Jeon Woochi : relevance of soundtrack in interpretation

It is without doubt that this film has made it to the list of Korean blockbuster movies. The element of surprise in every aspect of the movie, from plot to characters, to effects and change of settings has really changed the way we perceive Korean film as either historical or melodramatic. Of course, Jeon Woochi: The Taoist Wizard is considered historical because of its characters and (partial) settings, but I find that the perspective that is portrayed in the film is rather contemporary. 

The first part of the film seems to set itself as a backdrop to the more interesting developments that would happen 500 years later. Already, in the scene when Jeon Woochi is first introduced to the audience as a trickster who even dares mocking the king, we see the comedic aspect of this scene first as entertainment because it’s really funny, but also, a criticism of traditional values, rituals and/or manners. The musical aspect of this particular scene struck me the most, which lead me to this interpretation. Instead of playing traditional lyrical folk tunes that would evoke a certain nostalgic emotion in the audience, as it would in a historical film, the ensemble is enjoying the upbeat rhythms and harmonies that Jeon Woochi has commanded with his wizardry. I find that the importance of this particular demand during one of his ‘shows’ not only builds his character’s showmanship and humour, but also his attitude towards the set of norms that were established before his generation.

A second scene with a similar interpretation, but this time in respect to gender issues, is where Jeon Woochi had just been summoned to downtown Seoul in the present times and is battling with two demons in the form of a man and a woman. Again, the music that he chose to play were light and upbeat. What I found interesting was the way he chose to confront each demon. A number of his replicas would pounce on the man all at once, but the other group of replicas would keep a distance with the woman and attempt to fight (with hesitation). It’s also interesting that the real Jeon Woochi would focus on fighting the woman one-on-one rather than with the man. But I think the missing link here would be the actual songs that were played during this battle. It would be something to look into, since I find that the choice of background music really makes a difference in constructing this film as “other” than historical or melodramatic. 

First critique of contemporary Korean society since the beginning of the semester

Many of my classmates have already pointed out the entertainment value of this film and that is surely deserved. Though I would argue that it could have benefitted by being a bit shorter and more concise, I think the story and the interaction between the characters is priceless. The special relationship between Chorangyi and Woochi is ridiculous!

What struck me about this film, when it comes to overarching themes, is that this is the first film that critiques contemporary Korean society since the first film, the mockumentary “The Weight of Her”, that we watched in the beginning of the semester. Though the hints are subtle and not the main part of the film, I found them very legitimate and interesting critiques of Korean society.

I couldn’t get screenshots of the scenes that I am talking about, so I will have to describe them as best as possible. When Woochi has come to the future he is in a car with some of his companions. Clearly interested in the changes that has happened he starts to ask questions about society. One of the first things he comments on is the advertising girls who are dancing outside an IT store or something. This very much so mirrors one of the scenes in the mockumentary, in which the girl is looking at these girls who are just dancing around as unanimated objects.  He goes on to ask if they work for a brothel or something.

The second part of this societal critique is when Woochi and the others are walking through the city. Having already been told that Korea no longer has a king, Woochi rhetorically asks, after seeing a homeless man on the street, what happens to people when there are no kings there to feed them - all this while drinking strategically placed “Max” beer and stealing chicken wings from a local pub. Interestingly enough Woochi goes on to saying something negative about the abundance of alcohol would make him an alcoholic really fast. This critique is furthered by the description of the omnipresent alcohol commercials in the urban environment, represented by the wine posters that Woochi and the others serve themselves from.

I think there are tons of other examples of these puns and societal critiques that I have missed, but these are the ones that I “catched-on” to while watching the film the first time.

Lastly, there is another discussion inherent in this film and that is the discussion of how Korea deals with its history. That the last fight is set in Japanese colonial times is very interesting. That period is, by many, considered to be a time that Korea has forgotten. Most of the buildings and infrastructure from that time was destroyed after the colonial period or as a result of the Korean War. To bring the final battle to this period is interesting because this is in a sense a “historic film” even though it is a comedy in every sense. Reading into the choice behind this angle to the final battle, I think, will be a great angle for the final paper!

Jeon Woo Chi as Criticism of Modern Societal Values

Overall, the film was a bit confusing for me to watch, and after having finished watching it, I still as if there were major plot ties that flew over my head. However, what I did get from it is that it seems to critique modern society by juxtaposing it with the ideals and morals of people who lived during the Joseon Dynasty.

When Woochi is summoned from his imprisonment in the scroll and is taken into the wizard’s car, he exclaims: “How this land has changed!” The camera pans over the city streets in a disorientating shot that makes the urban landscape seem chaotic and intimidating. As the camera captures a sea of people scurrying outside through a voyeuristic gaze, the wizard notes: “They waste their lives chasing desire, when one must seek spiritual fulfillment.” 

The wizards’ spiritual practices in public spaces in the city seem comically out of place, which adds to the film’s overall comedic effect, but also highlights the change in values in society from one set that emphasized spiritual health to one that is dominated by capitalist values. 

In the fight between the wizards and the goblins on the city streets, Woochi summons many clones of himself to fight against the goblins. I interpreted this as a way of Woochi using the measures that were necessary to fight in modern society. In a time where individual strength and valour have been overshadowed by the capitalist ability to conjure copies to maximize efficiency, Woochi’s clones seem to satirize the workings of capitalist society.

Historical Misrepresentation in Jeon Woo-chi

In her book, Kyung Hyun Kim describes Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard as a new type of sagŭk film set in the premodern era that exploits national Korean history by purposely misconstruing historical facts for comedic effect. According to Kim, the sagŭk Korean film genre misrepresents history by adding modern elements to such films. Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard thus uses a variety of special effects present in many blockbuster martial arts, action and fantasy films. It is also fast-paced, with frequent cutting and hectic camera movement, creating an effect in which the audience is immediately thrown into the action. The film’s story line alternates between Chosun era Korea and modern-day Seoul, but it blurs out the initial historical setting with its hectic editing, its immediate immersion of the audience into action sequences, and its arbitrary inclusion of mythical elements. The sudden switch from Chosun era to the present day represents the disorienting impact of globalization on South Korea and its historical affinities. While Korea—and the film— celebrate the nation’s rapid industrial progress, however, they simultaneously eclipse history’s unsavory details. 

The Relationship between Magic and Technology

The film Jeon woo Chi: The Taoist Wizard, directed by Choi dong-hoon who also directed other successful contemporary Korean films such as The big Swindle, follows the story of a Taoist wizard who strives for ambition more than a sort of enlightment.  Through the magic he utilizes from his introduction to the film and the action sequences are all made possible with the technology available today.  One very neat camera technique was used to demonstrate how Jeon Woo Chi is able to break space and time by a series of distorted image use, camera panning, and editing.  Another notable and impressive sequence takes place in the fight against the two demons where Woo-Chi makes multiple copies of himself which is interesting how they composed such an elaborate scene to provide such an illusion.  and there are many more I have not mentioned and these special effects are no doubt the selling point of this film and it goes to show our admiration to such fantastic powers we know that does not exist.

It is interesting to note how old folklore are excavated and reformed into a modern film that appease the masses and the inverse relationship of how magic, an ancient notion, is being portrayed more and more realistic, as one would say, with the new technologies becoming available to film makers.  But out of all the magic Woo-Chi uses, the most prominent one I find is the ability to bend time and space, which is seen when he is able to interact with images to the extent of entering it, switching clothes with it, or taking food or drinks from it.  This particular section reminded me of cyber-punk elements where characters find themselves in a sort of virtual reality in cyberspace where they are able to interact with the images around them like Woo-Chi did.  And in a way, this space-bending interaction stays true even within our society today, with the use of internet and other media-involved technologies.  As one has stated in the past, an over-developed technology could sometimes be seen as equivalent to magic.

Lenin Amaya

Is This Just Real Life...?

Before watching Jeon Woochi, I assumed that this movie was targeted towards children. After watching it, and reading Kim’s article, I realize that there is much more to the film. Kim introduces this idea of “creative evolution”, which, from my understanding, is the inability to distinguish between what is false and what is true. In the case of Jeon Woochi, it is the inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. What aspects of this film is fantasy? The most obvious would be the ability to cast spells and be a wizard by extension, the goblins, and the ability to travel quickly through time. If this is fantasy then what is reality? I would say that the time periods in which Jeon is alive would be closest to reality, therefore the Chosun period and present day, or the year 2009. Therefore it is within reality that fantasy exists. But, as seen in the movie, the ‘reality’ or the time periods are also intertwined; while fighting Hwadam, the two fall into a window and the scene fades to white. Immediately afterwards Woochi opens his eyes to find himself back in the Chosun dynasty. Woochi notices that something is not ‘right’ about this place, shoots an arrow into the chest that the flute had been in and Hwadam, wearing a modern suit comes out. Creative evolution allows for the plots to bleed into each other. Another way in which reality bleeds is how the widow looks exactly like Inkyung. She is a mortal character (unlike Woochi, Hwadam and the wizards) yet she is the same physical person. This begs the question... What is real life, and what is fantasy?

Computer graphics, is it always helpful?

           As professor Cho mentioned, Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard is based on a Korean folk tale, it did not give me any advantages since I do not recall reading this story during my childhood years. However, I have seen this movie once before, but to be honest, it is not one of my favorites (despite the fact that I really like Kang Dong-won).

           In the reading, Kim states that “mixed-genre trend typified Hollywood cinema of the 1970s …” (201, Kim), and it surprised me since this type of genre seemed quite recent in the Korean films or dramas that I have watched (the time lag in Hollywood and Korean film/drama it did not occur to me – or perhaps, I was not exposed to them). When I first saw this movie, it seemed very chaotic and somewhat disorganized. I do not usually enjoy time travelling, so this can pretty much explain my first impression on this movie. However, after watching it again, where I actually pay attention to the camera movements, angles, etc., this movie seemed much more interesting than I first perceived it as. As Kim mentions, “modern films in Korea largely depend on glossy images generated by 3-D technology, computer graphics that place human characters somewhere between live-action and animation, and visuals and narratives reminiscent of video games” (202, Kim), there is no question in the use of computer graphics in this movie. Although I felt like some scenes were “over-exaggerated” with such technology, it played an important role in transforming the folktale into a movie; in the past, the readers had no chance but to imagine it in their heads, not knowing if they are picturing the right movements or not, but with the help of technology, audiences can visualize it. For instance, how Jeon Woo-chi would be able to handle the wind, the rain, use amulet, etc. 

Still, I cannot agree that graphics always helps the audience to focus on what is shown in the film since the goblins (rabbit-looking, and rat-looking) were too animation-like and seemed awkward to me (this is quite interesting, since I do not have any problems seeing ogres in Lord of the Rings with the actors, but somehow these goblins make me uncomfortable). Even if new technologies helped the directors to express something more than what can be filmed through their lens, I believe it is important to find a balance, so it will allow the viewers to engage closer to the film, rather than distracting them.