"Oh, worn-out stuff!" was the only words sprang up my head while I was reading the blurb of this restored version (whose footage, with traditional Chinese subtitle, is found in a Taipei, Taiwan).
Presumably, not many refreshing idea is found in the story, yet, how the father-in-law (Dong-won Kim) dealt with the fallen daughter-in-law is uncommon in the story of this genre.
Apparently, safeguarding his family's reputation is the primary reason that he does not let the adultery out to her family or others. Her higher social class / richer background / more reputed family history can also be a reason. Nevertheless, at that very conservative era and context (though westernization and Japanese modernization starts to leave mark on Korea), he has every right to handle it with an iron fist, for instance, exercising capital punishment (in whatever atrocious way), summary execution etc. At any rate, he lets the child live and spare the lives of the adulterers. The humanity and leniency are both exceptional and rare at that time.
Presumably, not many refreshing idea is found in the story, yet, how the father-in-law (Dong-won Kim) dealt with the fallen daughter-in-law is uncommon in the story of this genre.
Apparently, safeguarding his family's reputation is the primary reason that he does not let the adultery out to her family or others. Her higher social class / richer background / more reputed family history can also be a reason. Nevertheless, at that very conservative era and context (though westernization and Japanese modernization starts to leave mark on Korea), he has every right to handle it with an iron fist, for instance, exercising capital punishment (in whatever atrocious way), summary execution etc. At any rate, he lets the child live and spare the lives of the adulterers. The humanity and leniency are both exceptional and rare at that time.
