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This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

South Korean director Kim Ki Young's film 'Hanyo'/ The Housemaid is a serious family film which needs to be watched by all members of any family. As this film is absolutely pertinent due to its brutal yet frank treatment of what makes or breaks a family, it is expected that both husbands and wives would make efforts to watch it. Director Kim's film impressed viewers to such an extent that even assistance came in the form of American director Martin Scorcese's World Cinema Foundation. As a film which chose to describe marital relations and their consequences on a married couple, Hanyo is a bold film of its times. One must bear in mind that it was made at a time when revolutionary ideas were in the air. The emotions found in contemporary South Korean films are all reflections of a nation's psyche. From that point of view, it can be said that Hanyo is no exception to the rule. It has its own fair share of controversial elements including neurotic persons. All characters have mean qualities including the couple's two children who are constantly bullying each other. Lastly, no particular group or person is favored as director Kim Ki Young depicted how everybody has reasons to do anything for safeguarding the family's interests.

Well what I didn't expect was that this seemingly average film with all it's simple elements or limitations has managed to turn it into something complex and with thrilling unpredictability. I was shocked - to actually see this masterpiece hiding in obscurity, and enjoy it immensely. Everything about it screams classic, and yet it's techniques are even better than most modern movies. The director is a genius. The story itself, instead of sticking to the formula of its genre, has written a convoluted story of human morality, obsessive love, betrayal in such a way that you really can't predict what will happen; and made it so thrilling that you find yourself on the edge of your seat, waiting for the scene to unfold. What also made this film more interesting is that the villain is a female sexual predator with a seemingly unstable personality - which defies how Korean women at that time should act in society. This antagonist gets what she wants and she took control and made everyone around her submissive to her wishes. I wouldn't expound on the plot/story anymore. You just have to watch it.The acting is great. One of the best from any cast I've seen. Even the children were so damn effective (esp the boy). The housemaid, hands down, is the star of this movie. She is so freaky and terrifying, but still managed to evoke my sympathy. The couple did great too. Each one of them are worthy of praise because if handled sloppily, their characters will lose something. Whether they'll lose the sympathy from the audience, or credibility. Superior acting. (I've read that the actress who played the housemaid has been so effective that women hated her so much that movie producers were hesitant to cast her in other projects. Her career went to a screeching halt. Pity.)My favorite aspect of this movie is its camera works. Wow. I really love it. It reminded me of Hitchcock, with its playful camera angles, & uncommon camera movements, zooming in and out from one room to another in a fluid technique. Every shot has a purpose, even the littlest, seemingly random things in the house helped in adding to the sinister feel of the movie. Add in the piano sounds properly injected in scenes, the result is an ominous, creepy mood all throughout. The editing is very clean and seamless. I really like that fade out-fade in transition of scenes. Unlike the movies nowadays with their lazy editing.This film has been restored and the result was great with sharp black & white photography, and even with those scenes that are patchy/blurry, the product is magnificent. The lighting is great. Again, this is a superior movie, can't stress that enough. :)The Verdict:This is a great film. So simple and yet so complicated. It teaches you that love should be taken seriously and treated responsibly, and that one mistake, whether it's intentional or not, could turn your world upside down. A brilliant, timeless masterpiece that must have been controversial during its time, and still relevant in this modern age.

The original version of the Housemaid is a classic black and white and colder than the remake of 2010; two vastly different styles with basically the same plot line. The director has learned a Hitchcock type of film making and the result is fairly good.A pianist and composer whose pregnant wife is overwhelmed by their two small children and is exhausted from sewing clothes around the clock, hires a cute young housemaid to help with chores; big mistake. The sexy lass quickly seduces the music man and becomes pregnant with his future bastard child. Wifey finds out and attempts an abortion by accident with the temptress. More chaos happens to this lovely family, all caused by an evil woman. Check out both the 1960 and the 2010 movie, as they are both good.

It was only in the last two decades that Korean cinema had slowly become a force to be reckoned with. Today, Korean films set the standard for Asian cinema, and are only occasionally bettered by films from Japan, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Some of Korea's top filmmakers, such as Park Chan-wook, Kim Ki-duk, and Bong Joon-ho, to a name a few, are now rubbing shoulders with the great directors of Europe, frequently taking part and winning awards in film festivals like Cannes and Venice. The renaissance (if that is the correct word) of contemporary Korean cinema owes a debt to Kim Ki-young's The Housemaid, one of only a few great films to emerge post-war from the country. The Housemaid is about a happy family who are torn apart by a maid hired by the husband to help with daily chores. The maid seduces the husband and tries to wield control over his materialistic wife who is pregnant. The maid also has tensions with their children – a crippled daughter and a mischievous boy. The Housemaid starts out like an Ozu-esquire drama where life couldn't be more ordinary, with Kim taking his time to flesh out the film's major characters. The first scene immediately foreshadows what is to come later: The husband, who is reading the paper, is aghast at a report of a man who committed adultery with his maid. His wife reacts by replying, "Men are hopeless, taking interest in a maid." Their maid unsurprisingly appears in the second-quarter of the film, bringing an ominous development to the proceedings. The performance by the actress (I can't quite figure out her name) who plays the maid is tremendous, providing Korean cinema with one if its vilest villains. She hides her "sexual predator" self under her shy demeanor, only exposing her true colors when she finds herself alone with her master. Kim also sets up the mood of the film to work out like a "haunted house" picture. Many of the external shots are that of lashing rain and blinding lightning, giving the film a sinister edge. His direction is assured, and slowly but surely, he navigates his film into horror territory. The second hour of The Housemaid is unpredictable. The situation that unfolds border on disturbing material, with Kim exploring the worst of human nature. The climax is frightening not because it is horrific, but because it is tragic. Kim also adds a layer of dark humor into the dialogue, which coupled with some over-the-top acting, helps to make the film less grim. Nevertheless, The Housemaid remains as a stinging social commentary and a powerful tale of lust, greed, and revenge. In the final scene that breaks the "fourth wall', men are mocked for their ease of succumbing to temptations of flesh, like tiger to fresh meat. But really, is it fair to put the blame on one half of the human race? SCORE: 8/10 () All rights reserved!