60 Years of South Korean Cinema in NYC

One of the most exciting film events in New York City this fall is the massive Korean film retrospective being held at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center. Dubbed "The Newest Tiger", this is probably the most comprehensive survey of Korean film ever put together outside of Korea. Covering the last six decades, the festival contains some of the most important films of the "golden age", which ran from the late 50s through the early 60s, as well as an excellent selection of films from the new generation of directors. Readers of this site will now have an opportunity to see some of the films that Filmbrain has been raving about for the past seven months. The festival runs from November 12 through December 7, and Filmbrain will be providing weekly recommendations. Though there's really not a bad film in the bunch (well, Filmbrain wasn't crazy about Ardor), here are the must-not-miss highlights for the opening week: Aimless Bullet (1961) Dir: Hyonmok Yu. Banned in Korea on its original release, Aimless Bullet chronicles the hopeless life of a North Korean family living in Seoul in the years following the Korean War. A public accountant struggles to support his troubled family, even as he watches depression and despair slowly destroy his family's lives. Voted "Best Korean Film of All Time" by Korean film critics in 1999. This one actually screened back in August, but Filmbrain missed it. He surely won't this time. Friday 12 November @ 1:00, Wednesday 17 November @ 6:40 To the Starry Island (1993) Dir: Park Kwang-su. What begins as a simple story of a son trying to bury his father on his birth island turns into a gripping tale of the Korean war. One of the first films to address how civilians were mistreated by the South Korean army, this film is a product of South Korea's new democracy of the early 90s. Friday 12 November @ 3:00, Thursday November 18 @ 6:40 Low Life (2004) Dir: Im Kwon-taek. Korea's best-known filmmaker returns with his 99th (!) film, a portrait of the politically tumultuous 60s. Political mobsters, film producers, citizens' uprisings, military coups -- all part of the dog-eat-dog world of the streets of Myungdong, where gangsters and artists once coexisted. Filmbrain has read mixed reviews of this one, but it certainly sounds interesting enough. Friday 12 November @ 7:10, Saturday 13 November @ 7:00 The Housemaid (1960) Dir: Kim Ki-young. This is the film that several Korean film scholars/experts have implored Filmbrain to see. (One writes, "DIE rather than miss this film!") Released in 1960 (the same year as Psycho), this gothic horror psycho-thriller concerns a love triangle between a composer, his wife and their maid. Kyung Hyun Kim, who devotes a lengthy chapter to the film in his book The Remasculinization of Korean Cinema, says that the film "challenges the ethical conventions of the era by focusing on the tension between faithfulness and desire, and between conformity and passion." Filmbrain can't wait for this one. Saturday 13 November @ 2:45, Wednesday 17 November @ 2:00 The Hidden Hero (1979) Dir: Im Kwon-taek. Considered to be one of his best films, The Hidden Hero chronicles the story of a journalist who leaves North Korea for the south shortly after the liberation from Japan. Filmbrain has been told that it is one of the best portraits of Korea in the years leading up to the Korean War. Sunday 14 November @ 1:00, Sunday 21 November @ 7:00 Peppermint Candy (2000) Dir: Lee Chang-dong. Director Lee's last film, Oasis, had a small run in NYC several months back, and was met with critical success. As good a film as that is, Filmbrain finds it not half as compelling as Peppermint Candy, which is overtly political. Told in reverse (à la Memento, Irreversible), it begins in 1999 with Yong-ho (Sol Kyung-gu) about to commit suicide. The story then proceeds backwards, revealing not only the personal traumatic events that led him to his death, but of Korea's historical trauma from 1979-99. The Kwangju Massacre, the labor and student uprisings, and the economic crisis of the 90's -- Yong-ho is directly tied to (and affected by) all of them. This powerful and important film really should not be missed. Sunday 14 November @ 3:00, Thursday 18 November @ 2:00 Cinema on the Road: A Personal Essay on Cinema in Korea (1995) Dir: Jang Sun-woo. This is, as the title indicates, a personal journey through the history of Korean cinema, with particular attention paid to the relationship between film and contemporary Korean history. From the program notes: "[The film ends with an] exorcism to rid Korean cinema of its demons -- the Japanese occupation, military dictatorships, and Hollywood." (Now, if only that last bit can hold true!) There are plenty of other interesting films the first week of the festival -- Madame Freedom (1956) and Home is Where the Heart Is (1949) are certainly classics in their own right, and 1992's Marriage Story is the film that gave birth to the new romantic comedy -- without it we wouldn't have films like My Sassy Girl. Complete schedule and ticketing information can be found HERE. Check back for next week's recommendations, including a rare screening of Hong Sang-soo's second feature, The Power of Kangwon Province.

Comments

[Adam Hartzell]

Dude,

I'm soooooooooooooooooo jealous of you New Yorkers that you're getting this cinematic gift. I thought about JetBlue-ing out there, but my 2 obligation trips last month set me back too much.

I would LOVE to see LOVERS OF WOOMUK-BAEMI again, and to finally see TO THE STARRY ISLAND (a practical incubator of Korean talent w/ Lee Shang-dong, Hur Jin-ho, et. al associated w/ the film), OUR TWISTED HERO, THE MAN WITH THREE COFFINS, DECLARATION OF FOOLS, and the Korean New Wave starter, CHILSU AND MANSU. Man, I'd be blissful the whole month!

Adam

[James Cobo]

Is "Cinema On The Road" from that BBC 100 Years of Cinema series? If it is, I'll vouch for it too.

Also, note to self: Rent some goddamn Lee Chang-Dong already.

[Michael]

I, too, envy New Yorkers for the wonderful array of films on offer. Here in Los Angeles, we get a lot of international/art-house films, but never to the same extent, or the same frequency (though, in defense of So Cal, it's not all that bad -- for example, the LA County Museum of Art did a tribute to Japanese film last year). Your post here is actually quite instructive; even though I can't see them in NYC, I'm making note of all of them and will keep my eye out if some of them show here or become available on DVD. So, many thanks from this non-New Yorker!

[Adam Hartzell]

Yes, James, it is the piece JANG Sun-woo did for the BBC series and features some nice scenes from films not showing at this festival, such as my favorite from BAREFOOTED YOUTH (Kim Ki-deok, 1964).

I'll second James's comment about LEE Chang-dong, and note NY-ers can rent GREEN FISH and PEPPERMINT CANDY at VIDEO FREE BROOKLYN in Carroll Gardens, as well as Filmbrain's favorite THE POWER OF KANGWON PROVINCE.

[phyrephox]

Whose idea was it to screen the Hong over Thanksgiving weekend when I'm out of the state? Bah. This thing is so huge I can only make it to a couple a weekend (this weekend there being screenings of The Big Red One, Late Spring, and Brazil in NYC), I'll make it to the new Im Kwon-Tek and the Housemaid feature.

[FIlmbrain]

Adam --

Where is this place? I live just steps from Carroll Gardens and have never seen nor heard of Video Free Brooklyn (great name).

[FIlmbrain]

Phyrephox --

Which screening of The Housemaid are you planning on going to?

[Adam Hartzell]

Filmbrain -

It's at 244 Smith St. Here's a link to it's website, specifically the Korean DVDs he has in stock - http://www.videofreebrooklyn.com/vfb/titlelist.asp?country=Korea

The owner is a buddy of mine, Dan Wu, so you can tell him I sent you. I gave him GREEN FISH and POWER which aren't listed on his site, so he may have pulled them from the store since they might not be renting well. He has limited space so I can understand why he might do that.

[Aaron H.]

Yeah, Video Free Brooklyn is kind of a closet (and totally down the street from me, though I think I still have late charges). But PEPPERMENT CANDY was pretty great.

Filmbrain, if you're that close, we should meet up for drinks & diatribes sometime.

[FIlmbrain]

Ah yes -- I know that place. I stopped in when they first opened. A decent little store -- quite a good selection.

Aaron - yes, we should meet for drinks. Given that you'll probably win the screen cap contest, I can hand-deliver the prize. . .

[phyrephox]

Filmbrain--
If I can make it, the Sat Nov 13: 2:45 show (gotta rush to Queens afterwards for the screening of my favorite Ozu).