Park Sihoo-ssi’s Cha Seungjo in Cheongdamdong Alice had a love-hate relationship with his father
I started re-living Park Sihoo-ssi’s drama, “Cheongdamdong Alice” recently because it was around this time two years ago that that publicity started in all intensity in preparation for its airing on 1 December 2012. It was a much anticipated drama, kind of like a “comeback” as Park Sihoo-ssi took a long sabbatical after wrapping up the filming of “The Princess Man” and “Confession of Murder”.
Father and son Cha have a love-hate relationship in Cheongdamdong Alice
“Cheongdamdong Alice” had some of the funniest scenes involving a father and son. Two stubborn, absolutely male chauvinistic mules of men who always wanted to come up top against each other. A chip off the old block in reality, so understandable why they were like two peas in a pod. In Asia and particularly in Korea where “face” is very important, both their needs to maintain their “dignity” was what made the father and son relationship so belly funny.
But what also moved me was that, despite the obstinate exterior, the love between father and son was genuine, a true family love, one bounded by blood ties. Estranged father and son just needed some prodding for their love to re-surface, for each to extend the other the olive branch and learn to live with their respective idiosyncrasies after coming to a common understanding.
My favorite funny scene? There were many but my all-time favorite is the one when Han Sekyung made them apologize to each other for making asses of themselves at the Japanese restaurant. Obstinate mules that they were, they were of course hesitant and stuttered in doing so 😉 Park Sihoo-ssi’s performance and that of veteran actor Han Jinhee 한진희, who played Father Cha, were outstanding, bringing out the awkwardness of the father and son situation so brilliantly. Bravo!
How many father and son relationships in real life are like those of the Chas? I am sure in Asia and possibly some parts of the very male dominated societies in the Western world such as Italy, they are probably the same. Okay, maybe not as exaggerated as that of the Chas, because “Cheongdamdong Alice” was after all a drama, but kind of along similar lines.
父子之情
最近，我又重温施厚君的韩剧“清潭洞爱丽丝”了，因为是两年前在大约这段时间，开始激烈宣传准备将在2012年12月1日播出，一部期待已久的韩剧。可以说，是施厚君结束了“公主的男人”和“我是杀人犯”的拍摄，修长假后，回归的作品。
Son Cha was delighted over his one-up against his father
“清潭洞爱丽丝”涉及了一些父子之间最有趣的场景。两个顽固，绝对男性主义者，总是想站上峰的男士。现实上，是一个模子印出来的一块，所以可以理解为什么他们就像一个豆荚里的两颗豌豆，性格完全相识。在亚洲，尤其是在韩国，“面子”是非常重要的，所以两父子都死爱面子以保持自己的“尊严”，所以闹出好多父子之间有趣的剧情。
但也让我感动的是，尽管固执的外观，父子之间的爱是真实的，真正的亲情，一个血缘关系的链接。疏远的父子只需要一些推动，双方的爱重新燃起，会伸出父子之间的情亲，共同互相谅解。
我最喜欢搞笑的一幕是那个呢？有很多，但印象最深的是当他们在日本料理店纠纷出丑时，韩世静要他们互相道歉。顽固的骡子们，当然尴尬和结巴啦 ;）施厚君和那饰演车爸的老牌演员韓振熙한진희，表现优秀出众，带出了父子尴尬场景。出色的演技！
Father Cha reacted in similar manner as his son over Han Sekyung’s “thank you”
在现实生活中，有多少父子的关系就像车父子的呢？我相信在亚洲和西方国家当中，尤其是在那些男性主义比较强的社会里，如意大利，就可能有相同的情况。也许不是这么夸张，毕竟“清潭洞爱丽丝”是戏剧，但这种类似的思路应该存在。
Photo Credits – Many thanks! Weibo, Twitter, sbs.co.kr
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10 Comments
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Indeed a very nice piece and the scene you mentioned is epic performance by both actors. Ultimately the father’s love for him is the main twist leading towards his realisation and changed his perception of what love can be all about. So the role of his father in CDDA is as important as the female lead.
if there were men like President Cha in Italy I would have already married .. but he’s only just!
Senior Cha or Junior Cha
Junior❤ it’s obvious??
How time flies on! On December 1, 2012, “CDDA” was on air with the first episode. There are three years since PSH’s last K. drama was on air , and got a fulminant rating and success. Not too much impressed at the beginning, after reviewing it I’ve discovered an amazing drama, and I’ve understood the real aim of the story. But it’s due to PSH, acting thre most pitiable of all characters, that raised the rating. The relation father-son becomes the central experience of life, the greatest source of self-awareness, the true source of pride and joy. But father-son relation in “CDDA” is changed drastically. And both of them try to impose their agruments, as being the best. Father’s position is determined by how well he functions as a father, by his status in the eyes of his son, , but the family values cease to be his primary definers of himself. And the rich and economically powerful father becomes a potential tyrant for his son. And this can’t be accepted by his son, who wants to become independent, freestanding. And their fight becomes so painful , so grievous for both of them. Their cold war turns into a deep freeze as father cuts off his fianancial suport, and son severes communication among themselves, even moving to a foreign country. Many agree that the father-son relationship is one of the most complex in a man’s life, that can affect many of them. But many men, sons, long for a deeper friendship and relation with the men, fathers, who raised them. And this will happen in “CDDA”. Building that kind of rapport can be hard work, but rewards are commensurate with the effort. And this will fianlly happen between father and son Cha. Not forgetting the magnificent interpretation of both actors, father-son, that impressed me a lot.
Stefania Lupu I love your amazing perceptions on different things and I have learned a lot just by reading your views. The man-man relationship is much tougher than a woman-woman relationship. I think there is just too much testosterone involved when it comes to man-man relationship, what more father-son where one is senior and one is rebellious. There is that constant struggle to come up the winner…so yes, building that kind of rapport takes a lot of hardwork and effort and as you have said, if it comes up win-win, can be most rewarding.
Thank you Nance!
I am enjoying all these sharing of different perspectives! This is what differentiates between a good drama and a bad one. A good one invites lots of views and for a long time – a classic! A bad one, lots of views too but for a short time and then people forget 🙂 Great to see so many different sides to what the audience and fans think about Family Honor. Will be great to have more people share their views too 🙂
감사합니다. 항상 당신을 사랑합니다.