Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
Director Lee Jang-ho looks back on Korea's motion picture history
This miniature set replicates the shooting site of Lee Chang-dong's “Secret Sunshine” (2007) at Korea Film Museum in Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Park Jin-hai
By Park Jin-hai
By Park Jin-hai
Back in 1919, the March 1 uprising against Japan's brutal colonial rule of Korea swept the entire nation and over 2 million people took to the streets, calling for Korea's independence.
There is another key historic event that celebrates its centennial this year but it has been in the shadow of the national resistance movement.
Korea's motion picture marks its 100th anniversary in 2019.
Dansungsa Theater in central Seoul premiered Kim Do-san's film “Righteous Revenge” on Oct. 27, 1919.
In the form of a kino-drama (play with motion picture inserts), it told the story of a man, played by director Kim, who had suffered cruel abuse at the hands of his stepmother, and fights back against her when she conspires to take all the property his father bequeathed to him and defame the family's name.
Director Lee Jang-ho / Korea Times file photo
To mark its significance in Korean film history, the date of the film's premiere was designated as Korean Film Day and the committee for the centennial of Korea's motion picture history was launched to prepare for a series of events to commemorate the anniversary.
“I'm not a person who likes official titles. But when I was offered to sit as co-chair of the committee, along with veteran actress Chang Mi-hee, I couldn't reject the honor. This year means so much for all Korean cineastes,” Lee Jang-ho, renowned director and co-chairperson of the committee, said during a recent interview with The Korea Times at the Korean Film Museum. “With so many meetings and things to be done, including fundraising, I'm more worried than pleased at the moment.”
The committee plans to celebrate the anniversary with a series of events, including the re-enactment of the filming of Korea's first movie at Gwanghwamun Square and a short video clip relay where 100 participating directors will deliver a 100-second message each day leading up to Oct. 27.
The first Korean film, created with the investment of Korean capital and with a whole cast of Korean actors, was in fact an independent film, Lee says.
“Strapped for cash to make films, Korean staff had to take multiple roles. The director had a number of tasks sometimes working as an actor, a cameraman and an editor. Even after the liberation, Korean filmmakers went through the dark periods of the Korean War and then authoritarian governments,” said the 74-year-old director who is a living monument of the history of the Korean cinema.
Growing up as a kid watching imported Western black-and-white films like Charlie Chaplin movies on the lap of his film censor father, Lee was fascinated by the magical world of cinema. When he was a sophomore at Hongik University, he jumped into the film industry by joining Shin Film in 1965, Korea's first major film company established in 1960 by the legendary director Shin Sang-ok.
Going through a rigorous apprenticeship and on-site training over 10 years under Shin Film, he made his directorial debut with the 1974 melodrama “Heavenly Homecoming to Stars.” It was a huge box office hit, attracting over 460,000 at a time when the Korean film industry had been suffering from low attendance due to the domination of black-and-white television sets in households. Fewer than 15 Korean films attracted over 50,000 people during the 1970s.
Shin Seong-il, right, is seen in the film “Heavenly Homecoming to Stars” / Korea Times file photo
The adult-only film, starring Shin Seong-il, told the tragic love story of Kyung-ah, a prostitute who commits suicide after being physically and emotionally used by multiple men.
Being in the Korean filming industry over the past five decades, Lee created many films in different genres, inspiring younger directors and developing the Korean film industry.
“By the time I was debuting with Heavenly Homecoming to Stars, the Korean film industry was in a deep recession. With the exception of 1968 box office hit Love Me Once Again, almost all Korean films attracted an average audience of 5,000. Korean films leaned heavily on tear-jerking melodramas and mostly appealed to elderly female audiences. Young university students and the elite shunned Korean film, regarding it as low culture and they watched Western films instead,” the director recalled.
Since then Korean films have come a long way. Korea boasts the sixth-largest film market in the world. The number of moviegoers has surpassed the 200 million mark for six straight years with over 2 trillion won in sales from 2013.
With help from internationally acclaimed directors including Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho and Lee Chang-dong, the status of Korean films have been elevated among global movie fans.
The director finds the key to the current success is the unique historical background of the Korean film industry. “The Japanese film industry adopted the French system and founded big production companies and large-scale film sets from the very beginning, receiving full support from its government. The Korean film industry under Japanese colonial rule was poor with limited resources and technology. People had to adapt to such hostile conditions and make something out of nothing,” he said.
Director Lee Jang-ho's scripts are displayed at Korea Film Museum. / Korea Times photo by Park Jin-hai
“But ironically, such poor conditions enabled staff to do multiple jobs. Even after liberation, they had to make films throughout the sad periods of the Korean War, the separation of the country into two Koreas, then the military junta and its censorship. By continuing to create films under such adverse conditions and building knowhow, the Korean film industry was like a well-trained, nimble-footed boxer.
“In Japan, where moviemaking is developed with specialized sectors, it took coordinated efforts to make one good film. But in Korea, some brilliant directors could almost single-handedly make great movies. It was easier to make changes in the industry. On such a unique historical foundation, IT technology has been added and enabled us to emulate Hollywood studios' computer graphics. And now here we are. It has been common for big Hollywood studios to remake Korean hit films.”