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Category Archives: Kang Je-gyu

War Stories

10-Jun-08

War Stories

The Korean War started in June 1950, and the Korean Cultural Centre has selected the War as the theme for the two films to be screened there this month. The first, on 12 June, is Taegukgi (태극기 휘날리며, also known as Brotherhood, or even Brotherhood of War), by Kang Je gyu (2004), while later in the month on 26 June will be Welcome to Dongmakgol, (웰컴 투 동막골) directed by Park Kwang-hyeon (2005). The two films could not be more different, but in their way are both a strong contrast to films about the Korean war made in the recent past. From the late 50s through to the 70s, to generalise probably rather too much, South Korean films about the war were ...
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How like “Swiri” is “The Way Home”?

15-Sep-06

How like “Swiri” is “The Way Home”?

That's the intriguing question posed by Andrew Jackson's talk at the Sheffield BAKS conference last week. It was a question prompted by a statement by Ahn Sang-gun, a senior figure in KOTRA, the Korean Trade Investment Promotion Agency, and reported in the Donga Ilbo on 5 April 2003: that The Way Home and Swiri are the two films that best represent the modern face of the South Korean nation. Hmm. A Hollywood style action flick and a feel-good movie about a spoilt brat who can't get his choco-pies when staying with his impoverished granny out in the sticks. How could either of these films be said to represent South Korean modernity? Andrew Jackson accepted the challenge. It was an interesting compare and ...
Also filed in BAKS, Conference reports, Film, Lee Jeong-hyang | Tagged , | Comments (0) »