost its luster, the practice of nominating a "troika" of actresses to define a generation's most popular stars survived up to the 90s, but it was a particularly significant trend in the 60s, when the trio of Yoon Jung-Hee, Moon Hee and the late Nam Jung-Im were dominating Chungmuro, right as it was enjoying its most glamorous Golden Age. Yoon has been absent from the big screen for quite some time, 1994's 만무방 (Manmubang) by director Eom Jong-Seon being her last film. Her absence was suggesting a retirement, particularly considering the fact that she currently resides in France. But when people like Lee Chang-Dong call you, then it's a whole different story.
Lee's upcoming film 시 (Poetry) has in fact cast the veteran actress in the leading role, as a woman filled with vitality and verve, but also the inner sensibilities of a young girl. Working as a nurse and raising her mischievous granddaughter alone, she chances upon a poetry lecture which rekindles her dream of youth, that of becoming a poet herself. She then begins a new life, as a nurse by day, and aspiring poet by night. Poetry started shooting on August 25, and is set for a May 2010 release (so I guess in time for Cannes).
[Cine21]
aw man, i was dearly hoping for someone like na moon-hee (if the story was gonna contrast poverty & poetry as release or something...) perhaps she's not cosmo enough? :P
Na probably has enough casting options to last her until 2015.
Lee was probably going for iconic charisma or something of that kind, but let's just say Na and Yoon are in a whole different planet when it comes to acting. Actually, most starlets from 60s Chungmuro (including people like Moon Hee) can't hold a candle to all those who started on TV in the early 60s, like Na Moon-Hee, Kim Hye-Ja, Jung Hye-Seon, Kim Young-Ok and the like.
I love this movie. People might be interested in the work we do with the Alzheimer's Poetry Project. We had our first session in Korean at an adult day care center in San Francisco last week. We have video on our YouTube Channel of people living with Alzheimer's disease responding to poetry in Korean at: