Innocent Steps
Innocent Steps (Korean: 댄서의 순정; Hanja: 댄서의 純情; RR: Daenseoui sunjeong; lit. "Dancer’s Purity") is a 2005 South Korean film directed by Park Young-hoon. Another English title for the movie is "Dancing princess".
| Innocent Steps | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | 댄서의 純情 |
| Revised Romanization | Daenseoui sunjeong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Taensŏ ŭi sunjŏng |
| Directed by | Park Young-hoon |
| Written by | Park Gye-ok |
| Produced by | Choi Sun-sik Heo Jae-cheol Lee Jae-hyeok Shin Jae-hyeon |
| Starring | Moon Geun-young Park Gun-hyung |
| Cinematography | Kim Jong-yun |
| Edited by | Shin Min-kyung |
| Music by | Choi Man-sik |
| Distributed by | Show East |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Languages | Korean Mandarin |
| Box office | US$13,195,678[1] |
There's a director's cut version of the movie featuring additional 17 minutes of footage and alternative cut of the dance scene at competition.
Plot
Former acclaimed dancer Na Young-sae (Park Gun-hyung) attempts to make a comeback after his opponent, Hyun-soo (Yoon Chan), purposely injures him at a dance competition. At the suggestion of dance studio manager Ma Sang-doo (Park Won-sang), Young-sae then brings to Korea Jang Chae-ryn (Moon Geun-young), an ethnic Korean from China whom he presumes is a renowned, talented dancer. To his surprise, Young-sae learns Chae-ryn knows nothing about dancing and her soon-to-be married, older sister, Jang Chae-min, is the talented dancer. With only three months until the national dance championship, Young-sae trains Chae-ryn, vowing to turn her into a world-class dancer.
Cast
- Moon Geun-young as Jang Chae-min
- Park Gun-hyung as Na Young-sae
- Park Won-sang as Ma Sang-doo
- Yoon Chan as Jung Hyun-soo
Awards and nominations
- Nomination – Best Actress – Moon Geun-young
- Nomination – Best New Actor – Park Gun-hyung
- Nomination – Best Costume Design – Lee Ji-young
- Nomination – Best New Actor – Park Gun-hyung
- 2005 Korean Film Awards
- Best New Actor – Park Gun-hyung
Critical reception
The film received mixed to negative reviews. Variety reviewer, Derek Elley favorably compared the film to Dance with the Wind, citing Moon Geun-young and Park Gun-hyung's performances, but wrote "the plot holds no water."[3] Koreanfilm.org critic Tom Giammarco called the film "disappointing and cliche,"[4] and Darcy Paquet credited the film's box office success to Moon's celebrity status and noted that the ending was disappointing: "We never even really get to see the knock-em-dead dance sequence that you'd expect."[5]
Remake
In 2015, Culture Cap Korea announced that it will co-produce a Chinese remake, which will cast a Chinese actor and a Korean actress. 60% of filming will take place in China, and 40% in Busan.[6]
References
- "Daenseo-ui Sunjeong (Innocent Steps)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
- "Innocent Steps - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
- Elley, Derek (15 June 2005). "Innocent Steps". Variety. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
- Giammarco, Tom. "Critics Poll". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
- Paquet, Darcy (7 May 2005). "Innocent Steps". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
- Kim, Su-yeon (11 February 2015). "DANCING PRINCESS Remake in the Works". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2015-02-15.