[Trans] “The Legend” - Article from a Romanian Site Part 3

Posted in KOB by Marcela (post no.#61406)
Translated from Romanian into English by Marcela
Source : http://www.asiacinefil.com/the-great-king-partea-a-3-a-cum-ar-fi-fost-daca/


The Great King, Part 3: What would have happened if ...

Here are some unusual things about behind this series. First, the scenario has undergone many changes, many of them due to accidents during filming (and not a few), others - the director's initiative, some of them proving to be a positive. A unique scene is where Sujini, first dressed as a woman, goes for the last time to see the king, before leaving. In that scene, Ji Ah, who was a sensitive newcomer was very impressed by the scene that she had to play, by her character's suffering, and while playing that scene, broke into tears, tears that were not in the script. To settle it, caught on Bae Yong Joon in the back, and said, without being a replica of the script: "Wait a minute." Bae, a man of empathy and collegial spirit, tried to cheer with a joke, saying: "Crazy, you can not grab the King like that, in the back!". Probably pushed the sympathy for the two main actors, or by the instinct that only genius directors have, the director did not gave the command "cut" and the whole scene was recorded on film. It was held in the series, being more beautiful and meaningful than a mere scene of separation that had been stipulated in the original screenplay. Another event that marked the series and the evolution scenario was one that has made fans of Bae Yong-Joon to stay with the soul as a flea. During filming episode 17, in a fight scene, an object from the arsenal fell on the actor. Wounded in the shoulder, he needed emergency surgery, but resisted heroically until the end of filming, refusing surgery. A stuntman jumped on him negligently injured him. Because it was the first role in an action movie, Bae took over filming several injuries. One of the reasons he never shot a 25 episode was this, but also the director's decision to give a special symbolic note to the series' end by emphasizing not the destiny of the characters, but especially King Jooshin mission on earth. With a few episodes before the final, Bae injured his knee after previously and had broken his finger, as can be seen in the pictures attached.

Then: it seems that Song Ji Na, series writer, published a copy of the original script on your site. This has aroused a wave of indignation among fans, because they found that the series had, initially, a completely different ending. However, the director wanted to end ambiguously, leaving it up to each viewer to interpret the end as they see fit. The director makes, finally, a sudden leap from myth to history by returning to the subject in reality, the true image of King Kwanggaeto. The fans accused the producers that they discarded too easy some characters in the final episode. It can be seen that the last episode was expressly left quite ambiguous, and many explanations were given partial or unclear. For example, it is unknown whether or not Sujini was really Black Fenix, and evil wizard disappears too quickly and too easily in the scene, reported to the evil influence gradually presented in each episode separately.

Let's see now, some differences between the original scenario and the final scenario witch was the basis for the series finale:

1.Fight the Abullansa - original screenplay had much more detail. Cheoreo and Jumuchi had in the original script, to protect Dam-Duk, who asked Sujini to save the child. In fact, we see Sujini appear suddenly in Abullansa, on her own. Moreover, General Heuk Gae should have to cover Sujini, which does not happen. Final confrontation Dam-Deok-Ho Gae - took place too quickly, the original screenplay refers to Ho-Gae's father, to suggest the idea of revenge that brought in that situation.

2. Final confrontation Dam-Deok-Ho Gae - took place too quickly, the original screenplay refers to Ho-Gae's father, to suggest the idea of revenge that brought in that situation. The fight was supposed to be longer and Ho-Gae would be wounded in the shoulder. Last but not least, Ho Gae dying would ask Dam-Deok to take care of Kiha and to remember him as a friend. These things no longer appear in the film.

3.The destruction of the symbols must lead first to a weakening of the guardians and Cheoreo even have lost a hand, while Dam-Deok was supposed to bleed through nose and ears. Sujini ought to be the one killing Kiha, putting off the fire, but this does not happen, giving to understand that it was not Sujini the Black Fenix.

4. How was seen the end of script by the writer? Gungnae Citadel returns to ordinary life, as after a storm, and Sujini falling back happy in the company of a jug of wine. Dam-Deok and Ajik, his son playing happily in a yard, Dam-Deok teaching him how to fight. Now, hold hard: how would have been the final scene of the series if it had remained as writer's desire? As follows: in the present times, Sujini and her master, Hyun Go, (obviously reincarnated) arriving on Korean Incheon airport with backpacks on their backs, ready to visit the star of Gwanggaeto from Abullansa. While they were reading the words written in memory of King, a frame would capture Cheoreo (Lord of Gwanmi) with hair cut short and Ho-Gae in a suit, at a distance from each other. Also, somewhere in a crowd, anonymous, we would have caught sight of Dam-Deok. For unknown reasons (either the lack of funds or the Bae Yong Joon's health problems), this scene has never been filmed.