Sandglass (1995) -Review

After reading at Dramabeans that there might be a remake of the classic drama Sandglass, one of my all time favorite dramas, I thought that was the right incentive to write about my love for Asian dramas and movies. So, here we go.

What is this about:

This series centers on three people, Tae Soo, a member of a gang, Woo Suk, a law student and Hea Rin, daughter of a casino owner, from the 70s to early 90s. It takes place during a chaotic period of time in Korea and tackles many sensitive topics, such as student demonstrations, the movement at Kangju etc.

My review:

This is a true masterpiece of the South Korean television. You cannot have a full picture of its value unless you see it from start to finish. It takes place in a period of three decades describing the lives of a generation, so you cannot judge it only from the early segments or the later parts.

What I found very interesting is that the story of each character is given in the three first episodes, one episode for each character.

Park Tae Soo

The first one is Park Tae Soo (Choi Min Soo), a member of a gang that works with political parties. Basically, when an opposite party has an assembly, he goes there to crush it. And beat people. But that is not all that there is. 

Tae Soo grew up with his mother only, since his father was killed, and even though she brought in the money, she more often than not relied on him for emotional support. That resulted in him taking the role of the responsible and grown up, which shaped up his behavior and way of thinking.

One of my favorite scenes is this one from the first episode. Here Tae Soo talks with an important politician and through this conversetion, his mentality and perception of things is becoming clear. And while in the course of the drama he grew up, changed and evolved as a character, he still stayed true to what he expressed in this little scene. If this is not an evidence of an exceptionally crafted character, I don’t know what is.

This is our second lead, Kang Woo Suk (Park Sang Won). He is a law student and later public defender, and, in many ways, the other side of the coin compared to Tae Soo.

Kang Woo Suk

What defined Woo Suk as a person is an incident where his father was falsely accused so he could sell his land for a few pennies. This injustice is what created the sense of justice and was the incentive for almost all his life choices. And even though the relationship between Woo Suk and his father is shown only in the first episodes, it is always apparent through the way Woo Suk perceives justice and behaves in accordance with his conscience. 

Tae Soo and Woo Suk

The friendship between these two is in many cases the driving force and one of the most heartbreaking things, not in a melodramatic way, but in a too close to real life kind of way. I know that if you watch the first episodes you’ll say this is the perfect friendship. But stay a little longer and you will see little by little their ideologies to clash, feelings that should have been expressed weren’t, conflicts of interest, and yet all those beautiful memories of friendship remained.

The third lead is Hye Rin (Ko Hyeon Jeong), the daughter of a casino owner, who has completely opposite opinions from what her family stands for.

Hye Rin

As a child she grew up as a princess, until some enemies of her father – he had a remarkable ability to create enemies – kidnapped her in exchange for money. This created an impossible chasm between her and her father and what he represents. Which is quite ironic considering how much these personalities are alike. Personally I think she went through the most changes in character compared to others, since for the other two even at the final episode I could say these are still the teenage boys from the start.

And here we have another role that stands in the grey area between a lead and a second lead (Lee Jeong Jae). 

He saved Hye Rin and for that he become her bodyguard. For me, he was a mystery from the beginning to the very end. We never learn his story, like with the other three; he just stands beside Hye Rin without talking too much. He could be the most boring character based on this description, but something in the presence of the actor made him quite enigmatic.  

Hye Rin’s father (Park Geun Hyeong) is the perfect example of a capitalist. His main goal is to profit and he doesn’t care about the people that he destroys in the process. Remind you anyone? All the CEO and fathers and mothers in law in every Korean melodrama. Is he an one-dimension, paper thin characters that exists only to serve the story like the rest? No, definitely no. As the story progresses and we learn more about him, it is evident that he is a complex man with his own mentality and way of behaving. 

Why you should watch:

• This is a classic series that has stood in time and is beloved by many, and rightgully so.

• It has a complex story that reflects a whole generation of people, ethics and culture. Many characters that are barely at the beginning eventually play significant roles in how things will unfold. There is not an unimportant scene, because it could play key role for the following episodes or it helps the characterization.

• Its main focus is the telling of the story. Although it has the three leads that are the center of what is happening, the story is the true lead and it never strays away from that.

• It took two years to film and it shows. Especially in the episodes featuring the movement at Kangju, it is evident that it was filmed with a more cinematic approach. And almost every episode has a memorable scene that stays long after you’ve watched the drama.

• Excellent actors, even the less important are talented and no one was wasted. No wonder that every one of them became A-listers after the success of Sandglass.

• Memorable music, even if it’s not your taste. It’s going to stay in your mind for quite some time. At least for me it did.

Why not to watch:

• It was filmed in 1995 and, whether you want it or not, it shows. Especially with the use of slow motion and music it is apparent how old this drama is. So if you don’t like old dramas maybe this is not for you. Still, though, it deserves a second chance considering the cultural and political impact it had.

Final verdict:

10/10. A true masterpiece and one of my favorite dramas, not only Korean, but in general. It’s not for everyone, it’s oldschool drama tackling difficult and sensitive subjects, but deserves the time you’ll spend to watch.

As for the remake, please please don't make it. When something is so near to perfection there is no need to recreat it, because most chances are that you will fail. 

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