So i saw the movie the other night.
A few observations:

There were questions raised about whether hong loves the king or not. I believe he does. However, his love comes from loyalty and not desire. He desires the queen. In the begining of the movie, we see him face to face with the truant servant and maid. He knows what it is to love. And what it takes to protect the one you love. In that instance, for hong, they are the same. As the movie progresses, you see the two seperate.

For the King, the true angst comes not from the fact that he was betrayed. But that he was betrayed for a WOMAN. This brings into question everything he shared with hong. Was the relationship out of desire or obigation? Or even worse, pitty.
He feels robbed of his own manhood. And the anger manifests itselfs in the form of hong's castration.

The sword fight scenes between the two are very telling and my favourite. One is superior in skill while the other poses greater strength: a reflection of their true self. It is out of anger. It is due to frustration. Emotionally injured at the other's hand. And most importantly, it is out of a sense of betrayl. An impossibility in either mind.

Queen is the most pathethic of the three. She married a man who will never love her because of what she is. She loves a man who can never have her because of who she is. To be a woman and a queen, what misfortunes.

What a fitting end! The king dies watching hong's back while hong dies looking at the king's face. An antithesis to the way they lived as reflected in the final scene. The two riding together, Hong watching the King's back while the king turning to admire hong's face.

Thank you again for reviewing the movie. I wouldn't have watched it otherwise.

@49 budsdiana:

Yes there was. But even so I agree with your opinion. I thought it just showed Seungki was ready to do anything for his own benefit.

I was under the impression that Seung-Ki wanted Hong-Lim's position and status, and that is why he offered himself to the King. Concerning if Seung-ki loved the king? He sure didn't give much thought to letting the King die at the hands of HL at the end, especially since it took the Queen exactly half a second to change his loyalties.

Watched The Limited Edition Director's Uncut version solely for Jo InSung, Ju JinMo and Shim JiHo..what a bunch of hotties..

This reminds me of The king and the clown. esp. the ending when they showed happier times.

Hi Dramabeans,

Thanks for reviewing the movie. I watched it a while back and I loved it. i thought that Joo Jin-mo did an excellent portrayal. I, too, was on his side even when he went berserk...there was something so raw about him. He definitely snagged the movie for me.
I thought that the sex pat actually spoiled the movie for me. One, it was not needed at all. Two, i don't think it was well done. The ending when the king asked him if he ever loved him and he replied no BUT he turned to the king for his dying glimpse. I thought wow...he must love him right? Sigh...i still think about it.
I loved the movie although the plot could have been a bit better constructed! There was definitely a lot of symbolism and it's the little details that gets to me!

#52 Thankyou - you just gave very excellent points there. i agree with you 100% especially your take on the ending.

Sounds interesting.. I'm definitely gonna try and watch this.

I was a little disappointed by Jo In Sung in this movie, was expecting much more out of him. Joo Jin Mo on the other hand, was amazing.

i did love the recap.. ♥♥♥ but i dont know where to watch the whole movie. do you know where to watch it? :)

First I saw FF advertisement, I become curious about it. When I watched the movie I like the story.
The scene when the Queen serve Hong Lim with some food and she watched Hong Lim eat what she serve at that moment I think there are love at that scene, I think at that night only queen feel she has a husband in Hong Lim. The way she looked Hong Lim eat what she serve even for a while they forget their status, may be at that time only they feel as ordinary people.
Actually I curious too with the ending, what is the meaning of Hong Lim Look into the queen and suddenly look into the king and died?
My conclusion are he is glad see the queen and his baby still alive and he feel so glad about it, give the queen baby and the queen not loneliness and he think when he died the queen not alone in the world, he loves the queen. Somebody else has any opinion about the ending??????
But for the King until his dying time nobody stay with him, so I think he choose the accompany the King as per his loyal to the king.
But I think his feeling to the queen pure love, cause that is his first love and his feeling to the king only as a guard who loyal to his King.

i don"t really like historical drama so passsssssssss

I've watched that movie a month ago and I liked it. actors and the actress were really successful, also musics used in the film are really effective.

This movie is amazing. I loved it and i have to start with that :)

To me, Hong lim chooses the king over the queen when he tells the king everything. when he refuses to see her, i think he was very serious about it, but finally went because the queen was pregnant! not because of her!
that last scene in the library proves it completely in my opinion. he was leaving, but she was still attatched to him, it was her that started the action that time.

as to why hong lim says he loves the queen, i think it was pure guilt. he felt bad with the queen, with the king..... he probably just felt like **** and felt he deserved to be punished

then the king goes over the line, castrates him, then makes him believe he killed the queen....

Hong Lim was furious! and then again i guess the king just wanted him to come back, it was his "final test of love"

when HL declares he never loved the king... the expression on the kings face is amazing

but perhaps to me, the most intense scene of all is when the queen arrives and HL uses his last strength to turn and face the king, who is already dead. to me, that glance is ... " why did you lie, tou idiot?" and yet there is so much love in that glance!!!

the love story is between HL and the king. that's the main romance, there's no doubt about it!

Shaeksperean proportions? yes. and i think the stries were perfectly managed. it's true that the love between HL and the queen was never felt too much, and i think that's the way it was supposed to be.

the acting in this is AMAZING. so is the photography. the story. the characters.

it's realistic, people aren't that perfectly defined, frozen flower shows that, and very well ;)

watch it! now!

i just loved this movie can't stop thinking about it.
watched it 4 xs

my problem with HL was his lies and inability to be honest with the king about his attraction for the Queen. The King wanted him to share how he felt sleeping with a woman but he gave a glib answer that didn't please the King (garden scene morning after).
The King didn't know if HL could serve the Queen. I expected he didn't want him to suceed. (His expression after hearing the queen's gasp, after pentration, is priceless and his moanful protrayal the morning after).
Sometime I wonder if it was done to insult the Queen ( i mean he did ask if a new concubine would be required for a heir). blah.
I mean she was practically insisting he impregnate her & he seemed resolved not to have children. Wouldn't he have done something about it before.

My spin on all this sex between HL & the Queen ,is how experienced he was and who taught him all those positions( food for thought).
To me the Queen was making do with the material she was given and twisting a screw while at it.
She did tell HL she resented him for years as the King only had eyes for him. Now tell me which woman wasn't going to squeeze the situation and juice it, for all its worth.

the favourite in your bed, panting for it, all when he says no you ensure that he chokes! she wasn't as aloof but was very subtle, there must be some bitterness and resentment for both HL & the King.

She knew she would become pregnant that the king would eventually find out. she instigated the first tryst (which shows a kind of coldness) at a party with her family and the king with his court in attendence.
What if they were discovered?

She was untouchable because she was a princess of Yuan. She was really bitchy at the end with her comments to the sub chief.

my problem with HL & the King's relationship was that they shared many things but didn't master communication which is essential for all successful relationship.
males hate to express emotions, apologize, or give a little grround especially if they think they're in the right.

The King wanted expressions of love not loyalty, desire not devotion and gifts not graditude. To me he wanted a more open relation and HL was too stift at times more conscious of their inequality. Do you notice we don't know the kings name but the king used the chief's own alot.

the saddest part in the movie was the castration. because it was done at all.
HL would have pleaded with the King not to carry out so harsh a punishment and I think the King really preferred if his command wasn't carried out (loved how he slap down the sub chief)

HL loved the king and was very conflicted about his desire for the queen. She was bearing his child and wether gay or bisexual progeny takes presidence.

Well I will be watching it again to see it there are any scenes i missed.

i was happy to see song joong ki & im ju hwan in this movie. hihi.

this is one of my favorite korea movie,

Aigoo..aigoo...aigooo...!
Makes BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN look like peanut. Can beat HOLLYWOOD.
Song, casting, acting,costume, decor cinematography etc... are FABULOUS....!!
All thumbs up to KOREA,....! Great ending... PERFECT to the dot...!!

In honesty, I've watched the movie and failed to be impressed about it.
The cinematography and soundtracks are gorgeous and Joo Jin Mo played an astounding part of his role to a point where you could almost feel he is real
....but the story is just too simple hidden in the subterfuge of erotic scenes which seemingly not too well presented. I mean, they could have shoot those scenes with artistry and passion without being too provocative. In the end, it damage the quality of the film as a whole.

my fav....the movie was one of a kind!!!! specially the soundtracks were awesome....can someone forward me a link...i cant seem to find the ost....

............its nice to see them a big family!!!....but cant any more make a
another love again......

it is "LOVE TRIANGLE AGAIN???"..

i was a pretty good movie, i like this sort of film ^^
the sex scenes were a little bit over done, and the ending was a little bit confusing.
Did Hong LIm actually like the Ki? because from how he turned his head, i think he did love the KIng, in his last moments. but it was hard to tell. the director could have made it more obvious. but then again, it would've taken the fun out of the movie:P

Help!!! Someone! I just saw the movie...... and after that I searched for about 2 hours one of the soundtracks I heard in the movie, it's driving me crazy, ( it is played at 01:03:50 at the sex scene) ....I can't find it anywhere, does anyone knows the name of the song????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

here's the link, it is the song from the min 4:10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GDgruL9gk0

here's the link from the movie, the part where plays the song I am looking foe is at min 4:10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GDgruL9gk0

I see a lot of arguments about if Hong Lim loves the King or not. Whew I AM late to seeing this movie!!! ahaha

But I believe Hong Lim did love the king. I think he was so blinded by lust and the confession of the Queen's love, that he did not know that the King loves him just as much.

I think he realized at the end, when he saw that the king did not kill the queen, that the kind truly did love him and that he, Hong Lim, also loves the King. Just my opinion though~

I just watched this movie.. and I should say, the One who played king did well in the scenes that show his madness, his jealousy and his love. I watched him in Chunmoo and didnt think much of him... Now I do.:). As for the one who play Hong Lim, he has a long way to go in terms of acting. But he did manage to convey his confusion, lust and angst at the end. The Queen, hmm..I felt was stilted in emotions. Maybe that was what she was asked to do by the director.. I did feel it was too flashy... but I am a sucker for traditional clothing.

I think the movie portrays the Hierarchical Patriachial society well. I would question though, how ethical it really was in those times to ask for a stand in to sire a heir? Was this an artistic license taken by the writer/director or did such things happen? Would Hong Lim have chose to love the King if he didnt feel obligated or felt the power of authority growing up? Could that be called love when there wasnt a choice? Was it really Lust for the Queen? As for the vice-guard, I think he was power hungry, being close to the King meant power, I dont think it was love for the King.. He wanted the Kings favor.

Song Joong Ki was one of the guards and who were the loyal ones to Hong Lim - he looked so cute and is still cute now! :D

I was very happy to find review and huge discussion about the first Korean movie I’ve ever seen days ago, and it took me literally aback in positive way. The movie amazingly mimics real life in which, simply said, nothing is unequivocally black or white. A lot was said …even if I’m late, here is my bit.
I think the king (wonderful performance from the actor by the way) really wanted the child from his true mate, whom they obviously could not have together and the queen’s ambition for an heir, despite the facts she knew, probably came in handy. I believe, the king, was perfectly conscious of bedchamber capabilities of his mate with women from the start, (after all for years he was his teacher, father, companion, his liege and finally lover, all in one) but possessive as he was, he was truly not built for threesome even for a while, not mentioning when thing got out of hand.

The queen, she figured that much, that it was better to be a real queen with a civil, even though, homosexual husband then a puppet queen next to the possibly violent stranger, de facto usurper of their throne. During the process she and Hong Lim happen to fall into whirl of confusing feelings, which would crystallize into concrete result if they were given a looot of time.

The king would never touch the queen while with the baby, the baby who was also his love’s child; he didn’t even touch her when they first time committed adultery and the pregnancy wasn’t announced yet. Hong Lim was aware of it. Thus Hong Lim could not be under impression that the queen was murdered by the king, I didn’t get that feeling from the movie.

The swordfights; they were telling the love story between these two men with the force that any love scene (more precisely sex scene) between Hong Lim and the queen could not match. You can compare them to angry lovemaking. The last one was as an explosion of rage caused by mutual disappointment and betrayal. Hong Lim never more recognized his king in brutally acting man he came to kill. That was in my opinion what he intended to do (his last respect to the king), to kill the monster, he unintentionally helped to create, to keep the “old” king’s honour intact. At the end he cried for all wrong that happened between the three of them, he cried for the man he had once grew to love and lost to that madness. He didn’t lie when he said the cruel verdict to the king, the man he loved didn’t exist any more. To say he didn’t love him, both, metaphorically and literally killed the king.

awesome movie, despite all those X-rated scenes or may i say those scenes just added more spice to the movie. I also supported King and Chief Hong as couple than other way round!!! And Ji In seung has certainly caught my eye. However i cannot forget boy my song jong ki and another preety boy from BOF
absolutely loved the movie!!! i wonder if they really had sex :O

Hmm well I finally got around to watching this (in super speedy time since I fast forwarded through all the gratuitous sex thankyaverymuch), and I gotta say, I'm pretty convinced that HL and the king were in love.

Firstly to me it feels like the king was much more gay than HL. What I mean by this is that to the king, the mere idea of sexual contact with a woman is literally repulsive. I think he knew that HL was probably even bi, and so it was assumed that he would be more comfortable with it.

I think HL realized that despite their love and the fact that the king was... well the king, it could still never be accepted. The king can love whoever he wants and no one will say things to his face, but HL is not socially allowed to romantically love another man. It's not like a women who, after sleeping with the king could be proud of it. For him it's almost a constant source of shame. And the king, for all he loves HL, is fairly oblivious to that.

As for why HL said "no" I thought it was pretty clear he was just lying. Because if he had said yes the king would have forgiven him, just like he always has. And at that point he didn't want to be forgiven, he went there to die, and to die by the king's hand. In some ways it was the king's love and generosity and forgiveness towards him that had been hurting him all along. He knew it would hurt him, but they had both hurt each other so much by that point that it seems like death was the only way to end it cleanly.

I watched the movie and found it very pretty and empty, except for the king's emotional turmoil.

I think it is possible to love two people differently and to have loyalty to both. That's the nature of human conflict, a gray zone of being instead of black and white.

The Queen was awaken and was terrible, scary in her pursuit. The Queen and the King both abused and used HL, to the point of chopping of his bits.

It is pretty awful to think that the King groomed HL to love him, although it was the usual practice in royal houses.

Hi all,

I just watched the movie a few hours ago and spent a bit time reading all the comments. First of all, I really appreciate this comprehensive review of Sevenses. I came across this when I was searching for the movie's info. I have made some points. You might agree or you might not; but it took me couple of times to push backward in order to catch the meaning between the lines of the characters' conversations. Here are the few points!

Firstly, I totally agree to all who were saying the Hong Lim had been raised amongst men and gotten accustomed to the King pretty much the entire of his life; thus, it's understandable why he is so loyal and willing to obey all the King's command (including sex desire). It's hard though to conclude whether a man is gay back then. Probably, HL found out he had been straight all along after the first sex encounter with the Queen, which I found pretty normal (even nowadays, some might think one's self is gay or les only to find out at the end that they're not by sensibility with the opposite sex). So, it is fair for HL. When the King sought him out in the beginning of the movie, HL was surprised and felt guilty so much to be aware of the King's affection for him. The scene that HL hugged the King when they were sleeping next to each other could bring so much meaning to the audience since HL is a very self-conscious man. At the end, when he looked back at the King with his last tear-drop. I think he realized how foolish he had been thinking that the King could be so merciless to kill the Queen along with his companions.

Next, the King (I praised the actor's acting skills) was a tragic character. He might be disgusted so much in trying to conceive the Queen. Perhaps, he took the feminine role in his built-up relationship with HL giving him the distaste in making love with another woman for himself feeling like one of his kind. He needs love from HL. And, obviously, he knows too well HL's performance in bed as well for being too close (duh). The desire to have HL's child to raise up together as a couple is not something too confusing. In the present time, many homosexual couple try to adopt. Back then, with all the power that he has, plus the limited acceptance from the whole monarchy regarding this issue (let alone it would be a pretty bad insult if anybody figure out). HL was very close and trust-worthy to the King. Besides, people use to say: to love is to take a risk of trusting someone 200% (or rather, infinitively). The King has done nothing but to love HL in a very true way. He must die not only as for the plot to revolve but also for his own sake. He would never reach happiness in real life with that heavy view from the public about being a gay. Happiness and true bliss only come when he liberates himself from the burden of a superpower, whom people look up and paint out more like a figure, not as a human being with flaws.

Finally, the Queen herself, in my opinion, is very fickle. She showed loyalty towards the King at the beginning, which gives a plus to her characteristic. But, at the end, she asked the vice-captain to 'free the king' and if the distant relative would take hold of the throne, she would let the vice-captain to live. Was her love for HL too strong that all of sudden, she saw no potential from her husband anymore and wanted to eliminate him for good? I don't think the sex scene was introduced too much in this movie. It added up for the Queen's character as well, serving as a physical bearance of the monarchy's future heir. Also, her desire for a 'true' relationship with a man was portrayed fully.

The movie was a successful movie. All of the actors and actresses were very talented in what they were doing!

Hello..I love ur recaps for Frozen Flower and also the discussions here, I've done watched this movie yesterday, and I have to agree with you...Joo Jin-Moo really did a great job potraying the King, it felt so real. Song Ji-Hyo as the Queen did a good job also...but Joo Jin-Mo still the best.

About the movie, hmmm....I love the story, but the love scenes was too much for me. Focusing on the relationship that developed between Hong Lim and the queen was a part of story, but it was..too detailed, when I think it doesn't really need.

Sometimes I get confused by Jo In-Sung's expression, did he felt guilty, joyful, or really fell in love with the queen...hahaha.
Anyway thanks for d recaps ^^

Hong lim and the other boys were raised knowing they were servants/sacrifices/toys of/for the king. One of the first scenes was when the young guard acting on his natural instincts, tried to escape w/ his love(a woman) and was sentenced to die because he dared to want a normal life.

The captain had been a little boy who'd caught the king's eye/special attentions..... and had accepted what he couldn't change (they all feared the king), then used his position to protect his brothers in arms, but any sense of loyalty or feelings he'd once had for the mad king ended when the king castrated him, killed his friends & he thought the queen... and stuck their heads on pikes over the city walls. Like he told the king in their death duel..."I've been cut to the root, there is nothing for me to fear anymore" then he said" you led me to feel love and I couldn't be more grateful". Meaning under the king's orders to sleep w/ the queen & never being allowed to know any better/different then the king's warped palace existence... he'd finally felt a natural attraction and love for someone... the queen.

Turning his head toward the king at the end, was a director's whimsy, not realistic/nor believable.... as many critics pointed out. At least that was my take.

miar fi placut filmul daca il urmaream o poveste de dragoste

I just loved the movie, and I did like all the characters in it :)
I think HL did developed love towards the Queen, since in i believe 2 occasions he was sacrificing him self for her, and what is sacrifice if not love. I think love can surge after sex, but I do agree with many other comments, and believe that indeed it was too much sex. It would have been nice if the queen and HL would have shared some time together talking or something, y'all know so it could give a reason as why they fall in love.

For the Queen, she makes me sooooooooooo mad because there she has to go and make HL fall for her again , that last time in the library. She could have just kissed him and then walked away. But nooooo.I think she kind of wanted to feel love , because apparently nobody else had ever loved her physically and emotionally.The king always ignored her so I see how she was taking refuge with HL. And then again it just occurred to me that she could have been having sex with HL to take sort of a revenge on the King for ignoring her all those years................ idk lol

I did feel pitty for the king , I mean come onnnnnnnnnn why the f would u make HL have sex with the queen if he loved him so much, i mean i get he trusted him like no one else but come onnnnnn. Then I also think that even though he absolutely loves HL , his love towards him was kind of twisted. But yeah i did feel bad for him at the end, he just wanted to b happy, but really hurting or in this case killing everyone Hl loved or like wasn't very smart of the king. The actor who played the king, i take my hat off for him, he was just AMAZING loved his performance, well played emotions and everything!

As for the last scene where Hl turns around to face the king as he dies, It really left me thinking ............ He should have just looked at the Queen, i would have looked up and at least smiled if i just realized the person i loved was alive!!! I now am not sure if he loved the king or the queen or both ....... But i like the cliffhanger , because it lets us play with our imaginations and kind of give it the ending our self, Either he loved the queen or king which ever suits my mood :)

One more thought, i think that Hl did love the Queen also because in various occasions he left the king or any other thing he was suppose to do and hurried to the queens arms!!! I mean i would do that if i was in love u know :) My favorite scene was where he runs off to find the Queen after she left to her trip ! where she is wearing i believe a red robe or something (the day the king was going to give him his new horse )I just find the scene to b full of passion and intensity !!

wuuuuuuuu!! ok I'll shut up lol :)

I couldn´t side at all with the King in this. It felt to me like he had groomed HL to be his lover from a very young age, with HL not really having a choice in that matter, which is just endlessly creepy to me. I think the lovestory between the HL and the Queen was underdeveloped, but more believable. It was his first time with a woman, and if HL wasn´t gay or even bi like the ending suggests, that could have made a bigger impact than normal on him, confusing it with love. The Queen was straved for affection since she was teenager (when she met the King), so she was also more inclined to grasp at straws. In the end, the real villian in this is the society and its view on homosexuality. If not for that, these three wouldn´t have ended up in such a insane situation.

I’ve come upon the Frozen Flower by chance, got curious and watch it. It was my first Korean movie that I’ve watched and believed me I took noticed. I loved it so much that I watched four times just so to be sure that my first impression was spot on. Now I’m a fan of Korean movies, not so much on dramas unless my favourite actors are in it.
The three main actors do justice to their roles. The acting was superbly controlled and subtle that makes you clued in. I have to admit Joo Jin Mo was great; he really pulled you in to his character’s every emotion. Jo In-sung was great as well, the conflicting emotions that his characters have been through, from confusion, resentment, fear, guilt and realization. He has to keep it all in so as to protect the king and himself as chief. I don’t think it’s in his character to show his emotion and he was also aware the sub chief was waiting for him to show some weakness.
I believed that HL loved the king because he has to. He was groomed after all to obey and be loyal to the king. I’ve feel for HL because he became a pawn to the power struggled between the king and queen. Either which way he chooses he bound to lose. When HL hugged the king while he was sleeping he was like a little boy’s lost and confused. The library scene, when I just stood up saying no, no, no stop! When the king hears the word love from HL my hearts broke with him and the tears my tears just won’t stopped. Then HL begged to just kill him and was castrated I just lost it all together I have to paused. I think the king knew he just keep denying it and he a bit scared I think to know the truth. That why the betrayal was so great and gone berserk. I cried for the three of them then.
The fight scene was great. It was raw emotion on actors, passion and anger and hatred from HL. “You led me to fell love and I couldn’t be more grateful” that stays with me now. My take on the scene when HL turned his heads towards the king, it’s more of regrets and the realization that the king will never let him go no matter what. You just couldn’t see the ending written any other way after the library scene. The king regretted what he did but still won’t let him go; HL died a thousand deaths after the castration. HL came back to die after all in his mind he had lost everything. I do believe he love the queen. I think he straight too because if he was bi then he would have been happy to do them both, right?  For me I just want them both to let HL go, if they’re really loved him.
I like the ending because it’s make you think, oh he loved him after all no wait is it? Nah he loves the queen. Hmmm. The love scene makes you wonder, are they doing it? Whew…
I love the movie it’s become one my favourite of all time. It’s also started my one sided love affair with Jo In-sung. Lol Gosh he’s Hot!

Oh my, I agree completely with the men feeling everything too much. When Hong Lim denied loving the King I didn't buy it, no way.

I think the movie was beautiful, loved the King's character and Hong Lim's. This was the first movie I saw with these actors so it gave a good impression of their abilities.

The plot was so dramatic, I think it echoed the King and Hong Lim's relationship in it's moments of intense violence and very quick movement between events.

Nice, nice review. Thanks for posting it.

Um, did anyone else have that queasy feeling that the
king was more than a little bit of a sexual predator? Those
opening scenes with ranks and ranks of pretty boys and
the king keeping them close to him? EH. Ish.

And he chose Hong Lim because the poor mite said that he was willing to die for the king. URK. You can almost see the wheels turning: if this kid would die for me, maybe he'd also put out for me?

I just don't see any love there -- at all. Possessiveness, sure. Vanity, of course. Lust, well, the king and so many of us. But love? putting the desires and needs of the beloved before one's own desires and needs? Not a scrap. Sorry.

And, the castration? No matter how angry, jealous, betrayed you feel -- really? I guess I would characterize this movie as homophobic.

And, I dunno, maybe I'm not watching the same movie
y'all are, but I got that Hong Lim was always a little sweet
on the queen. From their first scene together & then him
watching her sing -- I got that he was dazzled and a little jealous of the king.

I've watched this movie and to my surprise, I like it. I said "to my surprise" because I have never liked movies with sex scenes (especially hard-core ones!). But I have to say that the sex scenes here between HL and the queen (especially the first 3 times) are necessary and artistic. However, I think the sex scene when HL came to find the queen unexpectedly at night when she was visiting her native place (maybe) for her nephew's birthday was way too long and necessary. The sex scene there was necessary to show their passion and love for each other but no need to be that long and detailed!

Although this movie was probably set out to be a movie about gay men, to me it is a touching love story between HL and the queen. I feel for them, both their pleasure and their pain.

I think HL had to sleep with the king just because he was groomed since childhood to be the king's sex partner. He had probably never had the opportunity or the freedom to make the choice and decide on his own sexuality. It was only when he slept with the queen that he found out he is straight.

I believe HL truly loves the queen and vice versa. Their love for each other did not start from sex as it seemed, though intimacy plays a role in developing their feeling for each other into love.

HL noticed the queen and admired her when he listened to her sing on a trip out of the palace and when he saw her make a short speech in front of the whole court. (Note that in the old days, a woman must have a lot of courage to do so in front of all men with high social positions like that).

To me, the "frozen flower" as the name of the movie suggests is the queen. She is like a frozen flower, not responding to intimacy at first because of not feeling love.

I like this movie because it shows that a woman is only frozen in that sense when her man is not caring enough. With a caring and loving man, there is hardly any woman who is frozen.

It was made very clear in the movie that when the king tried to be intimate to the queen, he started by kissing her lips straight away. The fact that she did not respond to that was very discouraging to him who was making a huge effort to be with a woman. So of course he gave up. However, when it was HL's turn to try, HL kissed her very slowly on the neck. Immediately her tears came out.

What do those tears mean? They mean 2 things: guilty feeling and awakening to passion. She feels guilty towards her husband because Asian women especially in those days believe they have only one man in their life and doing that to somebody who is not her husband is an awful thing even though her gay husband initiated and allowed that to happen. But at the same time, she likes it. She likes the way HL slowly gets intimate with her. He did not jumped into action. He treats her like a queen in every sense of the word.

Look at the way HL kisses her body, very slowly and passionately. Which woman wouldn't respond to that?! (And I say so being a woman myself).

So it is understandable that the queen appreciates HL's caring efforts.

The first time HL could not do it to the queen not because he is gay but because he saw her tears and he could not bear to continue. He did not probably realize that her tears also meant that she liked what he did. He proprably just thought that she was unhappy with it. Regardless, he did not force her into action. Being a gentleman, HL stopped.

After that, when HL told the king he could not "serve" the queen, the king was happy thinking that HL could not do it because he was gay. But the truth, I believe, is that HL could not do it because he saw the queen's tears and he did not have the heart to do that to her.

The second time when HL and the queen "had to" be intimate again as per the king's order, the queen offered to take off her clothes instead of waiting for HL to do so. Well, this says more than enough. The first time she was very nervous and lied down like a peace of wood. The second time she offered to take her clothes off herself.

She still did not respond to HL the second time he was intimate with her (and also the first time he was successful). She was just laying there but from her facial expression, we can see that she kinda liked it. She just tried not to show because she believed it was wrong to show (given that she is a traditional lady and a married woman but was doing so to somebody who is not her husband).

The third time they were together, HL did a good job to turn her from cold ice into fire. Remember that she was a virgin (in an ancient Asian culture, the queen must be virgin to be marred to the king but this king is gay so she must have remained a virgin till she met HL and HL is her first man). She was a virgin but after only 1 time doing that with HL, she turned to be quite responsive and passionate the second time they were together. No doubt HL is good!

At the beginning of the third time they were in bed, the queen restrained herself from responding to HL's kisses. Note that it was until then that HL tried to kiss her lips for the first time but she did not respond at first, probably thinking that it was wrong to do so. But when HL continued kissing her body, she started to gasp and pulled his head up and they kissed on the lips. That is like the start of something deeper.

Then they turned to be so passionate and enjoyed each other so much that the king was curious enough to see what was going on. There was like no boundary left, no restraint left, between HL and the queen.

After that, HL cared for the queen more by buying her a meaningful gift, i.e. the necklace from her native place. She also reciprocated his caring deed by giving him a handkerchief which she made the embroidery herself (that means a lot because she is a queen and it not supposed to do so).

Then it was no longer just sex. Through their genuine care for each other, they got to another level which is not foreign to love.

It was not lust that made HL not to sleep at night to travel by himself a long distance to see the queen on her trip to her native place and to come back before sunrise. It was only because of love that a man does that.

Of course they did that when HL came to see the queen that night. (I think it is unnecessary for the sex scene there to be that long and in detail though). But what stroke me was the scene right after that bed scene. The queen offered HL a rice flower cakes which, in her traditional customs, are for the man she loves. She also made the cakes herself, which is not what a queen normally did. No doubt HL was so touched that he cried when eating the cake. The queen also cried. And so did I.

I cried because I could see how love can develop out of something so earthly and ordinary like the sex they were ordered to have. That moving scene following the bed scene is like a reminder that the love making act should be taken with responsibility, humanity and love.

What I like about this movie is the relationship between HL and the queen and the message that only care and love can turn "a frozen flower" into a fully blossomed one, in other words, a seemingly cold lady into a passionate one. This message is somehow similar to the message from the movie "The Piano".

HL did not love the queen at first, but he did admire her before getting intimate with her and he was very caring when being intimate with her. She could feel that so she responded to him. They started to care more and more for each other and that care, in its turn, develop into mutual love.

The worst character in this movie is the king. I despise him not because he is gay but because he is so selfish, possessive and cruel. What kind of love is that to have the one you love castraded and so many people killed or tortured? Probably because the king was used to being served and controlling others, he became so cruel when he did not get what he wanted. He turned his life and others' into hell because of his selfishness and possessive obsession.

The movie, to me, is a love lesson for all (i.e. learning to love with care like HL and the queen; and appreciate love when you are free to be with the one you love, not like the unfortunate couple HL and the queen in the movie) and a warning of how dangerous selfish possessiveness (like that of the king in the movie) can be.

I made some spelling mistakes in the above message but the worst one is the word "necessary" whereas it should be "unnecessary".

The paragraph below should be changed to:

"However, I think the sex scene when HL came to find the queen unexpectedly at night when she was visiting her native place (maybe) for her nephew’s birthday was way too long and unnecessary."

I don't bother about other misspellings. Excuse them. I didn't reread what I wrote before sending. This is during my break. Thanks.

omg that kid is yeo jingoo *-* amaziiing. grow up fast, kid. i can't wait to stan you legally (haha)

Is this a true story?

I think HL loved the Queen with passion. I agree HL only feels loyalty and devotion as all soldiers of the court feels for their king. The king was like a father/brother figure, hence HL interpreted that as LOVE at the time. But you can see HL changing throughout the movie towards the Queen: He finally succumb and enjoyed their love making by kissing the Queen, got her a Sachet, couldn't take his eyes of her during the party, He sent her medicine when he learned she was sick, unable to sleep/feels uncomfortable being in Kings Chamber, when midnight strikes all he can think of is the Queen, He did say the pastry she made is exquisite, he was shocked and almost beg for King to reconsider having a new mate for the Queen, couldn't resist her especially knowing he is now a father and feels sad knowing she tried to kill herself, he did say he loved her to the king, when being swift away from the palace all he care about was the Queen's safety, and finally he killed the king bec. he thought the queen is dead and confirming he only loved the queen. The last part when he saw the queen and turned his head to the king, i feel its just his final respect for the years /fond memories they shared. That after all, the king spared the queen's life and let's not forget his child. People keep forgetting, HL and the queen has a child, hence the bond between them is so much more than the king now. HL tearing the painting is s sign that the portrait is only a dream not a reality. HL turning his head with last tear of joy knowing his queen and child is safe, HL looks back at the king to pay last respect of gratefulness that he spared their lives. The last scene was just to remind us that the king and HL will only be together forever in a dream.

HL and Queen is not just lust, its an unexpected love with so much passion. you can see it when the Queen served HL a drink and made him pastry symbolizing her love for him. Her eyes was filled with tears of joy as the man she once was jealous of, is now the man she feels deeply in love with. He then eats the pastry and you can see in HL eyes his happiness / tears of joy for finding new kind of love, something new though scary for him. If the Queen only wants sex from HL, then she wouldn't have risk her own life saving HL even after he was castrated. She begged the king to bring down the head, bec. she knows HL will avenge her and will put him in danger. When she saw him dying, all she calls out for was his name. I believe these actions is love not just lust. I feel for the king as he sincerely loved HL, but his love for HL drove him to madness. SAD but he deserve to die. As a chief soldier, it is just right that HL dies as well as he betrayed the KING, by loving someone else. Knowing his queen and child is gone, no point of living.

I watched all kinds of Asian movies because Mandarin is my first language, I am not sure how well the English subtitles are in this movie. There are some misinterprets in the reviews. The queen committed suicide because the king was going to force her to sleep with the vice captain. I wondered that she ever knew that her brother was killed. This is a wonderful movie. The story is well plotted. It's not a true story. However, it was loosely based on the king was gay and actually killed by his eunuch. I read some reviews. I would say if you can understand Asian culture deeper. You might see the depth of it. The director put in those scenes with purposes to show the story line and the society at that time. There are quite a few stories like this in Chinese history, too. However, I haven't seen anyone was elaborated so well like this one. I am glad I found it accidentally. It opened my mind and kept me thinking....

I really love this movie. And i was glad that a lot of the people here share the same oppinion as i am. Other sites more on bashing this movie rather than understanding the art.
Yup despite all the sex scenes but I think those sex scenes is the way to tell the love that growing between HL and the queen. Those two can't show their love to public so that is how the writer potrait it. Actually the director wants us to focus on their emotion expression rather than the bed scene.
Even some of it kinda unnecessary. And I think all 3 actors potray their haracters well. Good job to them.