Even though slow-paced, the tension in the main character's behavior and relationship to others makes you enjoy his journey. I loved how easily they connected the painter's biography with the historical events that shaped South Korea in the nineteen century. A great ending too!

Beautiful story about the not-so-beautiful life of a master artist.

Movies about painters are usually boring, (Andrei Rublev) but in this case Choi Min-sik is good enough to keep your attention. Its a biopic about a famous painter who grew up from a orphanage, who became so skilled that he painted for the king and people would view him as a celebrity. The movie is slow paced, but its worth it for the performance from Choi Min-sik.

Abrupt ending but fascinating all the same. Are all painters mad? Certainly worth a visit if art doesn't bore you. The story moves at a speedy pace.....a little too fast in years flying by sometimes, but interesting enough to amuse me. Great scenes. The picture quality (if you're buying the dvd) is varied.....sharp in places, a little more fuzzy in others. Not bad for 2002 release but don't expect perfection.

I can tell that a lot of care went into the making of this film, but I was confused at times because it jumps forward in the protagonist's life so frequently.

Un biopic sur un peintre corà (C)en avec Choi Min-Sik dans le rôle principal, je peux là (C)gitimement me demander si ce film nâ??a pas à (C)tà (C) secrètement fait pour moi. Hà (C)las nous sommes dans bizarro-land. Ca fait quelque temps que quand un film à lâ??air pourri en fait il est bien, et quand il a lâ??air top il me dà (C)çoit. Lâ??à (C)norme dà (C)faut dâ??Ivre de Femmes et de Peinture est sa construction, on dirait que le scà (C)nar nâ??est en fait quâ??une liste dâ??à (C)vènements et dâ??anecdotes jugà (C)es marquants quâ??il faut absolument prà (C)senter les uns après les autres. On se retrouve avec une progression très mà (C)canique, un dà (C)roulement rapide de scènes courtes qui tranche cruellement avec lâ??aspect contemplatif de la peinture extrême-orientale. Dâ??un point de vue pà (C)dagogique le film nâ??y gagne rien, trop dâ??informations survolà (C)es tuent lâ??info et on perd en quelque sorte une grosse moitià (C) du film jusquâ??à ce que le rythme se pose enfin et que les situations aient le temps de se dà (C)rouler naturellement. Oui, il aurait fallu choisir de se concentrer sur des instants prà (C)cis reprà (C)sentatifs et non pas rà (C)aliser une notice biographique exhaustive. Mais si la narration reste un à (C)chec, dans sa forme le film est une à (C)vidente rà (C)ussite. Certains plans sont purement magnifiques et comme toujours, Choi Min-Sik assure grave.

Missed the first half hour of this tonight, forgot it was on. Rather interested since mr min-sik is in it, worth a look for that. I really enjoyed what I saw of it, also because I absolutley loved the paintings.

Beautiful film shown with flashbacks which came be a tad confusing at times, but worth the effort. Yet another masterful performance by Choi Min Sik. 7/10

Si les gusta la historia de Corea, deben verla.

Tough slog to get through.

Me gusta que muestra algo de la historia Koreana de la que se muy poco o nada, una historia de su arte y cultura. Aunque se llega a hacer aburrida y pesada, seguro que el final decepciona a muchos.

Splendid Korean movie, with grate landscapes and music and an interesting end.

I loved this movie when I saw it. The title in France was turned into "Ivre de femmes et de peinture" ("Drunk on women and painting") and it was playing all over Paris for an inordinately long time. I can't say I've seen a movie about painting or a painter that I enjoyed as much. Perhaps Artemisia wasn't too far off, or Girl with a Pearl Earring. But this is my favorite.

Stunning. Touching. Poetic. Informative. Absolutely Beautiful.... Oh, and did I mention Stunning? (Very typical of Korean Films, in fact. :-)

It was a so-so movie. I didn't care for the way the story was told in very short snippets rather than having more drawn-out episodes. This is rare for me to say, but the movie was too fast-paced.

just tell these stupid koreans, that's a movie...! how come they didn't select this movie for the academy award submission? i guess it's because koreans have no souls... but anyway... I hate Korea, but I love this film! I certainly put this movie in my farvorite m ovie list....

Jang Seung-Up is an artist that just can't catch a break. His talent is noticed at first, but he is soon buried beneath an ever increasing number of art students. He is eventually noticed after making a perfect copy of a more established artists painting, after having just one look. This brings about attention, which is also his downfall. He is shunned for outclassing his own teacher, and soon becomes a drunken mess. There's a lot of redemption in this film, almost anyways. Jang is a man that can only excel whilst drinking. This leads to an obviously large amount of problems. Chihwaseon is a very breautiful film, in terms of the arts it presents, and the way it presents itself. The acting is highly emotive and believable, with Choi Min-Sik, carefully balancing the dependent Jang, with touches of hostility and openness. It's only drawback is the predictable nature of the biopic. Take an individual's life, and truncate it to 2 hours, and you're bound to run into similarities with other famous people of the past.

Comment un tel génie peut-il également être un être aussi désagréable et ingrat? C'est d'ailleurs avec les performances de sadistribution que le film s'en sort le mieux et à travers cette adresse étonnante pour la peinture parfaitement bien représenté pusique cette vieille histoire a étonamment des airs fort moderne qui déconcerte surtout dans la façon d'illustrer et de raconter le tout.

As meandering as a painting, this slow Korean film is about famous painter Jang Seung-up and his drunken ways

not choi minsik bet perf. The painter's portrait is drawn in the political plot with excellence. A bit long winding.