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Cinema Koreana will show an English-subtitled Korean feature
movie every Wednesdays, starting from September 8. Screening begins at 4:00 pm at
the Room 118 on the 1st floor of the Uiyanggwan.
After each screening, everyone is invited to a reception,
where you can have an informal chat about the films over light refreshments. The
program is not restricted to international members of Keimyung, but is open to
anyone interested, so that you can share observations, comments and questions
with members of a diverse audience, international and Korean.
Cinema Koreana aims to be educational in that films are
carefully selected by its organizers to reflect contemporary issues and popular
trends of Korea, and thereby to provide the opportunity to learn about and
discuss current Korean society. More importantly, we want you to enjoy each
other's company, the chance to mingle with, and the feeling of belonging to the
Keimyung Community.
You will find a schedule of the films below. For more in
detail, please contact the organizer or staff members of Academia Koreana: Dr.
Michael Finch at 580-5316 mcefinch@kmu.ac.kr or Mr. Simon Yoon at
580-5578 simon@kmu.ac.kr.
●When: 4:00-6:00 PM,
Every Wednesdays, Starting from September 8, 2004
●Where: Uiyanggwan Room
118, Seongseo Campus, Keimyung University
●Moderator: Dr. Michael
Finch
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Musa
(2001) |
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9/8 |
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Director: Kim Seong-su
Cast: Jeong U-seong, An Seong-gi
Running time: 155 min.
Rating: 15+
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Written and
directed by Kim Sung-su, this visually stunning period epic set in 14th-century
China is based on a real historical incident: a Ming envoy was assassinated in
Korea which severed diplomatic ties between the two countries. The film starts
with a group of Goryeo (Korean) envoys arrested and sent into exile to the Gobi
dessert by the Ming. Their guards are attacked by the Ming rivals from the Yuan
Dynasty, the Mongols but they are left unharmed and stranded in the desert.
Under the leadership of the young general Choi Young, they begin their long journey
back to Korea. While stopping off at an oasis they encounter a kidnapped Ming
princess portrayed by Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi from "Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon". The General decides that rescuing the Princess would be a
good way to mend diplomatic ties between Goryeo and the Ming dynasty. The
princess is rescued as well as one of their own, Yeosol, a devoted former slave
of the newly-decesased Goryeo ambassador. However it's obvious that he as well
as Yeosol have both taken a special interest in the Princess. Pursued by the
Yuan soldiers, they follow the Princess' advice to take a longer route to a
Ming fort on a seashore to get a ship that can carry them back home. However,
they arrive at a destroyed fort. With the Yuan soldiers vastly outnumbering,
they are at a crossroads: whether to protect the princess or to give her to the
Yuan soldiers. (SeoulSelection)
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| The
Harmonium in My Memory ‘Naemaeumui Punggeum’ (1999) |
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9/15 |
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Director: Lee Yeong Jae
Cast: Lee Byeong-heon,
Jeon Do-yeon
Running time: 118 min.
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Hongyeon is a 17-year old student with a heart-wrenching crush on her homeroom
teacher, Suha. She stays late at school, puts flowers on his desk, and asks him
pointed questions, and still nothing seems to catch his attention. Meanwhile,
the 21-year old Suha has fallen for another teacher at their school. When
Hongyeon realizes this, she tries everything to discredit her rival, from
ridiculing her age to stealing her shoes in class. Suha still appears to be
beyond persuasion. Lee Young-jae's first feature film vividly capture the
passion of youthful ideals and the torment of first love. It is set in an
idyllic village grade school in the 1960's, a time thought of as the 'last
decade of innocence' in moden Korea. The movie won Prize of Best Actress (Jeon
Do-Yeon), Best Assistant Actress (Lee Mi-Yeon), New Director (Lee Young-Jae) at
20th Chung Ryong Film Award -- from Korean Film Archive(www.koreafilm.or.kr).
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Spring,
Summer, Fall, Winter . . . and Spring
‘Bom, Yeoreum, Gaeul, Gyeoul,
geurigo Bom’ (2003) |
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9/22
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Director: Kim Gideok
Cast: Seo Jaegyeong, Kim Yeongmin
Running time: 105 min.
Rating: 15+
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Directed by Kim
Gideok, who is widely acclaimed for making hit films with a low budget,
"Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...And Spring" portrays the life of a
Buddhist monk who has experienced the vicissitudes of life as four seasons come
and go. Set in the spring, a baby monk torments frogs, snakes and fish and is
scolded by an old monk who says that the acts will bring upon bad karma. In the
summer, the infant has grown into a 17-year-old man. He suffers from unrequited
love and leaves the mountain temple. In the fall, he comes back to the temple
10 years later as the murderer of his wife who had betrayed him, and tries to
commit suicide in front of a Buddhist statue. The senior monk, however, sends
him away back to the mundane world and is soon cremated. In the winter, the man
reappears as a middle-aged man and engages himself in mental and physical
discipline, while seeking internal peace. The following spring, he becomes old
and teaches another boy. The movie gives the viewers the message that, as the
senior monk said, desire begets adherence and adherence results in
bloodthirstiness. This movie cost Kim only 1 billion won to make. Kim Gideok
has recently been awarded the best director award (Silver Bear) at the 54th
Berlin International Film Festival for his film "Samaria," becoming
the first Korean movie director to receive an award at the prestigious film
festival. He has made 10 films since his debut with "Crocodile" in
1996. (SeoulSelection)
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Little Monk ‘Dongseung’ (2002) |
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10/6
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Director: Ju Kyeong-jun
Cast: Kim Tae-jin, Kim Min-kyo
Running time: 100 min.
Rating:
0+
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Winner of the '26th Golden Cinematography Award.'
There are two worlds to the eye of a little Buddhist monk, Donyeom. One is the
mountain temple sitting in utter silence and solitude. The other is the village
down at the end of long winding paths of the mountain where the fun life
begins. 'Why I have no parents?' 'Why is my head shaved?' 'Why do the boys from
the village hate me?' Life is full of questions for the nine year old. Does the
monk Jeongsim even know of the feelings inside the boy who is his only partner
in strict apprenticeship under a senior monk? Donyeom has begun to wait for
someone he doesn't know. It is a pretty woman who comes to worship at the
temple every year. She is the prettiest person Donyeom has ever seen. How
wonderful would it be if she were his mother. The wood-cutting man who gives
hand for chores at the temple says Donyeom's mother will come next spring when
the flowers blossom. (SeoulSelection) |
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| Hillarious
Mourning ‘Ogu’ (2003) |
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10/13
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Director: Yi Yuntaek
Cast: Gang Buja, Yi Jaeeun
Running time: 90 min.
Rating: 15+
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| First making his mark as a director for theatre,
Lee Yuntaek has successfully made the cross-over into film, with his debut film
Ogu. Originally a play, Ogu garnered praise from the local theatre circuit and
played to over 2.7 million viewers since it premiered in 1989. On why he
decided to adapt the play Ogu into a movie, Lee commented that he wanted to
overcome the limitations of the stage and engage the fantasy-filled themes
through the cinematic medium. Gang Buja who played the main role of Hwangssi
Halmae [Grandma Hwang] on stage since 1997 also plays the same character in the
film version. Ogu is perhaps one of the few Korean films that effectively
depict Korean conceptualizations about life and death. Ogu is a word that Lee
abbreviated from Sanogu gut [exorcism] meaning "cleansing the dead
of all hindrances on their way to the other world." The story line evolves
from Grandma Hwang¡¯s dream in which she sees her late husband coming to visit
her while riding a black cow. She interprets the dream as a sign that her time
is coming, so she begins preparing for her death. Interestingly, her way of
meeting death is by preparing herself as a bride. The story casts light on the
humor latent in Korean culture. In the case of Ogu, the paradoxical humor
serves as a way to transform the somberness associated with death into a comic
and festive event. (SeoulSelection) |
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Mudang
Yeongmae (2004)
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10/27
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Director: Park Gi Bok
Cast: Seol Kyeong Gu(Narration)
Running time: 100 min.
Rating: 12+
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| Having taken more than three years to complete,
"Mudang" presents a rare look at the practices of shamans living in
the southern and eastern regions of Korea. Well-known for his previous
low-budget independent documentaries that portrayed the lives of "the
alienated Others" in the discarded corners of society, director Park Gibok
has turned his attention to the lives of shamans in his latest film. Widely
referred to as a "mudang," Korean shamans are typically not in the
spotlight and are often times treated with contempt for their precarious
position of being intermediaries for evil and benevolent spirits. This movie
deals comprehensively with the lives of various types of shamans, including
hereditary shamans. Park conducted extensive fieldwork with shamans who engaged
in exorcism of bad spirits to those who prayed for the prosperity of the
harvest and fishing communities. One shaman served as a medium for a deceased
family member, attempting to connect with the surviving family; it is from this
episode where the subtitle, "Reconciliation of the Living and the
Dead," likely draws its inspiration. The mudang sometimes "dances on
the knives" or "rides the blades" while being possessed by the
Knife-Riding General. She inevitably ends up leading a laborious life as a
messenger between the living and the dead, without much choice in the
situation. Main characters in the movie are the two Chae sisters in their 80s,
who are hereditary shamans, and two other spirit-possessed shamans. (SeoulSelection) |
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| …ing
(2003) |
| 11/3 |
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Director: Yi Eonhui
Cast: Im Sujeong, Kim Raewon
Running time: 111 min.
Rating:
12+
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| Interestingly, the movie didn't draw as much
attention as its cast did. "...ing" stars Lee Mi-suk, the
fatal-minded heroine in the recent hit movie "Scandal," Im Su-jeong,
the elder sister in "A Tale of Two Sisters [Janghwa Hongnyeon]" and
Kim Nae-won, a popular actor from last year's hit TV series "Cat in the
Rooftop Room [Oktapbang Goyangi]." "...ing" is a romantic story
between a high school girl and a university student who lives one floor below
in the same apartment building. High school student Mina fantasizes about a
fateful romance that lasts forever. Her fantasy about romantic love begins when
she first hears a story about an insane man who directs traffic with a flag in
front of her school. Rumor has it that he became crazy after his girlfriend was
killed in a traffic accident. Every day since the tragic accident, he has begun
to direct traffic at the exact spot where his loved one perished. Mina finds
the man's story so compelling that she wishes to fall in love with someone who
will be just as devoted to her. Recently having moved into her apartment
building, Yeong-jae becomes attracted to Mina and tries to win her heart. Mina
doubts, however, that he can be the man of her romantic dreams.
(SeoulSelection) |
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| A
Smile ‘Miso’ (2003) |
| 11/10 |
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Director: Park Gyeong Hi
Cast: Chu Sang Mi, Song Il Kweon
Running time: 96 min.
Rating: 15+
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| This film shows viewers the significance of
recovering a smile after one has come upon a tragic situation. Sojeong (Chu
Sangmi) is one day diagnosed with pigmentary degeneration of the retina, which
doctors say would lead to a total loss of sight within a year if earlier and 20
years if later. The disease is fatal to Sojeong, who is a professional
photographer. Unable to know in advance when she will completely lose her
sight, she gives up her plan to study abroad with her lover Jiseok (Song
Ilgon), a student of molecular biology, and parts from him. After Jiseok leaves
for the United States, she visits the ancient city of Gyeongju in order to take
photographs. She happens to enter an ancient tomb dating back to some 1500
years, where she finds solace and is determined to accomplish one remaining
dream: to fly in the sky. While training at a secluded pilot training center,
she finds her vision rapidly deteriorating. One day, when a drill instructor
steps out, she revs the engine up and pilots the plane. The movie suggests the
paradoxical view that the disease gives Sojeong the chance to face life's
existential question and thereby expands her perspectives on life.
(SeoulSelection) |
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| My
Heart ‘Jeong’ (1999) |
| 11/17 |
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Director: Bae Chang-ho
Cast: Yun U-seon, Kim Myeong-gon
Running
time: 116 min.
Rating: 12+
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| Like "Une Vie" by Guy de Maupassant,
"My Heart" depicts the trouble-filled life of one woman. From the
very beginning of the movie, which shows 16-year-old Soon-I's wedding ceremony
to a child, viewers have a hunch that this woman is going to be unhappy and the
movie will be very sad. And they would be right. Considering that the movie
takes place between 1910 and 1960, when the country went through great economic
difficulties, it's no wonder Soon-I's life is tough. However, as the movie goes
on, viewers can amuse themselves with many unexpected humorous moments. The
movie also provides a glimpse of every noteworthy aspect of Korean traditional
way of life, such as pottery-making and marriage customs, and is filled with
beautiful sound and images, as well as warm human relations. The movie drew
awards from many international film festivals, including the Pusan
International Film Festival. (SeoulSelection) |
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Christmas in
August ‘Palweorui Keuriseumaseu’ (1999)
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| 11/24 |
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Director: Heo Jin-ho
Cast: Han Seok-gyu, Sim Eun-ha
Running time: 97 min.
Rating:
15+
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| This movie, directed by Hur Jin-ho, is considered
by many as the best Korean melodrama of the '90s. Although no actual romance
occurs between the terminally-ill photo shop owner (Han Seok-kyu) and a meter
maid (Shim Eun-ha), the movie's underlying sentiments are strong and
passionate. The success of this movie allowed Han to secure his berth as a
veteran actor and helped Shim rise to stardom. Shim recently broke her
engagement to a U.S.-based businessman and is expected to return to the screen.
Hur's fans had to wait three years for the satisfaction of seeing his second
movie, "One Fine Spring Day," which was screened late last year. (SeoulSelection) |
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Fall Semester 2004