We’re just a few days into the Cannes Film Festival, but Park Chan-wook‘s “The Handmaiden” (our review) is already one of the most talked-about movies on the Croisette. Based on Sarah Waters‘ novel “Fingersmith,” the “Rashomon“-like story of a long con has raised eyebrows and a lot of conversation around its explicit, boundary-pushing depictions of lesbian sex. And had the director been able to shoot the movie the way he originally intended, all that flesh would’ve been even closer to your eyeballs.
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“There were talks of 3D during the initial stages of the project, but it became a budget issue. I sometimes wonder even now what it would have been like in 3D,” Park told THR. “The first part of the story is told from the point of view of the protagonist, who then becomes the subject of observation in the second half. There are elements of voyeurism and observing others from behind doors and closets, and I thought it would be interesting to utilize 3D visuals in a hushed manner. Hitchcock already did this in ‘Dial M For Murder,’ but the technology at the time made it a little shoddy. I thought it would work well using modern-day technology.”
That’s certainly an intriguing proposition, particularly given how carefully the filmmaker composes his frames. But he’s still intrigued by the format, and hopes to use it one day.
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“People are saying 3D is going out of style, but that makes me want to do it all the more. I would like to do it when no one else is,” he said.
We’ll see if that happens, but for those of us not on the Croisette, we’re eagerly awaiting “The Handmaiden,” which will be released in the U.S. via Amazon Studios. And that’s not all — the director also revealed he’s planning to release a book of monochrome photographs he took on the set of the film.