Special series: Remembering the Korean War May 22-25
May 22 - 25, 2008
Anthology Film Archives
(32 Second Avenue NYC)
PARK, Chan-wook, Grade 15,
Korean Cultural Service hosts Anthology Film Archives with a series of classic South Korean cinema for a special weekend-long series of movies, classic and contemporary that remembers the Korean War.
The series includes one South Korean film from each of the past five decades. The chronological span of the series sheds light on how the war has been depicted over time, as well as showing how cinematic styles have changed. The beauty of cinema is an ironic counterpoint to the actual wars fought.
The Korean War (1950-1953) is called the ‘Forgotten War’ despite 3 million deaths, the first use of napalm, and the first armed confrontation of the Cold War. The war also involved human emotion, and we see this in the camaraderie of men in a unit, as well as in friendship that can develop between enemies. Our series include the stories of those left behind, the women and children, and in present-day stories that involve painful recollections of the past. Separated people are brought together by happenstance, but the two Koreas remain divided. As it stands, a cease-fire was established in 1953 and the demilitarized zone remains one of the world’s most heavily fortified borders.
Screening Schedule:
LEE Man-Hee
THE MARINES WHO NEVER RETURNED / DORAOJI ANNUN HAEBYONG
1963, 110 minutes, 35mm, b&w. In Korean with English subtitles. With Chang Tong-Hui, Choi Mu-Ryong, and Ku Pong-So.
Made during the ‘Golden Age’ of Korean Cinema, this is one of the finest films of that era. Jang leads a division of Marines northward to Inchon, where an emergency posting sends them into rough terrain with orders to trap the Chinese Communist forces there. This is classic Korean cinema at its best: pans zip across the screen like wired messages, and deep-focus shots of rugged mountain landscapes suggest claustrophobia despite their stark beauty. The notion of the absurdity of war may be an undercurrent in the film, but the anti-communist theme reveals the hand of the government.
–Thursday, May 22 at 7:00 and Saturday, May 24 at 4:30.
YU Hyun-Mok
RAINY DAYS / JANG-MA
1979, 114 minutes, 35mm, color. In Korean with English subtitles. Screenplay adapted by Yoon Sam-Yuk and written by Yoon Hung-Kil. With Lee Dae-Keun, Hwang Jeong-Sun, Kim Seok-Hun, and Kim Sin-Jae.
Monsoon rain pours down on Dong-Man’s house, which is chock-full of relatives who have fled to escape the war. His maternal grandmother is furious that her son, a South Korean soldier, died fighting North Korean guerilla soldiers, which rubs Dong-Man’s paternal grandmother the wrong way, as her son is a Communist soldier. A cold war ensues between the two grandmothers until a large snake crawls into the house.
–Thursday, May 22 at 9:30 and Saturday, May 24 at 7:00.
BAE Chang-Ho
WARM WINTER WAS GONE / KEU HAE KYEO-UR-EUN DDA-DDEUT-HAET-NE
1984, 120 minutes, 35mm, color. In Korean with English subtitles. With Ahn Sung-Ki, Lee Mi-Sook, Yoo Ji-In, and Han Jin-Hee.
After over a decade of heavy censorship, the 1980s proved to be a period of artistic renewal for the Korean film industry. Although censorship remained intact, several complex and thought-provoking films opened up new, personal perspectives on the war, in particular WARM WINTER WAS GONE. This is the story of two sisters who are separated as children during the war. Their various experiences lead them to encounter sharply contrasting fates in the years hence. As their lives intertwine they become re-acquainted with each other, without recognizing their familial ties.
–Friday, May 23 at 7:00 and Sunday, May 25 at 9:00.
PARK Kwang-Su
TO THE STARRY ISLAND / KUSEOM E GAGO SIPTA
1994, 102 minutes, 35mm, color. In Korean with English subtitles. With Ahn Sung-Ki, Moon Sung-Keun, and Shim Hye-Jin.
The poet Chul accompanies Chae-Ku to the island where they were childhood friends, bearing the coffin of Chae-Ku’s father whose last wish was to be buried in his hometown. But the islanders adamantly refuse to allow the coffin ashore. Here unfolds the story of the islanders, still haunted by the painful memory of wartime. Based on tragic real-life red-baiting incidents, this film displays the director’s style, elegantly lyrical but with a deadly sting.
–Friday, May 23 at 9:30 and Sunday, May 25 at 4:15.
PARK Chan-Wook
JOINT SECURITY AREA / KONG-DONG-GYUNG-BI-GU-YEOK JSA
2000, 107 minutes, 35mm, color. In Korean with English subtitles. With Lee Young-Ae, Song Kang-Ho, Lee Byung-Hun, and Shin Ha-Kyun.
It’s hard to believe that the director of OLD BOY would create a humanistic tale of North Korean and South Korean soldiers, stationed on either side of the demilitarized zone, who become friends. When shooting breaks out, leaving two North Korean soldiers dead, a neutral Swiss officer conducts an inquiry whose investigation leads her to uncover a tragic secret. The film’s immense success at the box-office demonstrated to the Korean film industry the public’s strong desire to stop demonizing the North.
–Saturday, May 24 at 9:30 and Sunday, May 25 at 6:30.
* All films are presented in Korean with English subtitles.
* Film Curator Ms. Hyun-Ock Im will introduce the program and lead a discussion after the screening.
<Q& A Schedule>
THE MARINES WHO NEVER RETURNED / DORAOJI ANNUN HAEBYONG
–Thursday, May 22 at 7:00 and Saturday, May 24 at 4:30.
RAINY DAYS / JANG-MA
–Saturday, May 24 at 7:00.
WARM WINTER WAS GONE / KEU HAE KYEO-UR-EUN DDA-DDEUT-HAET-NE
–Friday, May 23 at 7:00
TO THE STARRY ISLAND / KUSEOM E GAGO SIPTA
–Sunday, May 25 at 4:15.
JOINT SECURITY AREA / KONG-DONG-GYUNG-BI-GU-YEOK JSA
–Sunday, May 25 at 6:30.
SCREENING at Anthology Film Archives
Directions: Anthology is at 32 Second Ave. at 2nd St.
Subway: F or V to 2nd Ave; 6 to Bleecker.
Tickets: $8 for adults, $6 for students & seniors; $5 for members.