Very happy to see something like this going on, check it out!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Korean Cinema Blogathon Week @ NewKoreanCinema.com
I found out that the Korean Cinema Blogathon is happening at NewKoreanCinema.com, it is taking place over March 7-13.
Very happy to see something like this going on, check it out!
Very happy to see something like this going on, check it out!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Decline in Western Interest for Korean Cinema?
See my companion piece: Decline in Domestic Interest in Korean Cinema?
It is my impression that of late, there has been a lack of enthusiasm for Korean cinema in the west. While I Saw the Devil was recently released in the US and is gaining in popularity, the exposure it is receiving pales in comparison to those which preceded it, like The Host and Oldboy. I suppose it was only a matter of time before this happened and to be honest the recognition that Korean cinema receives now is still far greater than anything it experienced prior to the new millenium.
However some high profile directors are transitioning to making films in the US, we can expect Hollywood debuts from:
Park Chan-wook - He is directing the Wentworth Miller's blacklisted Stocker starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth and Mia Wasikowski.
Kim Ji-woon - Attached to helm Lionsgate's The Last Stand, another blacklisted script starring Liam Neeson.
*UPDATE* Bong Joon-ho - I've heard that after he completes Snow Piercer, Bong will embark on his first US film with J.J. Abrams on board to produce. This will not start until he finishes Snow Piercer, which is said to be in production until 2012.
These directors, as well as Bong Joon-ho, are established but I worry that it will be difficult for other Korean filmmakers to make a similar mark on the international scene. Na Hong-jin made some strides with The Chaser and one hopes that his new effort, The Yellow Sea, can bolster his reputation but I doubt that he will become as popular as the aforementioned filmmakers.
The question though, is why are Korean films losing steam? There has been a decline in attendance in Korea lately but the quality of the work is still very strong. Modern western audiences have notoriously short attention spans and it is quite possible that they have moved on to the new thing. The wow factor of the Asia Extreme branding (an invention courtesy of western distribution companies) has worn off and audiences may have moved on for there sensory thrills. Kim's I Saw the Devil is a case in point, it is very violent, original, and certainly depraved, all prerequisites of this supposed subgenre, but coming after films such as Oldboy, A Bittersweet Life, and Save the Green Planet, which are all surpassed by it in terms of brutality, it lacks novelty.
I think this was the problem to begin with, Korean cinema had so much more to offer than violent revenge thrillers, but everything else was peppered underneath them. Had audiences been exposed to the larger, more substantive Korean industry as a whole, perhaps this could have ensured for longevity. Instead it seems that some mid-level distribution companies (such as Tartan) capitalized on the visceral thrill of the new and unknown and sailed on this short wind of popularity.
As I said I still believe that Korean cinema has a lot to offer and it is only a matter of time before another film can have a significant impact on the international market. I just hope that when this does happen a few perspicacious people will be able to foster a culture of growth and enrich themselves and our viewing habits in the process.
It is my impression that of late, there has been a lack of enthusiasm for Korean cinema in the west. While I Saw the Devil was recently released in the US and is gaining in popularity, the exposure it is receiving pales in comparison to those which preceded it, like The Host and Oldboy. I suppose it was only a matter of time before this happened and to be honest the recognition that Korean cinema receives now is still far greater than anything it experienced prior to the new millenium.
However some high profile directors are transitioning to making films in the US, we can expect Hollywood debuts from:
Park Chan-wook - He is directing the Wentworth Miller's blacklisted Stocker starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth and Mia Wasikowski.
Kim Ji-woon - Attached to helm Lionsgate's The Last Stand, another blacklisted script starring Liam Neeson.
*UPDATE* Bong Joon-ho - I've heard that after he completes Snow Piercer, Bong will embark on his first US film with J.J. Abrams on board to produce. This will not start until he finishes Snow Piercer, which is said to be in production until 2012.
These directors, as well as Bong Joon-ho, are established but I worry that it will be difficult for other Korean filmmakers to make a similar mark on the international scene. Na Hong-jin made some strides with The Chaser and one hopes that his new effort, The Yellow Sea, can bolster his reputation but I doubt that he will become as popular as the aforementioned filmmakers.
The question though, is why are Korean films losing steam? There has been a decline in attendance in Korea lately but the quality of the work is still very strong. Modern western audiences have notoriously short attention spans and it is quite possible that they have moved on to the new thing. The wow factor of the Asia Extreme branding (an invention courtesy of western distribution companies) has worn off and audiences may have moved on for there sensory thrills. Kim's I Saw the Devil is a case in point, it is very violent, original, and certainly depraved, all prerequisites of this supposed subgenre, but coming after films such as Oldboy, A Bittersweet Life, and Save the Green Planet, which are all surpassed by it in terms of brutality, it lacks novelty.
I think this was the problem to begin with, Korean cinema had so much more to offer than violent revenge thrillers, but everything else was peppered underneath them. Had audiences been exposed to the larger, more substantive Korean industry as a whole, perhaps this could have ensured for longevity. Instead it seems that some mid-level distribution companies (such as Tartan) capitalized on the visceral thrill of the new and unknown and sailed on this short wind of popularity.
As I said I still believe that Korean cinema has a lot to offer and it is only a matter of time before another film can have a significant impact on the international market. I just hope that when this does happen a few perspicacious people will be able to foster a culture of growth and enrich themselves and our viewing habits in the process.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
It's been a while since I've posted and I'm sorry for that. A busy holiday season, work and some writing projects have diverted my attention from this blog which I'm very happy to see is steadily being viewed. I also haven't been watching any Korean films lately. When it comes to the media I watch I go through cycles, currently I'm loading up on classic Hollywood films such as Ball of Fire, Unfaithfully Yours, The Miracle of Morgan Creek, Hail the Conquering Hero, To Be or Not to Be, and foreign classics like Z, La Ronde, The Rules of the Game, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (a superb revelation), and The Exterminating Angel. I have a long list of Korean films that I need to watch, and I have most of them. Here's what I have in my queue and if you would like me to write on any, please let me know:
1960 - The Housemaid
1961 - Obaltan
1980 - The Last Witness
1987 - The Surrogate Woman
1988 - Chilsu and Mansu
1989 - Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left For the East?
1990 - Black Republic
1993 - Hwaomkyung
1995 - 301/302
1995 - A Single Spark
1996 - A Petal
1997 - The Contact
1997 - The Letter
1998 - Spring in My Hometown
1999 - Whispering Corridors 2 - Memento Mori
2000 - Asako In Ruby Shoes
2001 - Address Unknown
2001 - One Fine Spring Day
2001 - Take Care Of My Cat
2002 - Marriage Is a Crazy Thing
2002 - The Way Home
2007 - May 18
2008 - A Frozen Flower
2008 - Breathless
2009 - A Brand New Life
2010 - Attack the Gas Station 2
I will update soon and I hope that people continue to read what I write! As always, comments are appreciated.
Pierce
1960 - The Housemaid
1961 - Obaltan
1980 - The Last Witness
1987 - The Surrogate Woman
1988 - Chilsu and Mansu
1989 - Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left For the East?
1990 - Black Republic
1993 - Hwaomkyung
1995 - 301/302
1995 - A Single Spark
1996 - A Petal
1997 - The Contact
1997 - The Letter
1998 - Spring in My Hometown
1999 - Whispering Corridors 2 - Memento Mori
2000 - Asako In Ruby Shoes
2001 - Address Unknown
2001 - One Fine Spring Day
2001 - Take Care Of My Cat
2002 - Marriage Is a Crazy Thing
2002 - The Way Home
2007 - May 18
2008 - A Frozen Flower
2008 - Breathless
2009 - A Brand New Life
2010 - Attack the Gas Station 2
I will update soon and I hope that people continue to read what I write! As always, comments are appreciated.
Pierce
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Shifting Modes of Representation in Whispering Corridors - Part I
High school girls are punished in class |
“Whispering Corridors… …indicts Korea’s oppressive educational system, and this South Korean modes of capitalistic socialization.”
Sonyeo working to get into college |
A young girl look up towards a school on a dark night |
The title Whispering Corridors refers to the gossiping girls who roam the schools halls. Perhaps it implies the growing awareness within the minjung (the masses), as they discuss current events and social injustice to the dismay of the authority that tries to eradicate any dissention by scolding the girls for chattering in class.
To be continued...
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Memories of Murder: Part III - The Evolution of the Post-Traumatic Male
"Either physically handicapped or psychologically traumatized (sometimes both), many of the characters emblematized the period's frustration when protest against the military government was disallowed."
Waiting for the inevitable force of time and society |
There is an evident progression of character representation if we trace the relevance of this statement from the start of the New Korean Wave, through its end and into modern Korean cinema. At the start, characters that fit this description were either college students or working class protagonists who had no chance to engage positively or successfully with society. Both of these character types, while worlds apart, suffered from an inability of expression and were both systematically oppressed by a government which tolerated nothing but uniformity and obedience.
This began to change over time and in the year 2000, Peppermint Candy, arguably one of the last New Korean Cinema films, was released. In this narrative we follow a character's entire life story, although we do not engage too much with him personally as he is more of a window to see certain political events through. The trauma that his character suffers from emblematizes the many consequences of the social ills committed during the periods highlighted in the film. What is important, regarding the previous quote, is that he starts off with artistic and optimistic aspirations for the future but as his life becomes consumed and destroyed by the government and military he is eventually forced into civil service, where he becomes a detective and is broken down to become part of the system as he begins to reign his own oppression by beating people senseless under the guise of the law. Only in the end of the narrative (the start of the film as it plays in reverse chronological order) does he recognize what society has done to him and what he has become. At this point he removes himself from the tarnished society he admits to living in and being a part of. In Peppermint Candy the suicide of the principal protagonist at the beginning of the narrative very clearly spells disaster, when the character puts himself on the road (more specifically a train track here) and waits for the inevitable force of time and society to finish off his chronological narrative. His induction and subsequent denial of society left him with the knowledge that he had no home to go to and any attempt at recuperation would have been impossible. What happened in this narrative is that a character that started off by "emblematizing a period's frustration" with the government ends up with him becoming a part of it.
Back at the original scene of the crime |
The natural progression of this logic bings us to Memories of Murder which places the emasculated male as a part of the civil service (again a detective) right from the start and we are never given a clue about his background or why he may have joined the police. We do not necessarily see him as an oppressive agent, although he is certainly not wothy of much praise, but he is part of the system and he has no understanding of the consequences of most of his actions although to a cetain extent he learns to deal with this throughout the narrative. By the end, after suffering dificult psychological trauma he leaves the force (we do not know when or exactly why, although we can guess) to become a civilian. He becomes a travelling salesman, permanently doomed to travel the roads of South Korea. We last see him exactly where he started, still trying to make sense of something that has no easy answers on a road that seems long and narrow and may not lead anywhere at all.
"The depictions of emasculated and humiliated male subjects set the stage for their remasculinization", this may not necessaily be true of this narrative but by rejecting his image as a civil servant or pawn of an oppressive government he has to some degree become engaged with his own narrative. He understands the society he lives in that much better and sees how he relates to it however, he is still far from recuperating his own male subjectivity, to quote Kyung "The dawning of a new modern era is normally punctuated by hope and optimism, but the weight of intense history and its attendant violence loomed so excessively large that it ended up traumatizing, marginalizing and denaturalizing men". The government and the history which it created was so vast and oppressive that, coupled with the pre-existing historical traumas from the rest of the century, it became impossible for post-traumatic males to be given any chance to heal their psychological wounds, within or without the civil service and the society it dominated.
"The depictions of emasculated and humiliated male subjects set the stage for their remasculinization", this may not necessaily be true of this narrative but by rejecting his image as a civil servant or pawn of an oppressive government he has to some degree become engaged with his own narrative. He understands the society he lives in that much better and sees how he relates to it however, he is still far from recuperating his own male subjectivity, to quote Kyung "The dawning of a new modern era is normally punctuated by hope and optimism, but the weight of intense history and its attendant violence loomed so excessively large that it ended up traumatizing, marginalizing and denaturalizing men". The government and the history which it created was so vast and oppressive that, coupled with the pre-existing historical traumas from the rest of the century, it became impossible for post-traumatic males to be given any chance to heal their psychological wounds, within or without the civil service and the society it dominated.
Previous: Part II - The Wandering Male
Absence
My work has been keeping me on the road recently and I am somewhat distressed to see that I have not added to this blog in over a month. Thankfully my workload has abated somewhat and I am once again in a position to contribute to my own project!
Besides writing pieces on specific films and adding the remaining chapters of my Memories of Murder dissertation, I am also very keen to write some articles on different aspects of Korean cinema. I would gladly entertain expanding on any topics you may have in mind as I want this blog to become filled with discussion points, not just my thoughts. So I encourage you to suggests ideas in the comments section or you can email me.
Finally, thank you all for reading my blog! I was delighted to see that Modern Korean Cinema has accrued over 1000 visits!
Pierce
Besides writing pieces on specific films and adding the remaining chapters of my Memories of Murder dissertation, I am also very keen to write some articles on different aspects of Korean cinema. I would gladly entertain expanding on any topics you may have in mind as I want this blog to become filled with discussion points, not just my thoughts. So I encourage you to suggests ideas in the comments section or you can email me.
Finally, thank you all for reading my blog! I was delighted to see that Modern Korean Cinema has accrued over 1000 visits!
Pierce
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
New Korean Cinema: Breaking the Waves
Darcy Paquet’s book on Korean cinema may be short (from intro to conclusion it runs just over 100 pages) but it is easily the clearest picture of Modern Korean cinema that exists in what is admittedly a small library. More importantly, what I love about New Korean Cinema: Breaking the Waves (hereafter NKC) is the diligent context it provides. The framework for everything that happened to or changed within Korean cinema in the 21st century is successfully laid out by Mr. Paquet. Upon completing the book I felt I understood the inner workings and the root of everything that typifies one of the most electric films industries in the world. I helped me put perspective on my own ideas and sowed the seeds for many new ones. Perhaps its brevity is its success, had Mr. Paquet followed his groundwork and written in his own theories and ideas regarding Korean cinema, it most likely would have quelled the impulse to his base as a sounding board and starting point for each of his readers ideas. It is a tool which serves as gift for the power of interpretation. It is easy to draw several different conclusions after reading NKC, but at least we’ll have all gotten the facts right!
New Korean cinema: Breaking the Waves |
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