Formally, Sang-Ok recalls Mizoguhci with his thematic use of nature, his use of the long shot, and his overall formal precision. Of the four films screened, Eunuch gets my vote for Sang-Ok's centerpiece film. The film is an aesthetically rapturous critique of Korea's medieval, patriarchal-Emperor society.
Chastity is the call of the day for all except the king, which makes for many undersexed servants.
Once a concubine reaches a certain age and is no longer the pick of the litter, she is cast aside for a younger woman. The same rigid anti-female law applies to marriage. Lady Min, an older concubine steals into the room of a sleeping, younger concubine, the heroine Ja-Oak. The feel of the predator's lips on Ja-Oak's chest wakes the startled concubine, who coils back in sexual disgust. The father then had Jong-ho castrated and sent to serve the king as a eunuch.