'Righteous Revenge' marks birth of Korean cinema

The picture of Dansungsa Theater in Jongro-gu, Seoul, in the 1950s. The theater screened Korea's first kino-drama "The Righteous Revenge"(1919), directed by Kim Do-san, marking the birth of Korean cinema. Korea Times file

This is the fourth in a series of articles highlighting the centennial of Korean cinema. ― ED

By Lee Gyu-lee

Exactly a century ago on Oct. 27, 1919, Korea's first film "The Righteous Revenge," directed by Kim Do-san, premiered at the Dansungsa Theater in central Seoul, attracting crowds.

In 1962, four decades after its screening, the government designated the day as the beginning of Korean cinema and Korea has since celebrated its anniversary.

The film took the form of a kino-drama, a mixture of theatrical play and motion picture, a little different from today's films. Actors would perform scenes on stage for the audience, and scenes that could not be staged with props were displayed through motion pictures, such as scenery or outdoor places.

A portrait of Park Seoung-pil, top, owner of the Dansungsa Theater and producer of "The Righteous Revenge," on the ceiling of the theater's lobby. Korea Times file

Although for decades, "The Righteous Revenge" has been argued to be the birth of Korean cinema, some present a different view. Their point is whether the kino-drama can be viewed as a film or not, as it was not a complete film. The first full-length Korean motion picture appeared later in 1923 ― "The Vow Made below the Moon" starring the first Korean movie actress Lee Wol-hwa.

However, the argument has made that "The Righteous Revenge" deserves the title of being the first homegrown film, for various reasons.

Years after the motion picture was introduced in Korea in 1899 by American traveler and filmmaker Elias Burton Holmes, watching a series of motion pictures became a trend.

Until Park Seong-pil took over the ownership of Korea's first theater, the Dansungsa Theater, the films shown there were imported, mostly from Western countries. It was a bold decision for Park to make such an enormous investment in the production of domestic motion pictures.

Film producer and theater manager Park purchased the now defunct Dansungsa Theater in April 1918 from its founder, whose name is not known, and re-opened it later that year as a movie theater after reconstructing the theater into a three-story brick building in December.

His move was unprecedented. At that time Korea was under Japanese rule and Japan controlled the entertainment industry, including most of the early theaters.

In this regard, Park was a pioneer and a key figure in the early days of Korean cinema history. He ran two theaters ― Gwangmudae and Dansungsa ― and was also a filmmaker, producer, and distributor.

A newspaper advertisement in the Maeil Shinbo, Oct. 26, 1919, announces the opening of "The Righteous Revenge." Courtesy of Korean Film Archive

On Oct. 26, 1919, Park ran an advertisement in the newspaper Maeil Shinbo announcing the very first domestic kino-drama.
"It always has been regrettable that no motion pictures were made in Joseon (Korea), so I have made a large investment of 5,000 won to start a wave of kino-dramas in the most famous place of Gyeongseong [now Seoul]," it read. "[The film] will be screened from the 27th, so anyone who likes motion pictures, come out to enjoy it. This is Joseon's first-ever kino-drama."

The drama was written and directed by Kim Do-san, who led a troupe at Dansungsa. Kim also starred as the main character Song-san (Kim Do-san). The story revolves around Song-san as he faces his stepmother and her accomplices threatening to take his father's inheritance. Song-san fights off the antagonists and finds peace for his family.

The film was a big hit from the opening day, with 100,000 tickets sold through its showing, according to the National Archives of Korea.

Kim Do-san, director and writer of the kino-drama, also played the main character. Courtesy of Korean Film Archive

The newspaper reported on the film's first-day showing two days later on Oct. 29, with the title "The premiere at Dansungsa, audiences flooded in." The report read, "The audiences filled the lower and upper floor in a quick second, and the theater was so packed, no more tickets could be sold."

Driven by the success, Park began to build the foundation for the early-years film production system by creating a film department in Dansungsa and funding Kim's kino-dramas to help him release more films. "This Friendship" (1919) and "The Chivalrous Robber" (1920), both were directed by Kim, followed "The Righteous Revenge."

Although "The Righteous Revenge" was a transitional form combining motion pictures with a play rather than a film, it is widely considered a starting point in Korean cinema, because it triggered further development in films.

Veteran actress Chang Mi-hee, who is the co-chair of the Korean Film Council's committee to prepare for a set of events to commemorate the centennial of Korean cinema, said there was no doubt "The Righteous Revenge" was the first Korean film.

"Korean cinema had its earliest beginning at the time of the March 1 Independence Movement when Korea fought for independence, and on Oct. 27 of that year, the history of Korean cinema began," she said at a press event for the committee in April.

She said the film's theme ― fighting off antagonists to get back a person's rights ― touched on Korean's resistance to being under colonial rule.