Original subtitles

I'll take this for you.

Hee-ran.

Hee-ran?

Oh, I guess she's busy.

Didn't I tell you not to do that?

Call someone and then talk to yourself.

Ta-da.

You're on the front page of every daily.

It's a great photo of you too.

Yeong-bae.

Yes?

Just get to the point.

I really think you should read this right now.

MADAME AEMA

SILHOUETTE OF AEMA'S AMPLE BOSOM JIGGLING BENEATH HER LINGERIE

A BUTTERFLY LANDS ON AEMA'S BOSOM

AEMA'S SOFT BOSOM

AEMA'S LUSH BOSOM

AEMA'S BOSOM

-Some wine, please. -Sure.

Actually, make it whiskey. A bottle.

Sure, I'll get you some whiskey right away.

MADAME AEMA PRODUCED BY SHINSUNG PICTURES

That son of a bitch.

AEMA

ASIA FILM FESTIVAL BEST ACTRESS JEONG HEE-RAN

However, times are changing.

Especially so from the '70s, now a thing of the past.

The '80s are a whole different beast.

Now, I'm sure you all know the main themes of this new era.

The so-called "3S." Screen, sex, and sports.

Then how should the film industry adapt to these changing times?

By giving the audience

sex.

That's right, sex.

Sex will be the ace up the Korean film industry's sleeve,

and sex will revitalize Chungmuro.

What about sports?

Sex is basically a sport, isn't it?

All right!

I've just been told that our heroine,

Jeong Hee-ran, has landed at Kimpo Airport.

She'll be joining us soon,

and we'll cut the cake as soon as our guest of honor arrives.

But until then,

why stand around?

Let's get a little buzzed before she gets here.

Please raise your glasses high!

To the dawning of a new era!

Cheers!

Yeong-bae.

Right.

Boy, who do we have here?

Let's welcome our world star,

Jeong Hee-ran--

Jeong Hee-ran, you…

I'm fine, really.

That's just how we show each other affection.

I love you too, Jeong Hee-ran.

MADAME AEMA

You crazy bitch!

You son of a bitch.

Oh my. I didn't expect to see you here, Mr. Paul.

Congratulations.

Thank you, sir.

Here.

It's a beautiful night.

Thank you all for joining us.

Please enjoy the food

and have a lovely time.

What are we waiting for?

Nothing.

Yeong-bae.

Yes?

At daybreak,

call all the reporters.

What should I tell them?

Tell them lunch is on me.

And reserve a room at Neulbom Garden.

I've done some counting.

Since my debut in 1972 with Desire,

I've starred in over 30 films as the lead actress.

I've tried my hand at various roles,

and, as I'm sure you've all seen,

I've stripped naked countless times.

That she has.

Thanks to all that,

I've received a lot of love

and won many awards.

But it's the '80s now.

In keeping with the new era,

I thought I should also

change with the times.

I'd also like to look toward the future, toward the 1980s,

and show our audiences a new…

me.

ACTRESS JEONG HEE-RAN'S BOMBSHELL ANNOUNCEMENT

NEW ERA, NEW ME

PLANS TO TURN DOWN ROLES WITH GRATUITOUS NUDITY

JEONG HEE-RAN TO EXPLORE NUDITY-FREE ROLES

Damn it.

-Where's Director Kwak? -Sorry?

Why did I even ask?

Has she lost her damn mind?

That crazy Jeong Hee-ran.

SHINSUNG PICTURES

…starring Jeong Hee-ran, the heroine of Sleepless!

Now playing in cinemas to rave reviews!

ARTISTIC, MESMERIZING DESIRE

You seen the papers?

Sorry?

You're a film director. Read the papers, for Christ's sake.

We're recasting Aema.

Demote Jeong Hee-ran to a supporting role. What was her name again?

Eriko?

-Erika? -That's the one.

Make Hee-ran play her,

and audition rookies for the lead role of Aema.

So suddenly?

What's wrong? Don't you like rookies?

No, it's not like that.

Emmanuelle drew attention

partly because Sylvia Kristel was such a fresh face.

A fresh face can work well in this genre.

But…

will Hee-ran be okay with this?

Erika is a supporting role, plain and simple.

What can she do? She has a contract to fulfill.

Start a huge ad push for the auditions.

The biggest ad campaign ever, you hear?

Now, how will our big campaign appear?

Well, as a…

Big, that's how.

-Sir-- -President Ku.

Mr. Gi.

Thank you.

Sir, since we're recasting the character,

why don't we edit the screenplay and take it in a new direction?

Not the mindless, in-your-face approach we have now,

but something a bit more subtle.

A bit more artistic, you know?

Make it as subtly artistic as you'd like.

Just make people horny.

Right, it'll make you horny.

Making people horny is a given, but when I say subtle,

I mean, it won't instantly make you horny.

It will start off faint and distant,

and gently seep into you.

The kind of thing that slowly, almost hazily,

makes you totally

and profoundly…

horny.

I'll edit the script.

While you're editing it, make Eriko--

You mean Erika.

Model her after Hee-ran and make her the ultimate bitch.

She'll come crawling back to us

once the public and ad companies ditch her.

She's been put on a pedestal for so long

that she's lost her way.

She's lost, all right.

OPEN CASTING CALLS FOR THE LEADING LADY OF MADAME AEMA

Shall I go and apologize?

I'll tell them you told me to.

Have a tomato. They're sweet.

Hee-ran.

The president says

he'll make you play Erika.

We both know how wrong that is.

Erika's a supporting role.

How could he do this to you?

About Director Kwon Do-il…

Sorry?

Back in spring, I heard he was working on a new screenplay,

but there's still no news of its completion.

INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED KOREAN AUTEUR KWON DO-IL

He just left the Dongsin Inn

and entered Jingogae by himself.

Welcome…

Oh my!

It's Jeong Hee-ran!

Goodness gracious me.

It's been so long since we met, Director.

I loved Woman in the Dark, by the way.

You have no idea how much I cried after watching that film.

That film wasn't meant to be a tearjerker. What made you cry?

I couldn't help but blame myself

for turning down

a role in that film.

You had a wedding coming up. It's completely reasonable.

I totally understand.

We called it off before saying "I do."

We still get along fine, though,

as business partners.

Since we're on the topic of business,

aren't you working on a new project?

What would you say to producing it with Shinsung Pictures?

If you make it with Shinsung Pictures,

you could cast me, you know.

Shinsung Pictures?

Sounds good to me.

That lad Ku Jung-ho is a high school alumnus of mine.

Might there be a role for me in that film of yours?

I'm a half-decent actor now, if I do say so myself.

I'm a long way off though.

The screenplay needs extensive revision.

A bottle of soju, please.

Actually, I think I'm done drinking for the day.

I need to write once I get back.

I'll just have another glass myself.

I'm just so delighted to see you.

It brings back so many old memories.

Yeong-bae.

Yes.

Didn't you say you know the head of Director Kwon's production department?

I actually don't know him that well.

Then get to know him.

Become friendly. Blood brothers, even.

Do whatever it takes

to get me the script Director Kwon Do-il's working on.

What are you planning?

That bastard, Ku Jung-ho, knows I have one film left on my exclusivity agreement,

so he thinks he can mess with me.

If I can just convince Director Kwon Do-il,

I could part with Shinsung Pictures on good terms with a great film.

We are faced with two tasks right now.

The first

is to snag Director Kwon Do-il, no matter what.

The other

is to prevent the Madame Aema auditions

at all costs.

Remember the hostess films that were all the rage in the '70s?

Sure, they had the actresses strip for a pretty penny,

but they weren't true erotic films.

All that eroticism was a front

for the tear-jerking dramas they actually were.

Not that they could strip freely back then.

But things are going to be different with Madame Aema.

A new era has dawned upon us,

and this will be an adult film, through and through.

-Please look here! -Sure.

Besides, sexual desire is the subject of our film.

-Female sexual desire, to be exact. -Cut it out!

That and horses.

You get my drift?

Horses!

You follow me, right?

Shall we do fist pumps?

You got it.

This will be a groundbreaking film that pioneers an unexplored genre.

Let's just say you won't be disappointed

in your investments.

Say cheese.

-Cheese! -Cheese!

Come on. Female sexual desire and horses aside,

we need to think about the scale of the film.

How could you cast a totally new face as the lead character?

I'm sure people in Honam will call that a sack of shit.

President Wang.

Who do you think I am?

I'm the man who discovered Jeong Hee-ran.

The first film I did with her sold over 50,000 tickets in Honam.

And thanks to that, President Wang,

you built five more theaters in Mokpo alone, no?

Trust my gut.

Ku Jung-ho's

still got it!

CASTING CALL FOR MADAME AEMA

JUDGES

What? Am I meant to stay standing?

-Don't just stand there. Get her a chair. -Right. Sure.

DIRECTOR KWAK IN-U

Director Kwak, when did we first meet?

Was it during The Rose or Yeong-ja's Heydays?

It was during Seong Chun-hyang.

You were such a naive assistant director back in the day.

You could barely look me in the eye.

Messy hair and rosy cheeks.

You were like a cute little potato.

So,

I'm to play Erika?

Hee-ran--

I'd been meaning to fill you in on that. You see…

Director.

Have more sex.

Yes.

Not with your scripts, but with a person for once.

I'm talking about real sex.

That'll make you happy.

Aren't we all in this to be happy?

JUDGE ACTOR JEONG HEE-RAN

At the end of the day,

this film is still my baby.

I'm here to pick someone who fits the bill for me.

Director.

That's only fair, right?

Right you are.

Without a doubt. Yup.

Shall we get started?

I'm the kind of woman

who wants to rot away and die as soon as possible.

I'm the kind of woman who wants to…

Rot away and die as soon as possible.

Come here to play

I'll give you a piggyback ride

I'm the kind of woman who wants to rot away and die as soon…

The mountain ranges of Gyeongsang-do Are known for being grand…

No, wait. Hold on…

That's it for today.

How entertaining.

What were you thinking, agreeing to cast a rookie actor?

Just cut your tongue off. Think you're some auteur? Huh?

You there.

Do you work for this film studio?

I do.

I'm here for the audition, but I'm a bit late.

Well, that won't do. You snooze, you lose.

I just got here from the countryside.

I live in Seoul, but I was there for a show.

Not that I'm a singer or anything.

I don't work at this factory either.

That makes me sound strange,

doesn't it?

That it does. Quite strange.

I'm late, strange, and a total mess.

What are you good at?

There's the stuff I practiced,

then there's the stuff I'm good at.

Not what you practiced, but what you're good at.

Wait, I…

Rad clothes, no?

I came straight from work.

All right. Eat up, everyone.

Whoa, hey. Eat.

Eat up, everyone.

Here. Eat.

How can you just take someone else's jacket like that?

People would think you're one of us factory girls.

Even I get confused

and wonder why you're not at work sometimes.

You haven't eaten, have you?

Sheesh, that's cold.

Perfect for a snowball fight.

How was the casting call? Did you get to audition?

No idea. I got there late.

So you missed it?

That's the part I don't get.

I'm not sure if I auditioned or not.

What are you talking about?

Hold up.

You slid in just before curfew again?

We made it!

Oh, I'm dying.

I made it all the way back only to die here.

Seriously, our shifts end way too close to the curfew.

Someone make them work things out.

You made it back alive,

so have some dinner.

-God, that's cold. -So cold.

Slow down.

-Tell me if you need more. -We're just living life one day at a time.

I don't get why it has to be so tough.

SECOND FLOOR, 61-2 CHO-DONG, JUNG-GU SATURDAY AT 3:00 P.M.

YEONG-JA'S HEYDAYS

All right, face the camera. I love it. One, two.

Your side profile now.

One, two.

Now look at my hands.

Imagine you're a flower

and you're coming into bloom like this.

You're blooming. Go on, try that.

Wow, I love it. Let's go with that.

Just like that. Eyes on the camera.

One, two.

Okay, perfect. Now stay still. Here we go.

Hang in there. One, two, okay!

You look great. Let's do this. One, two.

That's it!

All right, this is going great!

Hey, wrap it up. We've got it.

Director Kwak.

You know what matters more to me than anything else, right?

The plausibility of the breasts.

Wow. Just look at that.

One look is enough to know that they're just…

You made the first cut.

We just need to know if you can act,

but this is a sex film.

You done some fucking?

Think you've got what it takes to strip for the camera and perform a sex scene?

Why does it sound like you're trying to get me to strip and have sex on camera?

What's this now?

I like what you've got going on.

I might start clapping again.

All right, now.

Let's get her in costume and makeup to see how she looks.

-Show her the way. -Yes.

-You can come with me. -Go on now.

Go with him.

Okay.

She's outstanding.

The more I look at her face, the more I see the stories it holds.

She doesn't instantly strike me as pretty.

And she has zero acting experience. What if she's just a waste of film?

You know how it is with acting.

It's not something you can just learn.

It's all to do with inherent moxie.

Moxie's all an actor needs. I know she's got it.

Damn it.

I think someone owes me

an explanation as to what's going on here, or at least some excuses.

Director Kwak?

Hello.

Who did you sleep with?

Whether it was the producer or director,

I don't know who you had to sleep with for this opportunity,

but you'll have better luck at other places

more accepting of girls like you.

Try Seoul Station

or the bus terminal.

Places like that.

Go home, everyone.

You're much prettier in person.

I've been a fan ever since I was little.

Watching you, I always dreamed of becoming an actress.

Well, thanks.

Good luck out there.

But may I ask,

between the producer and the director,

who has the bigger cock?

I haven't slept with either one yet, you see.

I just thought

that you, of all people, might know.

Now that you've brought it up, I'll consider which one to sleep with.

It was an honor to meet you.

Have you gotten your hands on Director Kwon's screenplay yet?

We'll finally meet tomorrow.

You set up a meeting?

We don't have a meeting as such, but I'll be meeting him.

Tomorrow is

Sunday, after all.

And on Sundays…

Korea?

Sings!

All right.

Oh my, hello!

Aren't you the one and only Ra Byeong-su,

the head of Director Kwon's production department?

That's right. And who might you be?

I'm Park Yeong-bae, assistant to the actress Jeong Hee-ran.

I've heard so much about you, you know.

You're from Namsongri in Pohang, aren't you?

My mother is also from Pohang.

So technically, I'm half-Pohangese.

Go Gyeongsang-do!

I moved to Seoul when I was eight, so I'm actually a half-Seoulite.

As am I. My other half, that is.

What are the odds of meeting a hometown friend so far from home?

Isn't this great?

Allow me to serve you

to the best of my abilities from now on.

Man, look at all that dead skin peeling off.

Her name is Shin Ju-ae.

Don't know if that's her real name.

She wears a Guro Industrial Complex jacket but doesn't seem to be a factory worker.

I think she might be a backup dancer,

but I'm not sure who she dances for.

Can you find her?

Uh-huh.

Huh?

Nope.

Not you, either.

Have you seen her before?

No?

You know the dance where you do this with your feet?

She's in her twenties, with slightly tanned skin, and…

NAMI'S SPECIAL SHOW

STARRING THE POP SENSATION NAMI AT CLUB MOONRISE

CLUB MOONRISE

Oh, here's to lasting friendships

Oh, here's to happy hearts

Oh, here's to a good life

Yeah!

Oh, here's to lasting friendships

Oh, here's to happy hearts

Oh, here's to a good life

Yeah!

Hey, aren't you coming?

Hold up.

It's Ms. Lasting Friendships.

You put on a great show.

Thank you, esteemed customer.

Please come again.

Come again?

Come again?

Oh, here's to lasting breasts!

Oh, here's to happy breasts!

I'll come again!

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

Hey, let go.

Wait, just let go. Hey!

Let me go, damn it!

Ms. Shin Ju-ae, wait. Just hold on a minute!

Fucking hell, that's an insane bite. What are you, a dog?

I am the head of Shinsung Pictures' production department.

Gi Seok.

Family name Gi, given name Seok.

Ms. Shin Ju-ae,

you should audition for Madame Aema again.

I think

I'm done with all that.

Whoa, hold it, you.

The director and the president both want you as the lead in Madame Aema.

Do you have any idea what that means?

So what?

Should I sleep with them?

What?

Guess a struggling actress seemed like easy pickings.

Did you think I'd be at your beck and call

as long as you keep dangling a lead role in my face?

I showed up as asked and pissed off when told to.

So now it's your turn to piss off.

Hey.

Hey!

You crazy bitch!

You almost broke curfew again.

You've got guts, coming back reeking of booze.

I saw Jeong Hee-ran last weekend.

Jeong Hee-ran?

The Jeong Hee-ran?

She was hella pretty.

I guess it's meant for people like her.

The actress life.

Should I start learning factory work?

You what?

Is this drunk talk?

Did you find her?

I did.

You found her?

Then why the sour face?

What is it?

What went wrong?

She told me to piss off.

Turns out she's one crazy bitch.

Wait. She told you to piss off, so you did?

Dang it.

You crazy bastard. Dealing with crazy bitches is your forte.

Well, this crazy bitch was completely rabid.

Let's proceed with the second round of auditions as planned,

and as for this one, I'll try to figure something out.

Maybe I can duke it out with her.

Or…

I'll duke it out with her.

Ghana.

Ghana Chocolate.

It was as soft as a dream

and as sweet as love.

The sliver of a dream,

dipped in our memories.

Fucking bitch.

Ghana Chocolate.

The sliver of a dream…

dipped in my memories.

CASTING CALL FOR MADAME AEMA

-Good work, everyone. -Good work.

Hello. Allow me to formally introduce myself.

My name is Shin Ju-ae.

Last time, I wasn't able to answer the producer's question properly.

Let me start off today

by answering that question.

I can strip in front of a camera.

If it means I can act…

I'll strip a hundred times.

And I won't just strip if you cast me.

I'll put everything on the line,

as if my life depends on it.

In return,

for putting everything on the line, I'd like you to promise me something.

If you're really going to cast me,

please make me the next Jeong Hee-ran.

THIS SHOW IS A WORK OF FICTION

INSPIRED BY THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN MAKING THE 1982 FILM MADAME AEMA

ALL CHARACTERS AND STORYLINES HAVE BEEN CREATED

SOLELY FOR DRAMATIC STORYTELLING PURPOSES

Subtitle translation by: Jimin Choi