Top 25 Korean Films - No. 12

Splendid Outing (Dir. Kim Soo-yong, 1978)

Though not as well known as Im Kwon-taek, Kim Ki-young and others, Kim Soo-yong is one of classic Korean cinema’s greatest auteurs, not mention most prolific with over 100 credits to his name. Among his fascinating body of work, the film that has struck me the most was his island drama Splendid Outing, a stunning work that sees a powerful female executive stripped of her position when she finds herself forcibly married to a man on a backward, rural island.

A disquieting work with a electric lead performance from Yoon Jeong-hee, Splendid Outing, which is aesthetically and thematically reminiscent of Kaneta Shindo’s Naked Island (1960), also features gorgeous, off-kilter camerawork. The film’s unique style highlights its exploration of the clash between traditionalism and modernism in contemporary Korea, particularly as it applies to woman. Kim’s film is also strikingly similar to Bedevilled (2010), another stellar and austere island drama.

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