Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard

     I know that Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard is based on Korean folklore "The Tale of Jeon Woochi" but I do not know how much it resembles the story. In this film, Jeon Woo-chi and other characters transport from the Chosun Dynasty to the Present. To make this happen, there are a lot of technological effects involved. We started to see these effects from Korean modern movies and dramas starting in 21th century (Volcano High school, Arahan Jangpung Daejakjeon). Kyung Hyun states that “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” (Kim 202). While I was watching this movie, I was amazed by all the 3-D technology and the computer graphics; however, it made me very difficult to concentrate from time to time. I feel like all these fancy wire actions, CGs and editing were way too distractive. These effects makes me think that this movie was made for teenagers. I’m sure teens were fascinated by the wire actions including characters flying and walking on walls. To me, Jeon Woo-chi was not a hero. He was just a weird character with special power.

     It wasn’t just 3-D technology that distracted me. This film had terrible pacing especially in the first part of the movie where it was not linear at all. The director did not give the audience any cues when he made the several big jumps from the Chosun Dynasty and the present. With the fast pacing, I did not have the chance to really enjoy the effects.

     At the end of this movie, the only thing I remember is Kang Dong Won (Jeon Woo Chi). I never expected Kang Dong Won to play characters like this. He was always the HOT one in the movies or dramas. Kang Dong Won is also in Haunter, which came out a year after. This movie switches genres from comedy to drama with many CGs and 3-D technology just like Jeon Woo-chi. I will watch Haunter over the weekend to compare the difference. I wonder if all the 3-D technologies, wire actions, and CGs were necessary in this film. Did it really help the audeince to focus? Was it just me who felt distracted by these effects?

Who is the murderer from the director’s point of view?

This was my second time watching ‘Memories of Murderer’ and I got to see the details that I missed when I was watching it for the first time. Personally, I dislike re-watching/ reading films or books because I know what is going to happen. By taking course I learned to watch same films several times. As I re-watched each film I found new details that I missed before.

When I began to watch this film for the second time, I wanted to find the hidden evidences and messages from the director.  As Jin Hee Choi stated, “[Director] Bong’s decision to work on an unsolved mystery provides him with room to experiment” (Choi 148).  I believe that the director had power to enforce his opinion on the “murderer” because the actual crime that the film is based on was never solved in real life. It was clearly shown to the audience that the director focused on the investigating process rather than the crime itself.  The audience do not have much information of the murderer other than the description given by one victim, “delicate just like a woman’s hand” and that he can climb up the trees. The final crime scene starts with the panning shot showing the killer with his back to the camera up on the tree (Choi 150). This is when the killer hesitates to choose between the middle school girl and Kwak Sul Yeong.   Two detectives, Kang and Jo spend years trying to find the murderer but fails.  At the end of the film, the killer is left unspecified.

I read the review from the link that Seohee posted, but I have a different perspective.

I believe that the director thinks Park Hyun Kyu is the real murderer because of the one photo that was found in Park’s room. The two detectives visit Park’s room after figuring out the address from the post card that Park sent to the radio station. As they enter Park’s room, detective Kang opens up the old photo album that was in the room. When detective opens the photo album, the first picture that the audience sees is the man sitting high up on tree. The face is not revealed to the audience because of the darkness; however, since this photo was in Park Hyun Kyu’s album, I assume that he is the one in the photo. 

It was super interesting to see the hidden messages and evidences that Director Bong threw in. But one question still remains. Why did the director focus on the investigation rather than the crime itself? Wouldn't it be easier to focus on the crime? 

The Flipped Gender Roles in My Sassy Girl

I did not know that My Sassy Girl was based a series of true story that was posted on the Internet. This film was a huge box office hit and became one of the successful movie to be exported to the Asian countries. I think one of the reasons why this movie was so successful is because it portrayed the new female figure that was nonexistent before. This new female figure is introduced to the audience without a name throughout the movie. She is keep referred to as "the girl". I think this was a unique idea because any female audience can relate themselves. This female figure is against all the traditional beliefs of ladylikeness. Traditionally, “the husband legally possessed and dominated the women’s human rights through sexuality” (So-hee Kim 145). This girl is rebellious, bossy, aggressive and takes the control of Gyeon-woo (male protagonist). In this film, even though Gyeon-woo is older than “the girl”, “the girl” is the leader and Gyeon-woo is the follower.  However, there is a reason for these strong and independent actions. This girl is trying to hide her pain.

We can see the flipped male and female figure throughout the film; however, it is very articulated at the amusement park. Gyeon-woo plans a secret birthday party in the amusement park where he used to work before serving the military. While secretly entering the amusement park, Gyeon-woo and “the girl” meet the military deserter who threatens to kill Gyeon-woo, “the girl” and eventually himself. The military deserter held Gyeon-woo hostage when he was surrounded by the armed armies. The armed military tries to take the military deserter down even there’s a risk that could kill Gyeon-woo. It is “the girl” who steps forefront and persuades the military deserter to think differently. In this scene, the armed soldiers and Gyeon-woo are powerless. In the previous Korean movies, it was very rare to see the women take the heroic role. It was always the men’s job. This scene is chaotic. People do not know what to do and they are just lost. I think this also signifies “the girl’s” state of mind. This sounds like a very serious and intense scene but as all the audience noticed, it has many comic elements to it.  Overall, I really like this movie because it balanced between the melodrama, comedy and the hopeless romanticism.  This movie leaves with with few questions. Why was this scene used to articulate the reversed gender roles? If the director wanted to make the audience related them to "the girl", he should have used more "normal scene". This scene is something that is unlikely to happen in real life. 

Gender Inequality in "Our School"

As I watched this documentary “Our School”, I was very shocked because of the gender inequality. I could not believe that female students have to wear Korean traditional uniform even in the freezing winter times in Hokkaido.

From the middle school, girls have to wear traditional Korean costume as their school uniform. In fact, wearing a traditional costume in Hokkaido’s freezing weather is unbearable. Boys do not have to wear Korean traditional uniforms. Boys can wear layers of clothes under their t-shirts or polo shirt whereas girls cannot wear anything inside other than the traditional costume. Also, the material of the Korean traditional uniform is very thin and gets cold very fast.  I went to high school in Toronto and girls had the choice of wearing the kilt or the pants because it gets very cold in winter.  This inequality caused conflicts between boys and girls in this documentary film. In the Ryang’s article, girls have to wear Korean traditional costume as a school uniform because “girls help boys sustain their ethnic and national pride by wearing Korean uniforms” (Ryang 70). This shows how girls are subordinated and used as a substitution to educate boys.  

            Throughout the movie I felt like the students’ level of Korean language was not high enough even for those who studied at the school for 12 years. It seemed like the school focused mainly on the regulations and ideology. The visibility comes before anything else in Korean Schools in Japan.  The Chongryun schools only care for the tradition that is only superficial and neglects the genuine tradition such as the Korean language education (Ryang 71). Moreover, there are other difficulties than the traditional costume. In class, boys take control in the class. For example, the boy takes in charge of the class even though he is untidy.  In this documentary, it is clearly shown that women are the subordinate figure. If the boys make a mistake, they say “no one is perfect” but when girls make a mistake or get lower grades in school the boys look down on them. I was very disappointed to see the gender inequality in this documentary film.

           What is the purpose of going to the Chongryun School for girls? The director of this movie seemed to have such a close ties to Chongryun School but why? Are the efforts finding the "true" identity worth it for the girls who attend the Chongryun School?

Reunification or Partition?

When I watched Shiri last week, this film reminded me of the K-drama ‘Iris’. I think ‘Iris’ is a drama version of Shiri. The plot of Iris is particularly similar to Shiri.  They both deal with the North Korean spies and Korean undercover organization. In parallel to Shiri, the South Korean undercover agent falls in love with North Korean spy. Moreover, both have the sad ending, one of the main protagonists dies. According to the reading "Shiri was the most successful commercial film of the 1990s" (Kim 270). I think this film left a very strong impression to Koreans because of the plot / theme and all the action scenes. When Koreans talk about North Korean spies, they refer to Shiri or Iris. Personally, I believe that this film shaped the discourse on North Korean undercover / spies.

       

        As I watched Shiri, it was funny to see how North Korean agents were in the darkness most of times. When Lee Bang Hee was in North Korea, it was very difficult to see her face since she either covered her face with a red scarf or was practicing in the dark. In addition, when Lee was in North Korea, it seemed like she had no emotion. She even burned the family photo before coming down to South Korea. When she comes to South Korea and meets Jung Won, she changes completely. She becomes a person with emotion. She even frames photos of her and Jung Won.  The movie discreetly gives the message to audience that North Koreans are double-faced nation. On the outside, the North Korean government pretends to keep peace with South Korea but inside, they plan to demolish South Korea.  

            Thus, I think Shiri is such a biased movie. It generalizes North Koreans way too much. I’m not trying to defend North Korea. I also have negative feelings towards North Korea but I wonder if it is because I was taught this way since I was a kid.  I know North and South were divided for more than 50 years; but the films which mass population watch should not make the biased atmosphere. What was the hidden message that the director really wanted to portray? reunification or partition? 

Do I really understand the Korean gangster films?

       I love watching Korean films because I can relate to them the most; however, there was a period when I just stopped watching Korean films for a while because most of the Korean movies were about Korean gangsters. According to Jinhee Choi, “South Korean gangster films have not only become one of the most profitable trends in the contemporary South Korean film industry, but they have also provided icons for the other film cycles to incorporate and adapt”(Choi 60). Majority of box office hits involved the life story of gangsters. I just did not like the way the gangsters were portrayed. In the movies, they were heroes. Even though they use violent words, harass the weaker ones, and commit murder, they were still seen as champions of the society.

         One of the reasons why I hesitate to watch gangster films are because there’s a dramatic change in the tone of the film (Choi 83). The film “Friends” starts off by portraying the childhood of four friends which seems impossible to take them apart. As they grow, they take four different paths. When they choose their own way, their youth friendship slowly loses its shape to the point where they are against each other.  Even though they turn their backs, they still have that childhood memory that they cannot ignore or let go of. Jun-Suk sacrifices his latter half of the life just for sake of protecting Dong-Su, who betrayed their friendship. In parallel, Dong-Su tries to go to the airport to see their old friends’ right after having the intense/ harsh talk with Jun-Suk. What caused this complication? Was it money?  Was it the society? Or Was it their social status?

         To me, all four friends looked very fragile in that musicalized space. As I watched this film, I figured out why I hated gangster films. I think the reason is because I cannot put myself in that situation. I just feel like gangster films are filled with cliché after cliché. I still do not know if the relationship between Dong-Su and Jun-Suk can be defined as ‘friendship’. I do not think it is bromance; however, I still think it is something deeper than just the friendship. I wonder if I will ever be able to understand the relationship between Jun-Suk and Dong-Su’s.

The use of train/ railroad in "Peppermint Candy"

“Peppermint Candy” was Director Lee Chang-dong’s second film, and it certainly left a deep impression on audiences for its ability to portray huge themes and historical events through the troubled life of one man. The story is told in reverse chronology, and at the starting point of the film the audience is introduced to Young-ho as a man on the edge. 

The reverse-time structure of “Peppermint Candy” was different from the most of films. In general, directors use flashback to bring out the past time story. They go right to the beginning of the timeline and progress to the present. In “Peppermint Candy” the audience sees the story as it begins from the present and goes back to the starting point of the story by watching at short vignettes of Young-ho’s life. This unique technique makes the audience to the end of film to figure out the cause of Young-ho’s dramatic change. The tragic part is not revealed until the end of the film.

The use of train links the each episodes/ vignettes together.  In this film, the director Lee used seven different vignettes. To get to the next vignette, the train travels towards the past. The audience only sees the railroad with the non-dietetic background music. The director Lee Chang Dong uses railroad as a path to the past. It is where Young-ho tries to commit suicide. In the last vignette of “Peppermint Candy”, the 20 year-old Young-ho is very familiar with the whole setting. He feels as if he is been there before when he never visited that place. Due to the symmetry to the plot by ending the movie at the starting point made audience to re-think about the beginning to solve the puzzle.

Throughout the movie, the train was used frequently to connect Young-ho’s life. In Mahnan-Park’s reading he stated that “the multiple diegetic presence of trains and their inclusion within the film’s construction connotes a dual function”(Magnan-Park 162). One question remains after seeing this film three times and reading the related article. Why did the director Lee choose ‘the train’ as the connecting source of Young-ho’s life? Why did it have to be the train? Why did Young-ho have to get up on the bridge where there was a rail road? 

The Behind Meaning of Pansori

I loved viewing Seopyonje. It was the first movie that made me cry in this class. When I first looked at the movie poster I thought it was just another mundane Korean national film. I didn’t have a high expectation. I, as a Korean did not really pay attention to the pansori singers in general. I never knew they gushed out  ‘han’ from bottom of their heart. After watching this film, I finally figured out why this film was widely loved in Korea. This ethnic Korean movie beautifully represented Korea’s traditional voice.

In Hae Joang Cho’s article, it is stated that “it is widely accepted that Sopyonje” became a hit because its principal theme is “searching for our culture” (Cho 138). After such a rapid development, Koreans never looked back. They were too busy looking at the future. Koreans followed Western culture and forgot about our ‘true voice’.

Also, the use of long shots to depict beautiful Korean landscape helped the audience to feel the ‘root’.  I think Director Im captured four seasons of Korea to tell the audience that Pansori and Pansori singers were always around. It was us, the society who shunned them. They did not go anywhere. We moved away from them. However, it was very sad to see Song Hwa's life as a female Korean. If she came from a wealthy family, she could have been a 'Human Cultural Asset'. I can't wait for the Korean society where  Korean women can speak up without any prejudice.

Pansori is not just a simple type of music. With Pansori, Koreans lived their daily lives.The Seopyunje’s theme was very clear and strong that made Korean audience look back their pasts.  I was so glad to see the real Korean movie. 

The Importance of Long Shots in "Chilsu and Mansu"

     This film was made in 1988 based on the Taiwanese short story. In the film, two protagonists, Chilsu and Mansu are depicted as low class billboard painters. Both of the characters are shunned by the society. To be part of the society, Chilsu lies about his status and Mansu uses different dialect when answering the phone. This film demonstrates the gap between the society and two protagonists.

     The audience can see that the Director Park uses many long shots in this particular film. These long shots often use high and low angles. For example, Park uses long shot when Chilsu is trying to tell Mansu that he is meeting Jina after the phone call. Mansu is at the top of the apartment relying on the rope and Chilsu is on the ground. They cannot hear each other due to the distance. Another example is the climax. Director Park constantly uses high and low angles to show the distance between Chilsu and Mansu and the rest of society. Chilsu and Mansu are at the top of billboard and the rest of society is at the bottom. Again, they cannot understand each other. In addition, “long shots are used to juxtapose Chilsu and Mansu with a gigantic white Western female” (Kim 148).  By using this long shot, the Director Park depicted the parallel line between the “colonized male and colonial female” (Kim 148). This parallel line never diverges in this film.

     It was very interesting to see the use of camera angles to articulate certain circumstances. I believe that the gap between the two protagonists is not only shown through narrative but also from the camera angles. I am curious if Director Park used long shots, low and high angles purposely to frame Chilsu and Mansu’s position in the society, the observer rather than the participant. Furthermore, I wonder if Mansu’s suicide can be seen as his effort to be part of the society, the participant. Overall, I think this is a pessimistic film because it tells the audience that it is very hard to be part of the society as an outsider. It creates a problem when outsiders speak up their opinions.  

- Soo Min 

What does “A Single Spark” refer to in the movie?

     A movie “A Single Spark” illustrates the period of newly-industrialized South Korea in 1970s and also captures the struggles of the labor activist movement in Korea (Kim 107). 

     In “A Single Spark”, it is only Tae-il’s father who speaks to Tae-il about the labour law (Kim 115). He mentions “all of those bastards who violate the labour standard laws should be arrested” in a very short 10 second conversation. “The father’s endorsement of Tae-il’s political commitment encourages Tae-il to study labour lawas later on and to protest company policy on legal grounds” (Kim 115).

     In this ordinary scene, Tae-il’s mother brings in the meal in the living room for the whole family. There are two daughters and two sons sitting down with the father and mother. Tae-il speaks to his mother about the girl at the factory who is about his sister’s age. This girl was fired at the factory because she was coughing up blood. The father jumps in the conversation and talks about cruelty of the factory owners and the existent of labour law. The mise-en-scene of this scene tells the viewer the characteristics of the Tae-il’s family. Tae-il is raised under the warm-hearted mother and the father with a proper attitude. “His family’s support and love form the foundation for Tae-il’s dedication and strength so that he can adopt the role of leader” (Kim 115).  

     At first, the camera shoots the whole family having a meal then as the father talks about the labour law, it zooms in to Tae-il face. The bird’s chirping sound is accompanied by this close-up. This bird sound reminded me of the song of birds that ushers in the dawn. This sound represented Tae-il’s “enlightenment” of labour law. The father’s face is never shown throughout this scene. Personally, I do not understand why the father is facing the opposite side of the camera. I think he is a very important character to Tae-il since that the father is the one who triggered Tae-il to be a “labour organizer”.

     I wonder why the director made this scene very short when this scene seems like “a single spark”. This is the moment when Tae-il starts to research about the law and spreads the words to other labourers. It is this single spark which started the uncontrollable fire.

Works Cited: Kim Kyung Hyun. The Remasculinazation of Korea Cinema, Durham: Duke UP, 2004. 

What would have been the Post-War Korean women’s reaction after viewing ‘Madame Freedom’?

     This film brought drastic changes to the Korean society with its story of a freedom- loving married women, Sun Young.  Based on the serial novel in a major newspaper (Kim 193), Hyung Mo Han’s adaptation of the “Madame Freedom” dramatizes its theme in depth by articulating the female characters.

     In addition, I believe that the theme of this film is what led “Madame Freedom” to be a huge box office hit in 1956. According to Soyong Kim, “Films featuring female protagonists made for and consumed by women have been an important revenue source for the South Korean film industry since 1955. (Kim 185).” All the people living in Korea were devastated after the war. This film deals with the story of an ordinary middle class woman becoming extraordinary with the freedom.

     At first, Sun Young was just a housewife looking after the elite husband and the son. She always needs her husband’s permission to make a decision even if it is a small one. However, after Sun Young gets the permission to work at the Paris Boutique, she is exposed to the Western consumerism and becomes very independent to the point where she spends hours in the dancing hall at night without telling her husband and abandons the son. Sun Young no longer wears the traditional 'Han Bok'. She starts to wear the Western suit as she gains more freedom. 

        By watching this film, one can figure out that women’s freedom outside of their home is closely linked to the western consumer culture. During the 1950s period in Korea, this was not possible for most of the women in the middle class.  In cinema, “we demand something different (Corrigan 49).”  During the hardship, Korean women might have wanted to see something different. Something unrealistic to fulfill their lifelong dream.  This include Sun Young going to the dance hall with different dance partners, and being able to afford expensive western goods. Also, I’m sure it was very shocking for the Korean women to see the female dancer at the dancing hall.

     At the time when this film was released, Korean women were not familiar with the word ‘fancy’ or ‘freedom’. I’m curious of what Korean women thought after viewing this film.  

If you have any comments / opinions, please share them with me!

Works Cited:

Kim Soyoung, "Questions of Women's Film: The Maid, Madame Freedom and Women," in South Korean 

      Golden Age Melodrama, 185-200.

Timothy Corrigan, Chs. 2-3 A Short Guide to Writing About Film, 6th Ed., 18-80.

The Aimless Dream

The Stray Bullet is a Korean national cinema which “differs from Hollywood and maintains its own terrain (Crofts 27)”. This cinema covers the economic and cultural side of South Korea. It depicts the hardship of post-war Korea and it is very interesting to see how two protagonists, Chul Ho and Young Ho, take their actions to achieve their dream, “to regain their masculinity (Cho 108)”. They take completely different path but the results are more or less similar at the end. In addition, the plot parallels with the title of this movie, The Stray Bullet.  Both of their dreams become unachievable.

Chul Ho, the oldest son in the family, lives his life according to the bible. His goal is to become a “strong” man who can support the family. Chul Ho works at the accounting office every day, comes home and takes care of the family. He does not spend money on himself even on the payday. He brings his pay cheque straight to home where his wife, old mother, daughter and his siblings wait. He only thinks about the family’s well-being.  Chul Ho struggles from time to time since he cannot make the family live the decent life as he wishes. He faces the break down when his family starts to fall apart. His wife dies on the same day that his younger brother, Young Ho goes to the jail for robbing the bank. He no longer has a wife to bring the pay cheque to.  He no longer has a brother who he can chat with. He gets lost when he faces the unintended and twisted life.  

Conversely, Young Ho takes a different path. He does not want to work hard to gain the masculnity after the two years of unemployment. He rather tries to change his life and achieve his goal by robbing the bank.  “Young Ho’s dream of empowerment is articulated as a desire to be an outlaw hero” (Cho 108). He dreams to earn big at once and show the family and females that he is still strong. He robes the bank; however, he gets caught and ends up in jail. As he gets caught by the police, his dream becomes unachievable.

Overall, by viewing The Stray Bullet, the audience can see the South Korean men’s desire to become strong and powerful men even in the hardship of post-war Korea. Not all men achieve their dreams. Chul Ho and Young Ho both failed at regaining their masculinity. It became ‘The Stray Dream’.

                                                                                                                      -  Soo Min Kim -

Works Cited:

Crofts, Stephen, “Reconceptualizing National Cinema” in Alan Williams, ed. Film and Nationalism,  

         25-51.

Eunsun Cho, “The Stray Bullet and the Crisis of Korean Masculinity” in South Korean Golden Age         

       Melodrama: Gender, Genre, and National Cinema, Eds. Nancy Abelmann and Kathleen McHugh.    

       Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2005. 99-116.