Centennial of Korean cinema - From humble beginnings to mega hits

A still featuring actor Song Kang-ho from "Snowpiercer" (2013), directed by Bong Joon-ho./ Korea Times file

This is the first in a series of articles highlighting the centennial of Korean cinema _ E.D_

By Lee Gyu-lee

A century has passed since the screening of Korea's first film "Righteous Revenge" directed by Kim Do-san at Dansungsa Theater, located in central Seoul, on Oct. 27, 1919. It was the first domestic kino-drama ― a theatrical play against a motion picture backdrop.

Over the past 100 years, there has been a dramatic change in the profile of Korean cinema. Back in 1919, its future was uncertain as the nation's fate fell in the hands of the Japanese. Today, Korea has become one of the largest film markets in Asia with 200 million annual ticket sales.

There have been game changing moments and masterpieces, through which Korean cinema came to achieve what it stands in the global stage.

Here are some of the milestone events that helped Korean cinema take a leap forward:

Humble beginnings (1919―1945)

A picture of the production crew of the silent film "Arirang" (1926), directed by Na Woon-gyu./ Korea Times file

The motion picture, reportedly, was introduced by American traveler and filmmaker Elias Burton Holmes who traveled to Korea and screened motion pictures for the first time in Korea. He is also known as the first person to make motion pictures in Korea.

But it wasn't until 1919 that Koreans got their hands on making the first motion picture featuring Koreans. The film, "Righteous Revenge," is now set as the birth of Korean cinema.

During the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule, Korean cinema continued to evolve from kino-drama and made the first film with complete production led by Koreans "The Vow Made below the Moon" (1923).

The silent film "Arirang" (1926), directed by Na Woon-gyu who also starred in the film, set the milestone in the era as the first Korean nationalist film, criticizing Japanese imperialism before a regulation was put in place in 1940 limiting private film production.

Expansion (1946―1969)

A scene from Director Kim Ki-young's psychosexual horror film "The Housemaid" (1960)./ Korea Times file

After Korea gained independence from Japan, there was a brief period of films on liberation until the country faced another nightmare ― the Korean War, which broke out in 1950 and continued for three years till 1953. Though filmmakers continued to make films even during the war, it was a slow phase for film until later in the 1950s.

The late 1950s and into the 1960s witnessed significant growth in Korean cinema, laying the foundation for the current cinema industry. In 1959, the number of films produced in one year exceeded 100 for the first time, a drastic jump considering only 18 films were made in 1954.

A poster of the 1955 film "Chunhyangjeon" ― an adaptation of a folk tale ― directed by Lee Gyu-hwan./ Korea Times file

The success of director Lee Gyu-hwan's "Chunhyangjeon" (1955) ― an adaptation of the same name folk tale ― and Han Hyeong-mo's 1956 melodrama "Madame Freedom" triggered the rise of Korean films, leading to an expansion in the number of films produced annually and the genre diversity ― from romance and action, to thriller and historical. It was a time when Korea's prominent directors began to emerge, such as Shin Sang-ok and Lee Gang-cheon. Director Kim Ki-young's most applauded psychosexual horror film "The Housemaid" (1960), was also released during this time.

The expansion came in the wake of President Park Chung-hee's efforts for state-driven industrialization under the nationalist ideology kicked off in the 1960s. To meet the growing demand for movies during this period, the directors turned to adapting classic literature ― stories which have already been recognized ― instead of coming up with new material.

This led films during the era to not only gain popularity but also be recognized for their compelling storylines. Director Yu Hyun-mok's "Obaltan" (1961), director Shin's "My Mother and Her Guest" (1961) and Lee Man-hee "Late Autumn" (1966) are a few of the examples of literature films that drew positive reviews and success.

Censorship (1970―1989)

Actor Shin Seong?il, left, lights actress Ahn In?sook's cigarette in a scene from the 1975 film "Heavenly Homecoming to Stars," directed by Lee Chang-ho. Korea Times file

After the booming era up until the late 1960s, the industry faced a slow downturn in the 1970s. Television became more accessible throughout the country and as the accessibility rose, people began to lose appetite for movies. The total ticket sales in 1969 marked 173 million, but it dropped to less than 100 million by 1974.

On top of that, the political censorship on films had intensified during the era, which resulted in limiting the medium and its production, pulling down the quality of films. Some turned to anti-communist, nationalist films to curry favor with the Park government and qualify for funding. Others turned to hostess films featuring sexually provocative scenes that prevailed widely during this time.

A poster of the 1975 film "Heavenly Homecoming to Stars."/ Korea Times file

However, even under such repression and censorship, box office hits, including director Ha Gil-jong's "The March of Fools" (1975), Lee Chang-ho's "Heavenly Homecoming to Stars" (1975) and Kim Ho-sun's "Yeong-ja's Heydays" (1975), still managed to deliver cinematic sensibility and reflect and criticize societal issues such as capitalistic society objectifying women for consumption.

In the 1980s, the notorious "3S" Policy ― which stands for sex, screen and sports ― was implemented as major entertainment in society to turn people's interest away from politics, under the authoritarian Chun Doo-hwan government. President Chun took power through a military coup. The 3S policy had led to the production of a host of erotic films. One of the greatest, "Madame Aema" (1982), drew over 310,000 ticket sales and was in theaters for about four months. The film was made into a series after its success.

With the end of the Chun government in 1988, a transitional movement called the "Korean New Wave" started to deviate from mainstream movies and the industry started overcoming the social oppression that was put on filmmaking. The industry transformation includes key figures such as Park Kwang-su, Lee Myung-se and Chung Ji-young, among many other directors. The young and highly educated directors with formal training in film emerged during this time. The filmmakers incorporated various styles and explored experimental techniques in freely expressing social issues and making better quality cinema as a form of art.

Globalization (1990―present)

A scene from 1993 folk music film "Seopyeonje," by Im Kwon-taek, Korea's first director to be named best at Cannes, which saw the highest ticket sales in history during that time./ Korea Times file

The phenomenon continued into the 1990s, leading to the production of masterpieces contributing to offer a sentiment of endurance, and the grief of the unfortunate and tragic history Korea has gone through. The 1993 folk music film "Seopyeonje," by Im Kwon-taek, Korea's first director to be awarded by Cannes as best director, became a megahit, setting the highest ticket sales record in history during that time. It was highly acclaimed for touching on personal and political sufferings that people could relate to.

The 1990s also marked the beginning of films with a planned production process ― production companies writing scripts and hiring directors ― starting with "Marriage Story" (1992). Film production companies started to analyze audiences' preferences and decided what movies to make to survive among Hollywood films which were occupying the majority portion in the market. Along with the innovative implementation of filmmaking, a number of "well-made" films ― such as "The Contact" (1997) by Chang Yoon-hyun and "Christmas in August" (1998) by director Hur Jin-ho ― became successful and opened the door for Korean films to be revived. Ticket sales grew at an average of 28 percent per year for five years since 1995.

The success of 1999 action film "Shiri," followed by "Joint Security Area" (2000) and "Friend" (2001), marked a renascence of Korean cinema in the 1990s, leading to the era of big-budget Korean blockbusters.

Director Kang Woo-suk's 2003 thriller "Silmido" became the first Korean film to draw 10 million ticket sales. Korea Times file

"Silmido" (2003), directed by Kang Woo-suk, signified the expansion of the cinema market after becoming the first Korean film to attract 10 million ticket sales. That record was followed by "Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War" (2004) by director Kang Je-gyu two months later.

Further into the 2000s, Korean films began to expand into the global market, competing with international films ― director Im's "Chunhyang" (2000), Park Chan-wook's "Oldboy" (2003), and Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine" (2007) competed at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Korean movie industry has continued to grow in scale and quality, drawing the attention of international film critics. The 2013 film "Snowpiercer" by Cannes Palme d'Or winner Bong Joon-ho laid the foundation for a big leap into the global market. The Korean film market finally reached over 200 million annual ticket sales in 2018 and has now become the fifth-largest in the world.