Korean Culture in Films Dr. Andrew Finch

The Stray Bullet (1961)  Stray Bullet) is set in the post-Korean War shambles of Seoul, which the film makes no attempt to gloss over or disguise. There are as many wrecked buildings as there are construction sites, and the poorest live cheek-by-jowl in 2-families-to-a-room shantytowns.

The Stray Bullet (1961)  The bleakness is so overwhelming it’s no wonder the film was initially banned in South Korea. Because the characters are so specifically developed and handled, they aren’t just stock figures of pity, and the director, Hyun-mok Yoo, handles them in ways that are revelatory.

Why Dharma Left for the East (1989)  The title refers to a Zen riddle for which there is no answer. Noted painter Bae Yong-kyun spent several years devoted to carefully and lovingly creating this challenging, meditative and exquisitely photographed film.

Why Dharma Left for the East (1989)  A young man who aspires to a life of enlightenment, leaves his family in the city and travels to a remote mountain hermitage to study under an aged Zen Master whose days are numbered. The master lives alone with a small orphan boy who he has brought to the monastery to raise as a monk.

Why Dharma Left for the East (1989)  In the seclusion of this mountain monastery, the master and his pupils seek enlightenment by losing themselves in the quiet contemplation of death - perhaps the closest cinema has come to conveying serenity and a sense of detachment. Clip

Black Republic (1990)  A young man named Kim comes to look for work in a bleak coal-mining town in dead winter. Against all odds, Kim finds a job, falls in love, and glimpses a better life--until his political past as a student is discovered. A quietly stirring film about social hypocrisy.

Black Republic (1990) Although the story is simple, the film has exciting cinematography and excellent editing. It deals with the lives of young men living in the early 80s. Shown at the 1996 Human Rights Watch Festival

Seopyunje (1993)  Director Im Kwon-Taek  Bosong is the home of Pansori (traditional Korean narrative song). The great Pansori singer Park Yu-jon, born in Sunch'ang, came to Bosong and perfected Seopyonje. Pak Yu-jon elevated the status of Seopyonje in the Pansori music world by creating a sorrowful melody using Dongpyonje as a foundation.

Seopyunje (1993)  It was a notable accomplishment of a man ahead of his time, able to create a sound that contained the feelings of his southern people.  In the Bosong Park in Bosong-up, there is a Pansori song monument in honor of Park Yu-jon, and in Togang Village, there is a Pansori Park. Clip

Chukje (1996)  Director Im Kwon-Taek  Jun-Sub Lee, a famous writer in his early 40's, receives a call that his elderly mother has just passed away. This complicates his already hectic life as he hurriedly cancels all appointments, writes the obituary, and makes preparations for the funeral service.

Chukje (1996)  Soon after his arrival in his hometown, the three-day funeral ceremony begins. The preparations especially remind Jun Sub's sister-in-law, Wedongdaek, of every hardship she had undergone waiting upon her ill mother- in-law. In fact, it appears that the death of the eighty seven year old matriarch, who had suffered from dementia for the last five years of her life, makes few people sad, and some even seem to feel that her passing was fortunate.

Chukje (1996)

Clip

Chunhyang (1999)  Directed by Im Kwon-taek and starring Lee Hyo-jeong and Jo Seung-woo.  The movie is told through pansori, a traditional Korean form of storytelling that seeks to narrate through song.  The film is based on a traditional Korean legend and is set in 18th century Korea.

Chunhyang (1999)  In addition to the Romeo-and-Julietesque tale, Chunhyang sheds light on the realities of premodern Korea. Chunyang explores the harsh differences in living between the yangban (nobles by birthright) and non- yangban, and the realities of morally corrupt officials and yes-men functionaries.

Chunhyang (1999)

The Way Home (2002)

Trailer

Links KNTO Website – links about Korean Culture Korea Film Archive (KOFA) Dr. Finch: