IL Mare (Limited Deluxe Edition) 3 disc boxset Reviews

• Buy this version (so long as you can watch Region 3)!

  
  By A1ESTI8SVGYYYG on 2006-06-28
  This version is the Korean language version not the Chinese one that I've seen elsewhere on Amazon. Since the actual movie is Korean, then it makes sense that one would want the actual Korean spoken language. Of course, English subtitles are provided. Also, before considering this purchase, you should be aware that this version is Region 3 (Asia). U.S. DVDs are typically Region 1, so make sure your DVD player can play Region 3 and/or all regions.
  
  This boxset also comes with postcards, a bonus DVD of things like "Making of", interviews, promotional interviews, etc., and the movie soundtrack.
  
  Now that the preliminaries are done, as for the movie, I liked it. It's a definite date movie. It's "You've Got Mail" meet "Frequency" to put it bluntly, but the movie is very subtle with little action. I haven't seen the "The Lake House" with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock which is a re-make, so I wonder a bit how the remake will translate. There are certain cultural issues that are hard to carry over, and this movie is no exception. When I watched "Il Mare", there were moments that were just "Korean", and I knew it. No questions. I just knew. So I wonder how the "The Lake House" will handle those moments.
  
  Dialogue is quite sparse throughout the movie, but there was no need for a whole lot more as the facial expression, body movements, and music all helped to convey what was being expressed. And like many Korean romantic movies, there's definitely some cheesiness in the acting - or let's just call it melodramatic. (But hey, you get melodrama in US romances too.) The English translation isn't always correct in having grammatical errors, but they're easy enough to look past as you can still follow the story. The cinematography in "Il Mare" is amazing, and probably the best part of the film. It adds a lot. The use of color and the settings where they shot the film are grand. As for the ending of the film, I get the main gist, but I'm still a little confused...perhaps it's because I'm overthinking it.
  
  Overall, I recommend "Il Mare" - it's a sweet and subtle film but don't expect a lot of action. If you buy the movie, spend a little extra and buy this version over the Chinese language version.
  
  

• Better than "The Lake House"

  
  By A2ZJOLOSY4V0C9 on 2006-08-18
  I first saw "The Lake House" and fell in love with the movie. As I was standing there crying and watching the credits, I saw that the movie was based on "Il Mare".
  
  I looked it up and was surprised to find that the movie was not originally an Italian one but a Korean one. I loved "The Lake House" so much that I was curious to see the basis for it.
  
  I ordered 2 of the "Il Mare" because I wanted one for my sister who is also Korean but doesn't speak the language anymore. I received the boxset and turned on the English subtitles and was blown away with how incredible this movie is.
  
  While I cried at the end of "The Lake House", I cried all the way through "Il Mare". It's deeply emotional and very clever. The plot is similar to "The Lake House" but this one has more nuances.
  
  I highly recommend this to any romantics and foreign film fans out there.
  
  I also plan on buying "The Lake House" but love "Il Mare" more.
  
  

• Works better if you've seen the remake

  
  By A2R4XG0L7Z01V8 on 2007-01-16
  As soon as I saw The Lake House, I just knew I had to get the original that it was based on. Although I will warn any future buyers now, it is very difficult to source, I tried my usual suspects of websites, and had to try a new website to try and get it. I did eventually get it though, so do keep trying.
  
  I did prefer The Lake House, as that's the one I saw first, plus I'm a sucker for both Keanu Reeves & Sandra Bullock, they're my favourite actors ever. But Il Mare has a whole different side to it. The ending is VERY bittersweet, and I think I would have preferred it without the added on scene at the end. If it had been left the way it was, that would have been fine by me.
  
  The whole 'mood' of the movie will stay with you long after seeing it. I was left very subdued afterwards, less than I was with The Lake House, as that was more of a happy ending. It has the same magic with the mailbox (although I wasn't as keen on the mailbox in Il Mare).
  
  Again, as with The Lake House, the timeline is very difficult to work out, and when you discover at the ending that he has been dead throughout the entire movie, it gets very confusing. Huh?! The film starts in 2000, when a girl puts a Christmas card in her mailbox, to the next occupant of Il Mare. Then she gets a reply from a guy, who is the FIRST occupant of Il Mare, in 1998. It's a very unusual plot, beautifully woven, and will leave you wanting more. (Which is probably why I started watching The Lake House straight afterwards.)
  
  One quibble that I'm going to say about this film, which nearly every single review I've read has mentioned, is the translation. It was the worst I've seen in a foreign language film before. We're not just talking simple spelling mistakes here, we're talking bad grammar, words that shouldn't even be there, which was kinda distracting from the film, and disappointing at the same time. It was translated straight from Korean as well, which made it 'read' very odd.
  
  If you buy this edition, you do get a three disc edition, which also (strangely) includes the soundtrack. I've never seen a DVD set that includes the soundtrack as well before, but I'm very pleased, plus, I have an unusual DVD in my collection. I haven't listened to the soundtrack yet, but from the film, it does sound very haunting, so I may have to be in the right mood for it.
  
  Overall, I have to say I prefer The Lake House, but this may grow on me when I watch it again. It would be perfect for Valentine's Day, both of them, so I shall probably watch them again then. It is well worth tracking down, if you have seen The Lake House, and liked it. But it is more bittersweet than The Lake House.
  
  

• region free dvd

  
  By A1TPVDNNGVUAA on 2006-06-30
  IN THE BOX IT SAYS REGION 3 BUT IN REALITY IS REGION FREE. I KNOW BECAUSE I CAN CHANGE THE REGION ENCODING IN MY DVD PLAYER AND THE MOVIE PLAY FINE IN ANY REGION #. IL Mare (3 disc Deluxe Edition) DVD boxset.
  
  
  

• My Sassy Girl (2001)
• Ditto
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