Memories of the Alhambra
Memories of the Alhambra is a 2018 South Korean television series, starring Hyun Bin and Park Shin-hye. Primarily set in Spain, the series centers on a company CEO and a hostel owner who get entangled in a series of mysterious incidents surrounding a new and intricate augmented reality game inspired by the stories of the Alhambra Palace. It aired on cable network tvN from December 1, 2018, to January 20, 2019, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00. It is also available for online streaming on Netflix.
The drama is one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television history, and was praised for its creative plot and its unexpected twists. Its title also alludes to Francisco Tárrega's eponymous classical guitar piece Recuerdos de la Alhambra, which is also a part of the series' soundtrack.
Synopsis
After receiving an email regarding a groundbreaking AR game about medieval battles in the Alhambra, Yoo Jin-woo, CEO of an investment company that specializes in optical devices, travels to Granada, Spain to meet the creator of the game, Jung Se-joo. However, Se-joo has gone missing and there, Jin-woo meets Se-joo's older sister, Jung Hee-joo, who is the owner of the hostel he stays in and a former guitarist. Both get entangled in mysterious incidents, as the border between the areal world and the AR world built by Se-joo begins to blur.Cast
Main
- Hyun Bin as Yoo Jin-woo
- Park Shin-hye as Jung Hee-joo / Emma
- * as young Hee-joo
Supporting
People around Jung Hee-joo
- Park Chan-yeol as Jung Se-joo
- * Kim Jun-eui as young Se-joo
- Kim Yong-rim as Oh Young-shim
- Lee Re as Jung Min-joo
- * Park Chae-hee as young Min-joo
- Lee Hak-joo as Kim Sang-bum
People around Yoo Jin-woo
- Park Hoon as Cha Hyung-seok
- Lee Seung-joon as Park Seon-ho
- Min Jin-woong as Seo Jung-hoon
- Cho Hyun-chul as Choi Yang-joo
- Lee Si-won as Lee Soo-jin
- Kim Eui-sung as Cha Byung-jun
- as Lee Soo-kyung
Others
- Han Bo-reum as Ko Yoo-ra
- Lee Jae-wook as Marco Han
- as Noh Young-jun
Special appearances
- Park Hae-soo as A : A detective who collects intelligence for Jin-woo.
- as Hee-joo's father
- as Hee-joo's mother
- Han Da-sol as Gamer : An international student.
- Kim Hyun-mok as J One Employee
- as Entertainment News Program Reporter
- as Live Weekly News Host who reported on Cha Hyung-suk's death
- as Live Weekly News Reporter who reported on Cha Hyung-suk's death
Production
The series is helmed by director Ahn Gil-ho, who directed Stranger and writer Song Jae-jeong whose previous works include W and Queen and I.Touted as Korea's first augmented reality-gaming drama, Memories of the Alhambra was revealed to be inspired by tech mogul Elon Musk and the Pokémon Go game.
The first script reading took place in May 2018.
Overseas filming took place in several cities in Andalucía and Catalonia, such as Granada, and Barcelona and Girona and Terrassa in Catalonia from late May to June. In early August, the cast started filming in Budapest, Hungary and Slovenia. The script for the last episode was completed on December 19, 2018 and filming wrapped up on December 29, 2018 in South Korea.
A preview screening event was held at CGV theaters on November 28, 2018 prior to the airing of the first episode.
Reception
Memories of the Alhambra was a commercial success, consistently topping the cable television viewership ratings in its timeslot. Its 14th episode recorded a 10.025% nationwide audience share according to Nielsen paid platform, making it as one of the highest rated in Korean cable television history.The drama has attracted attention for its unique theme of augmented reality; and earned praise for its high-end computer graphics, cinematography and fast-paced storytelling. Critic Jeong Seok-hee praised the drama for its mysterious and captivating plot that held viewers' attention until the very end, and that it "has the potential to become one of the very best TV dramas we have seen in years". However, later on it received criticism for its confusing development and slow development of plot, and its excessive product placement.
According to the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, the series is receiving favorable reviews and popularity in China for its actors' performance, cinematography and fresh story.