Spring Waltz

Spring Waltz

Promotional poster
Genre Romance
Written by Kim Ji-eun
Hwang Da-eun
Ha Mi-seon
Directed by Yoon Seok-ho
Starring Seo Do-young
Han Hyo-joo
Daniel Henney
Lee So-yeon
Country of origin South Korea
Original language(s) Korean
German
English
No. of episodes 20
Production
Executive producer(s) Kim Jong-shik
Park In-taek
Moon Bo-hyun
Producer(s) Lee Jae-sang
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55
Production company(s) Yoon's Color
Broadcast
Original channel KBS 2TV
Original run March 6, 2006 – May 16, 2006
Chronology
Preceded by Hello, God
Followed by Mr. Goodbye
Related shows Autumn in My Heart (2000)
Winter Sonata (2002)
Summer Scent (2003)
External links
Website
Spring Waltz
Hangul 봄의 왈츠
Revised Romanization Bom-ui Wal-cheu
McCune–Reischauer Pom-ŭi Wal-ch'ŭ

Spring Waltz (Hangul: 봄의 왈츠; RR: Bom-ui Wal-cheu) is a 2006 South Korean television series starring Seo Do-young, Han Hyo-joo, Daniel Henney, and Lee So-yeon. It aired on KBS2 from March 6 to May 16, 2006 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.

It is the fourth and final installment of director Yoon Seok-ho's season-themed Endless Love series, following Autumn in My Heart, Winter Sonata and Summer Scent.[1][2]

Synopsis

The story begins, in Austria, at midnight. Park Eun-young is making a wish among a crowd celebrating the New Year.

The scene changes to a young Song Yi-na watching her childhood friend Yoon Jae-ha playing in what seems to be a piano competition. Switching back to present day, Song Yi-na smiles remembering her wonderful memories and promises made. She begins a conversation with the passenger next to her, Park Eun-young. She explains that she is on her way to Austria to meet her childhood love, Jae-ha, after a 15 year separation. Yi-na continues to explain that her first love has become an accomplished pianist as Eun-young explains her excitement about her first trip outside of Korea.

Once in Austria Eun-young bumps into Phillip (Jae-ha’s manager and best friend), who mistakes her as Yi-na whom he planned to pick up at the airport. After the situation clears itself, Eun-young, Yi-na, and Phillip go their separate ways. Phillip takes Yi-na to see Jae-ha. Once at their destination, Jae-ha doesn't recognize Yi-na and mistakes her for a reporter. Yi-na, upset over Jae-ha's cold reception, begins to talk back at him. Jae-ha later hears her name said by Phillip, which he repeats and seems to spark his memory.

While taking Jae-ha and Yi-na out, Phillip sees Eun-young and decides to break company. Phillip introduces himself to Eun-young and offers to help her get around Austria. After learning that she will be in Salzburg the next day, he offers her two concert tickets.

Later that night, Jae-ha is seen looking through photos of himself and Yi-na as children. Putting the photos away, he later pulls out a handmade rainbow shell.

The next day, Eun-young meets Jae-ha on the train ride to Salzburg. Though Jae-ha displays a cold demeanor towards Eun-young, the two are immediately attracted to each other – especially Jae-ha, because of the way she reminds him of his long-lost childhood love, Seo Eun-young. Eun-young offers one of the concert tickets to Jae-ha and introduces herself as Alice. He states that his name is Chris (Chris Y. is his stage name). They become separated once in Salzburg. Eun-young arrives for the concert and meets Phillip, but is eager to see Chris again.

As the concert begins, Eun-young recognizes Chris Y. as the Chris on the train. As the concert concludes, Eun-young begins to leave the hall, but a melody Clementine stops her in her tracks as she begins to recall her childhood past.

15 years ago...

Lee Soo-ho and his father Lee Jung-tae arrive at Jung-tae's hometown, a beautiful island outside of Seoul. They meet Seo Eun-young and her mother. Jung-tae leaves Soo-ho with the mother and daughter, promising to return. Soo-ho, full of hurt and anger, treats Eun-young badly. Soo-ho tries numerous times to escape the island. At one point Eun-young gets caught in his plan and is taken to the hospital. Soo-ho learns that Eun-young is sick and is in need of a special surgery.

Soo-ho and Eun-young become closer; Eun-young presents a rainbow shell she made as a gift. Jung-tae returns to the island and promises Soo-ho that he will finally settle down on the island with him. Soo-ho continues to fear that his father will leave again but hopeful of his father's promise. Later, Soo-ho informs his father of Eun-young's sickness and that her mother must be saving for it. Hearing about money, Jung-tae breaks into the family's room.

Eun-young's mother sees Jung-tae running towards the ferry. Upon returning to her home, she learns that the money she was saving for Eun-young's surgery was stolen. In disbelief and despair, she asks Soo-ho where his father went. Eun-young's mother leaves the island for Seoul in hopes of tracking down Jung-tae. While searching, she is hit by a car and is instantly killed.

Soo-ho, hurt, angry, and full of guilt tries to leave the island again by stealing a boat. Eun-young tries to stop him but ends up going with him. The next morning, the children are swept to a neighboring island where an elderly couple take them in. Soo-ho tries to leave again without Eun-young but to no avail. The two make it to Seoul and begin their search for both parents.

While searching, Eun-young becomes ill and Soo-ho rushes her to the hospital. At the hospital, Soo-ho meets a woman, Hyun Ji-sook, who mistakes him for her son. Desperate for money, he tries to steal a woman's purse. He is stopped from going to jail by Hyun Ji-sook's husband, Yoon Myung-hoon.

Yoon Myung-hoon asks Soo-ho if he would consider pretending to be his son, Jae-ha, until his wife recovers. Soo-ho learns that the couple's son, Yoon Jae-ha, was previously killed in a rafting accident. Soo-ho refuses but reconsiders when he learns that Yoon Myung-hoon has the money to save Eun-young's life.

Eun-young wakes to find Soo-ho at her hospital bedside. Fearing that Soo-ho will leave, she asks that he promise to stay by her. Soo-ho promises but is unable to keep it. The day of the surgery he leaves with the couple. Remembering his promise to Eun-young he runs back to the hospital but finds her room empty. Lee Soo-ho leaves South Korea as Yoon Jae-ha.

Jae-ha is later told that Eun-young died during her surgery. After the surgery, Seo Eun-young recovers and is adopted by her aunt, Jo Yang-soon, changing her name to Park Eun-young.

Present day...

After the concert, Phillip convinces Eun-young to accompany him to the concert's after party. At the party, Jae-ha meets Alice (Eun-young) again, but learns that Phillip is romantically interested in her. Aware of Phillip's past with women, Jae-ha believes that Alice (Eun-young) was toying with him on the train. The next day, Eun-young leaves for the Crystal Palace. She doesn't see Phillip but leaves a "thank you" note and gift, an ornamented seashell. While Phillip and Yi-na observe the details of the shell; Phillip mentions Eun-young's name causing Jae-ha to run after her.

Jae-ha arrives at the Crystal Palace but misses Eun-young. Later Jae-ha agrees to produce an album for Yi-na's music company in Korea and returns after 15 years.

Both Jae-ha and Phillip are looking for Eun-young. Jae-ha is the first to spot Eun-young and traces her to a kimbap restaurant. While in Jo Yang-soon's kimbap restaurant, he comes to the conclusion that this Eun-young is not Seo Eun-young because she refers to the owner and a worker as her mother and brother. Jae-ha leaves the restaurant angry and disappointed. Eun-young notices that the customer left his scarf and didn't pay for his meal. She goes after him and notices that it is Yoon Jae-ha.

Soon after, Phillip locates Eun-young. Eun-young is surprised and then recalls having seen Jae-ha. A few days later, Eun-young is reunited with Phillip, Jae-ha, and Yi-na while making a lunch delivery.

Phillip, interested in Eun-young, begins to follow her in hopes of starting a relationship. Eun-young struggles with providing for her family and tries to find a steady job. Phillip, seeing Eun-young hardships, arranges a job for her with Yi-na's music company as a chauffeur for Jae-ha.

As time passes Eun-young and Jae-ha become closer and begin to develop feelings for each other. Yi-na begins to sense something between the two but tries to ignore her suspicions. Phillip, unaware of Eun-young and Jae-ha's feelings, confesses to Jae-ha that he is falling in love with Eun-young. Listening to his best friend's excitement, Jae-ha is conflicted and begins to push Eun-young away. Eun-young, hurt by Jae-ha's behavior, confronts him. Unable to contain his feelings and seeing Eun-young hurting, Jae-ha kisses her, unaware that Philip sees them from away.

Having confessed their love to each other, Eun-young and Jae-ha continue their relationship in secret.

One day, Eun-young goes to the island where she and Soo-ho grew up together. His adoptive parents had previously told Jae-ha that Seo Eun-young was dead, but he decides to investigate himself. When he meets Eun-young again on the island, he finally realizes that Park Eun-young and Seo Eun-young are one and the same person.

Jae-ha becomes confused whether he must become Soo-ho or Jae-ha. When he speaks this problem aloud at the graveyard of Eun-young's mother, Yi-na hears it and she realizes that the man in front of her is not her childhood sweetheart Jae-ha, but Soo-ho.

As Jae-ha, Eun-young, Yi-na, and Phillip return to Seoul, Jae-ha meets his real father Lee Jung-tae, who left him when he was young. Jung-tae is now a drunkard, and Jae-ha bitterly admits to him that he is Soo-ho. His words are heard by Eun-young and Phillip. Stunned, Eun-young realizes Jae-ha is Soo-ho, her childhood love.

Eun-young is angry because she thinks young Soo-ho left her in the hospital on purpose. In reality, young Soo-ho left to be adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Yoon who paid Eun-young's hospital bill, but Eun-young does not know this fact.

When she finally learns the truth, she goes to find Soo-ho. However, Soo-ho is missing. But Eun-young knows the place where he has gone. The island! So she goes to the island and meets Soo-ho there. There is a happy reunion.

But life becomes complicated as the media discovers Soo-ho's real identity. He must choose whether he wants to go back to being Soo-ho or remain as Jae-ha. In a press conference, Jung-tae arrives to save Soo-ho's career, lying that he is not his son, but is Yoon Jae-ha. Finally Soo-ho declares that he is Jae-ha.

After Jung-tae is killed in a traffic accident, Soo-ho becomes depressed. Before his concert in Korea, he accidentally hurts his own hand by searching for his shell given by young Eun-young in the dustbin, when the a piece of broken glass pierces his hand. But he insists on playing the piano at the concert.

The nerves in Soo-ho's hand become impaired, ending his piano career. He returns to Austria, not letting Eun-young know about his injury.

Nonetheless, Yi-na comes back to Korea and asks Eun-young to marry Soo-ho. Yi-na also tells Eun-young that Soo-ho cannot be a professional pianist anymore due to the paralyzed nerves on his hand. He has lost his sense of touch.

Thus, Eun-young flies to Austria and meets Soo-ho coincidentally on a bridge. Then they get married. Soo-ho buys a house on the island where he and Eun-young grow together. It is the same house they lived in for Soo-ho's recording.

In the ending, it is shown that Soo-ho plays a small piano at a local school. Finally, he and Eun-young dance on the balcony of their house at sunset, and kiss.

Cast

Main characters

Jae-ha is a talented classical pianist of the next generation who has been closely watched with interest by Koreans since he won a prize at a famous concert. Even though he was brought up in a rich and enviable family under his father who is a foreign diplomat, Jae-ha is a lonely person with only one friend because of his eccentric and particular personality. He is a well-mannered and dutiful son to his parents and never harms others, but his piano melody always sounds sad. He shows his true feelings only to his best friend and manager, Phillip. He is a sad person who keeps secrets of the past that nobody knows, although he has a charismatic personality amidst a wonderful environment. At first, Jae-ha is interested in Eun-young in Austria because she is similar to his childhood sweetheart. As he sees her with playboy Phillip, he thinks Eun-young is not a decent girl. But he gradually falls in love with her.
Eun-young is a cheerful, pretty little woman who works at her adoptive mother's kimbap (Korean rolled rice) restaurant in the daytime and sells homemade accessories and clothes at her street stand at night. Even though she could not finish her studies, she is a talented person who is good with her hands and is to be able to win the grand prize in a handicraft contest open to the public. She never loses her smile nor her dashing spirit although she lives in poverty; a hardworking girl who always gives her all and is never unselfish. As her prize for the handicraft contest, she gets the opportunity to visit Austria, and there meets Phillip and Jae-ha by fate. Eun-young, who does not know of this ironic fate, deeply misses Soo-ho from her childhood.
He is the only friend as well as the global manager of Yoon Jae-ha. He was born to an Austrian father and a Korean mother and was expected to become a promising musician during his childhood. He plays the piano, the cello, the guitar, etc. Even though there are no musical instruments that he cannot play, he gave up playing music. Instead, he decides to pursue his dream by becoming the manager of Jae-ha who Phillip acknowledges as being a true musical genius. He has playboy tendencies, which makes Jae-ha accuse Eun-young of being easy since she dances with Phillip at an Austrian ball.
She is a capable career woman who started her career from the bottom and became the director of the planning department in a leading classical record and concert company due to her own ability even though the company is owned by her parents. Yi-na is a perfect woman with remarkable beauty, wonderful background, and outstanding ability, but there is only one thing that she earnestly desires... It is Jae-ha who played the piano with her when they were young. Having liked Jae-ha since childhood, she recklessly gave up playing the piano and left for Canada to find Jae-ha after he left Korea. However, she could not find Jae-ha but completed her study in Art Business in Canada. She volunteers to promote Jae-ha's debut in Korea after she happened to see an article of Jae-ha's activity in Austria. Her parents also own the hotel where Jae-ha and Phillip stay when they are in Korea.

Supporting characters

Soundtrack

  1. Teardrop Waltz
  2. One Love - Loveholic
  3. Childhood
  4. Cannonball - Damien Rice
  5. Clementine - Lee Ji-soo
  6. Flower - U-NA
  7. 봄의 왈츠 (Spring Waltz)
  8. 내 인생의 봄날 - S.Jin
  9. A Sad Memory - Jang Se-yong
  10. 이젠 사랑할 수 있어요 (I Can Love Now) - Yurisangja
  11. Shadow Waltz - Jang Se-yong
  12. 무지개 (Rainbow) - Bada
  13. Song of Island - Lee Ji-soo
  14. 수호천사 (Guardian Angel) - S.Jin
  15. Flashback
  16. 마음으로 부르는 노래 (A Song Calling to My Heart) - Myung In-hee
  17. Tears for Remembrance

Ratings

Date Episode Nationwide Seoul
2006-03-06 1 10.9 (12th) 10.9 (13th)
2006-03-07 2 11.5 (13th) 10.8 (15th)
2006-03-13 3 12.1 (14th) 13.6 (14th)
2006-03-14 4 14.7 (7th) 14.9 (5th)
2006-03-20 5 15.3 (4th) 16.8 (3rd)
2006-03-21 6 13.4 (3rd) 13.6 (2nd)
2006-03-27 7 15.8 (4th) 16.4 (3rd)
2006-03-28 8 14.6 (6th) 15.3 (5th)
2006-04-03 9 16.2 (5th) 16.8 (2nd)
2006-04-04 10 17.5 (3rd) 17.9 (3rd)
2006-04-10 11 18.9 (2nd) 19.6 (2nd)
2006-04-11 12 18.5 (2nd) 19.1 (2nd)
2006-04-24 13 19.7 (2nd) 20.4 (1st)
2006-04-25 14 20.8 (1st) 23.4 (1st)
2006-05-01 15 22.4 (1st) 25.6 (1st)
2006-05-02 16 20.6 (1st) 22.4 (1st)
2006-05-08 17 21.6 (1st) 22.3 (1st)
2006-05-09 18 22.2 (1st) 23.6 (1st)
2006-05-15 19 23.5 (1st) 24.6 (1st)
2006-05-16 20 25.8 (1st) 27.2 (1st)
Average 17.8% 18.7%

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2006 KBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actress Kim Hae-sook Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Lee Han-wi Won
Best New Actress Han Hyo-joo Nominated
Best Young Actor Eun Won-jae Nominated
Popularity Award, Actor Daniel Henney Nominated

Series development

Spring Waltz was the final feature of the season-themed drama series directed by Yoon Seok-ho. Although the story shares the similar format of genuine love and childhood memories, Yoon adds several fresh twists and turns. In this miniseries, the drama's message is conveyed more actively through the season "spring". Love is compared to the way spring blossoms into lives, bringing a sense of hope. Love is also depicted as gently embracing the protagonists' lonely hearts, which are chillingly numb in the midst of a long and harsh "winter". Another noticeable change is that this series is the only feature out of four season series to include overseas locations, namely Austria, where filming took place around well-known tourist spots such as Hallstatt and Salzburg. Moreover, most of its production money came from external sources and investments made by domestic and foreign interests. With news that the drama was sold to nine countries including Japan,[3] Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, Brunei and the Philippines, the series garnered widespread attention from the media industry even before the series aired in March 2006.[4][5]

One of the most striking differences from previous installments, is the casting. All four main characters are relative newcomers, who were cast in the leading role for the first time. The casting of the two lead actors – Seo Do-young (a model-turned actor who previously appeared in small supporting roles in a few TV shows)[6][7] and Han Hyo-joo (a newbie actress best known for the teenage sitcom Nonstop 5) - brought a controversial yet refreshing spin into the drama's production. Sung Yu-ri was originally cast as Eun-young but when she backed out of the drama, Yoon unexpectedly chose Han, who had auditioned for a smaller role.[8] Model-turned-actor Daniel Henney was perhaps the most high-profile actor of the four, after his role in 2005 hit My Lovely Sam Soon.[9][10] Initially the character Philip character did not exist. However, after seeing Henney audition, Yoon was attracted to the actor's unique facial expressions and gestures, so the director decided to create a new role just for him.[11] Lee So-yeon, on the other hand, had more experience in TV and film, notably Untold Scandal in 2003.[12] In interviews, Yoon told the press that he deliberately chose to work with new actors rather than already-established actors, who tend to have chiseled images that do not have enough flexibility. Working with new faces, Yoon said, is "like working on a new painting on a new white canvas."

Renowned for his captivating ability to bring picturesque scenery and memorable music onto the screen, Yoon takes maximum advantage of the spectacular view of Hallstatt lake to convey Jae-ha's sorrow and his yearning for his lost identity and lost love.

One of Yoon's main motifs for this series is the "island" - Cheongsando - a place that is seemingly isolated from the rest of the world. He and his production crew reportedly hunted for the perfect island setting for months. They eventually decided on a few islands located in South Jeolla Province. Cheongsando was the site where the young Soo-ho and Eun-young meet and reunite again as adults, while heart-shaped Hanuneom Beach in Bigeumdo is the place where the children share their innocent feelings of affection and love towards each other.

An island as a place, Yoon says, tends to be a fantasy in everyone's mind. It brings out a sense of nostalgia which is quite distant from the reality of everyday life. Childhood love also is a fantasy in many a memory. Spring Waltz explores such fantasy of our first love – how the pure and genuine love for someone can face the reality of living with mental bruises and an identity crisis, and eventually heal the painful process of forgiveness and reconciliation, just like the way spring brings us a hope.

DVD release

Director Yoon Seok-ho was reportedly unhappy with the low ratings the series received in South Korea, which prompted him to re-edit the drama. Thus, the director's cut DVD is shorter than the original broadcast version, with the scenes removed totaling close to 3 hours long. As of June 2010, there is no information as to whether the "uncut" original broadcast version will ever be authorized for release.

Noticeable edits (North American version)

Dubbed

A Tagalog-dubbed DVD was released in the Philippines through Star Records.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Winter Sonata Producer Readies New Drama". The Korea Times via Hancinema. 18 April 2005. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  2. ↑ "Yun Seok-ho Completes His Four Seasons of Love". The Chosun Ilbo. 28 February 2006. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  3. ↑ "Spring Waltz to be Aired in Japan". KBS Global. 6 July 2006. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  4. ↑ "TV Drama Spring Waltz Sold in 8 Countries". KBS Global. 21 February 2006. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  5. ↑ Shin, Hae-in (22 February 2006). "Spring Waltz sold to nine countries". The Korea Herald via Hancinema. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  6. ↑ "Production of TV Drama Spring Waltz Hits Snag". KBS Global. 12 April 2006. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  7. ↑ Lee, Min-a (17 April 2007). "Japanese Hallyu Fans Flock to See Seo Do-young". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  8. ↑ Shin, Hae-in (30 January 2006). "Han reserves seat as next 'Jiwoohime'". The Korea Herald via Hancinema. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  9. ↑ "Actor Learning Korean On-the-Fly". The Dong-a Ilbo. 23 February 2006. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  10. ↑ "Daniel Henney and the Women". The Chosun Ilbo. 29 March 2006. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  11. ↑ Park, Chung-a (1 March 2006). "Will Spring Waltz Deliver for Henney and Its Producer?". The Korea Times via Hancinema. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  12. ↑ "Spring Waltz, the conclusion of the Four Seasons series, comes to life". KoreaContent.org via Hancinema. 23 February 2006. Retrieved 2013-03-19.

External links