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Architecture 101
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Architecture 101
| image = Architecture 101 film poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical poster
| native_name =
| director = Lee Yong-ju
| producer = Shim Jae-myung
Lee Eun
| writer = Lee Yong-ju
| starring =
| music = Lee Ji-soo
| cinematography = Jo Sang-yoon
| editing = Kim Sang-bum
Kim Jae-bum
| studio = Myung Films
| distributor = Lotte Entertainment
| released =
| runtime = 118 minutes
| country = South Korea
| language = Korean
| budget =
| gross =
}}
'Architecture 101' (; lit. 'Introduction to Architecture') is a 2012 South Korean romance film written and directed by Lee Yong-ju. The film tells the story of two students who meet in an introductory architecture class and fall in love. Fifteen years later, the girl tracks down her first love to seek his help in building her dream house.[https://archive.today/20120712174444/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2949882 "Han Ga-in and other 'Introduction to Architecture' stars talk about their first loves"]. 'Korea JoongAng Daily'. March 15, 2012.
Plot
Seoul, the present day. Out of the blue, architect Lee Seung-min (Uhm Tae-woong) is approached by Yang Seo-yeon (Han Ga-in), whom he knew at college some 17 years previously, to design a new house for her on the site of her 30-year-old family home on Jeju island. Seung-min reluctantly agrees but can't come up with a design that pleases her. In the end, they decide to renovate and expand the existing house, and he and Seo-yeon spend a considerable amount of time together down in Jeju, to the growing annoyance of his fiance Eun-chae (Go Joon-hee), with whom he is soon to be married and move to the US. As Seo-yeon cares for her dying father (Lee Seung-ho) and Seung-min learns more about what became of Seo-yeon in the intervening years, he recalls their initial meeting at college in the early 1990s.
Seung-min and Seo-yeon (Lee Je-hoon and Suzy) had lived in the same neighborhood (Jeongneung-dong, Seoul) and attended the same architecture class. He remembers her liking rich student Jae-wook (Yoo Yeon-seok), his inability to declare his attraction to her, and the times being coached by his best friend, Nab-ddeuk (Jo Jung-suk) in how to get girls. Hoping to confess his feelings to her at the perfect timing, Seung-min asks Seo-yeon to meet him at the abandoned house they frequent, on the first day that it snows that coming winter. But one night he catches Jae-wook and a drunk Seo-yeon entering her house together. Fearing the worst, he ends his friendship with Seo-yeon due to his pain of believing she had chosen Jae-wook. The first day of snow arrives, and Seo-yeon is left waiting in the abandoned house alone. Heartbroken, she leaves behind her portable CD player with a CD of her favorite artist.
Seo-yeon in the present day receives that very same CD player and CD from Seung-min, meaning that he actually went to the house later and remembered their promise. But despite the bitter-sweetness of their first love, in the end, Seung-min still chooses his fiance Eun-chae and flies with her to America, while Seo-yeon sits in the house he built for her, listening to the CD.[http://www.filmbiz.asia/reviews/architecture-101 "Architecture 101"] . 'Film Business Asia'. May 21, 2012.[http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/reports.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=228 "Box office, April 1-30"]. 'Korean Film Biz Zone'. May 30, 2012.[http://www.koreaherald.com/entertainment/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20120223001365 "Box Office"]. 'The Korea Herald'. February 24, 2012.[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/03/23/2012032301043.html "Architecture 101 (2012)"]. 'The Chosun Ilbo'. March 23, 2012.
Cast
Main
* Uhm Tae-woong as Lee Seung-min in the present* Han Ga-in as Yang Seo-yeon in the present[https://archive.today/20130122143157/http://www.enewsworld.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=4792 "Interview: Han Ga In Likes Kissing Uhm Tae Woong More than Kim Soo Hyun"]. 'enewsWorld'. March 27, 2012.[http://www.hancinema.net/interview-han-ga-in-it-s-not-that-i-didn-t-i-couldn-t-40521.html "Interview: Han Ga-in, "It's not that I didn't, I couldn't""]. 'Star In via Hancinema'. March 27, 2012.[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/03/31/2012033100363.html "Han Ga-in Still Wrestling with Innocent Image"]. 'The Chosun Ilbo'. March 31, 2012.[http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2950944 "Han Ga-in struggles to overcome innocent image"] . 'Korea Joongang Daily'. April 4, 2012.
* Lee Je-hoon as Lee Seung-min in the past[http://www.enewsworld.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=4372 "Lee Je Hoon is Doing Three Things at the Same Time"]. 'enewsWorld'. March 15, 2012.
* Suzy as Yang Seo-yeon in the past[http://www.enewsworld.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=4317 "Suzy Talks about Her...First Love?"]. 'enewsWorld'. March 14, 2012.[http://www.enewsworld.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=4321 "Suzy Shines in Chungmuro through 'Architecture 101'"]. 'enewsWorld'. March 14, 2012.[http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2012040917225372348 "INTERVIEW: Bae Suzy: I was worried that the dark circles under my eyes were going to show on a big screen"]. '10Asia'. April 9, 2012.[http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2012040917295208340 "INTERVIEW: Bae Suzy: I really don't want to look weak in front of other people. Never."]. '10Asia'. April 9, 2012.[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/04/14/2012041400300.html "Miss A's Su-zy Wins Over Critics with Film Debut"]. 'The Chosun Ilbo'. April 14, 2012.
Supporting
* Yoo Yeon-seok as Jae-wook, Seo-yeon's sunbae and Seung-min's rival[http://www.enewsworld.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=4670 "Yoo Yeon Seok Stands Out as the Easy-to-Hate Villain in 'Architecture 101'"]. 'enewsWorld'. March 23, 2012.* Jo Jung-suk as Nab-ddeuk, Seung-min's best friend
* Go Joon-hee as Eun-chae, Seung-min's fiance
* Kim Dong-joo as Seung-min's mother
* Lee Seung-ho as Seo-yeon's father
* Kim Eui-sung as Professor Kang
* Park Soo-young as Architect Koo
* Park Jin-woo as the taxi driver
Production
Director Lee Yong-ju has a bachelor's degree in architecture from Yonsei University, and collaborated with architect Gu Seung-hoe to accurately depict the architectural details shown and mentioned in the film.[http://www.enewsworld.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=4336 'Architecture 101', a Film about Architects and Love ]. 'enewsWorld', March 15, 2012. The film was shot on location in the Seoul neighborhood of Jeong-neung and in Jeju Island.
It was chosen as the closing film at the 15th Shanghai International Film Festival.[http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2012061912532683345 "'Architecture 101' to close Shanghai International Film Festival"]. '10Asia'. June 19, 2012.[http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2954701 "Red carpet a big step for Han Ga-in"] . 'Korea JoongAng Daily'. June 20, 2012.[https://archive.today/20130129033756/http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=8557 "Han Ga In's Overwhelming Beauty Acknowledged by Chinese Paparazzi"]. 'enewsWorld'. June 26, 2012.[https://archive.today/20130129200038/http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=8596 "Lee Je Hoon Attends Shanghai International Film Festival"]. 'enewsWorld'. June 26, 2012.
In late August 2012, Typhoon Bolaven, regarded as the most powerful storm to strike the Korean Peninsula in nearly a decade, severely damaged Seo-yeon's house that was constructed especially for the movie. The house was rebuilt and renovated, designed by architect Gu Seung-hoe (executive consultant of construction for the film), with the interior design by Woo Seung-mie (the film's art director). It opened in March 2013 as a cafe, called Cafe Seo-yeon's House.
Music
The film reignited 1990s throwback fever among Koreans and made the fashion, music and celebrities of the period cool once again. Songs from the '90s, including duo Exhibitions "Etude of Memory" were included on the score. Characters also use pagers, hair mousse, and portable CD players. The protagonist is even obsessed with 'GUESS' T-shirts - counterfeits that were popular among Koreans in the 1990s. Nostalgia-inducing scenes that feature characters expressing awe at a one gigabyte hard drive computer or communicating with each other via landline telephones also brought the audience back in time.[http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2952259 "I the '90s"] . 'Korea Joongang Daily'. May 3, 2012.
And the movies impact on the present-day market was felt. Exhibition, the duo known as 'JeonRamHwe' in Korea, saw a sudden increase in sales of its first EP, which was released in 1993, by 70 times in April compared to the previous month, with sales of the duos following EPs also on the rise. Yes 24 temporarily made a page on its official website that lists EPs from the 1990s alongside contemporary artists who are known to emulate the sentiments of the 1990s.
Release
'Architecture 101' was released in South Korean theaters on March 22, 2012. It was subsequently released in Hong Kong on October 22, 2012.
Home video
On September 19, 2012, a two-disc limited edition DVD was released containing extra footage shot and edited by the director Lee Yong-ju, audio commentary by actors Uhm Tae-woong, Lee Je-hoon and Suzy, interviews and trailers, and a book containing pictures and production images from the set.Among the deleted scenes are a flashback scene of Seung-min and Nab-ddeuk walking side by side; adult Seung-min taking a drunk Seo-yeon to her hotel room; and a longer, deeper kiss between Lee Je-hoon and Suzy. The scenes ended up on the cutting room floor because the director felt they did not fit the movie's tone.[http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=6202 "Preview Architecture 101's Suzy and Lee Jae Hoon's Kiss and Deleted Scenes"] . 'enewsWorld'. May 3, 2012.
Reception
The film captured viewers attention and earned critical plaudits with its restrained style and well drawn characters.
It held the No. 1 spot at the box office for three weeks after its release, attracting over 1 million viewers in only eight days, passing 2 million in seventeen days, and reaching 3 million on April 18.[http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2012032609151951729 "'Introduction to Architecture' leads local box office"]. '10Asia'. March 26, 2012.[http://en.starnnews.com/news/index.html?no=75593 "'Intro to Construction Theory' ranked Box Office #1"]. 'StarN News'. March 25, 2012.[http://en.starnnews.com/news/index.html?no=76154 "'Intro to Construction Theory' almost one million tickets sold"]. 'StarN News'. March 27, 2012.[http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2012040208374698365 "'Introduction to Architecture' paves the way for 2nd win on local box office"]. '10Asia'. April 2, 2012.[http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2012040909023436037 "'Introduction to Architecture' marks 3rd win on weekend box office"]. '10Asia'. April 9, 2012. Male moviegoers are the backbone of the movies sales, an unusual path to success for a romantic drama.[http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2950672 "Suzy and Han Ga-in part of soon-to-be No. 1 team in 'Architecture 101'"] . 'Korea Joongang Daily'. March 30, 2012. Critics have said that 'Architecture 101' especially resonates with the nostalgia men feel for their first loves.[https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/05/113_110025.html "70% of those in 20s, 30s want to keep first love in memory"] . 'The Korea Times'. May 3, 2012.
It was one of the ten most-watched films in Korea in the first quarter of 2012 (No. 4 with 3.4 million tickets sold).[http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2012040916081797980 "Korean movies notch up higher number in 1Q ticket sales"]. '10Asia'. April 9, 2012.[https://archive.today/20120714160432/http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=5783 "'Architecture 101' Becomes Koreas Most Watched Mellow-Romance Movie"]. 'enewsWorld'. April 22, 2012. 9 weeks after its theater release, it reached over 4.1 million admissions, a new box office record for Korean melodramas.[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/05/10/2012051001204.html "Bootleg of 'Architecture 101' Leaked Online"]. 'The Chosun Ilbo'. May 10, 2012.[http://en.starnnews.com/news/index.html?no=88729 "Over 4 million people viewed 'Intro to Construction Theory'"]. 'StarN News'. May 15, 2012.
Awards and nominations
References
Buy Architecture 101 now from Amazon
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