| The Face Reader | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 관상 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Gwansang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kwansang |
| Directed by | Han Jae-rim |
| Written by | Kim Dong-hyuk |
| Produced by | Kim Woo-jae Yu Jeong-hun Ju Pil-ho |
| Starring | Song Kang-ho Lee Jung-jae Baek Yoon-sik Jo Jung-suk Lee Jong-suk Kim Hye-soo |
| Cinematography | Go Nak-seon |
| Edited by | Kim Chang-ju |
| Music by | Lee Byung-woo |
| Distributed by | Showbox Mediaplex |
Release date |
|
Running time | 139 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | US$61 million [1] |
The Face Reader (Korean: 관상; RR: Gwansang; lit. "Physiognomy") is a 2013 South Korean period action drama film starring Song Kang-ho as the son of a disgraced noble family who goes around Joseon and a gwansang[2] expert. He is able to assess the personality, mental state and habits of a person by looking at his or her face. His talents bring him to the royal courts where he becomes involved in a power struggle between Grand Prince Suyang and general Kim Jong-seo, a high-ranking loyalist to King Munjong.[3][4][5] It is the first installment of the Jupiter Film's three-part film project on the Korean fortune-telling traditions and was followed by two sequels, The Princess and the Matchmaker and Feng Shui in 2018.[6]
The Face Reader became one of the highest-grossing films in South Korea in 2013, with 9.1 million admissions. It won six awards at the 50th Grand Bell Awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Han Jae-rim, and Best Actor for Song Kang-ho.[7][8] This film is Lee Jong-suk's only historical project to date.
- ^ "Face Reader (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2014-09-16.
- ^ Korean version of Physiognomy
- ^ Tae, Sang-joon (14 August 2013). "Director and Stars Gather for THE FACE READER Press Conference". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
- ^ Ho, Stewart (27 March 2012). "Song Kang Ho Cast in His First Historic Movie Physiognomy". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- ^ Do, Je-hae (2 August 2013). "Period pieces dominate Korean cinema, TV". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2013-08-03.
- ^ Park, Jin-hae (13 August 2018). "Land determines one's fate in 'Feng Shui'". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2018-09-16.
- ^ Lee, Hyo-won (1 November 2013). "The Face Reader Shines at South Korea's Dae Jong Film Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
- ^ Conran, Pierce (4 November 2013). "THE FACE READER Picks Up 6 at 50th Grand Bell Awards". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-11-05.