Books on Screen

Film review: The Unfair / Minority Opinion

Post image for Film review: The Unfair / Minority Opinion

by Philip Gowman on 3 July, 2018

in Event reports and reviews | Film reviews and comment

The Unfair (also known as Minority Opinion) screened as the penultimate movie in the Korean Novels on Screen season at the KCC. Based on a novel by Son Aram, it is the only film in the season where the underlying book has not (yet) been translated into English. Although the scenario is based loosely on the […]

{ 0 comments }

Screening: My Brilliant Life + Kim Aeran Q&A

by Events Editor 8 June 2018
Thumbnail image for Screening: My Brilliant Life + Kim Aeran Q&A

One of my favourite directors, and one of my favourite authors. I’ll be there. My Brilliant Life (두근두근 내 인생) With author Kim Aeran Q&A Director: E J-yong (2014, 117 mins) Cast: Song Hye-kyo, Kim Seung-wook, Gang Dong-won, Baek Il-seob Original novel by Kim Aeran Thursday 28 June 2018, 7pm, KCCUK | Book here My […]

Read the full article →

Screening: The Unfair

by Events Editor 27 May 2018
Thumbnail image for Screening: The Unfair

Continuing the KCC’s season of adaptations of Korean novels: The Unfair (aka Minority Opinion, 소수의견) Director: Kim Sung-je (2015, 127 mins) Cast: Yoon Kye-sang, Yoo Hae-jin, Kim Ok-vin, Lee Gyoung-young, Jang Kwang Original novel by Son Aram Thursday 7 June 2018, 7pm KCCUK | Book via EventBrite Amidst a messy construction site skirmish at which […]

Read the full article →

May Literature Night: Hwang Sok-yong’s The Old Garden

by Events Editor 5 May 2018
Thumbnail image for May Literature Night: Hwang Sok-yong’s The Old Garden

Continuing the KCC’s season of screen adaptations of Korean novels. May Literature Night: Hwang Sok-yong’s The Old Garden 30 May 2018, 19.00-21.00 Venue: Korean Cultural Centre UK Entrance Free – Booking Essential. Apply to info@kccuk.org.uk or call 020 7004 2600 with your name and contact details by Thursday 10th May. The booking system utilises a […]

Read the full article →

Screening: The Old Garden

by Events Editor 24 April 2018
Thumbnail image for Screening: The Old Garden

Continuing the season of adaptations of Korean novels. LKL’s seven-year-old review of the novel can be found here. The Old Garden (오래된 정원) Director: Im Sang-soo (2007, 112 mins) Cast: Ji Jin-hi, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Eung-soo, Kim Hyun-ah Original novel by Hwang Sok-yong KCCUK, 24 May 2018 7:00 pm | Reserve via Eventbrite Anti-government protests […]

Read the full article →

Book Review: Ahn Jung-hyo – White Badge

by Philip Gowman 20 April 2018
Thumbnail image for Book Review: Ahn Jung-hyo – White Badge

Ahn Jung-hyo: White Badge Soho Press, NY, 1989, 337pp Originally published as 하얀전쟁, 1983 Translated by the author If I saw Jeong Ji-young’s White Badge (1992) when it screened in London eight years ago, I do not remember it. I cannot imagine having a similar lapse of memory concerning Ahn Jung-hyo’s Vietnam war novel on […]

Read the full article →

Film review: Yu Hyun-mok’s Descendants of Cain

by Philip Gowman 13 April 2018
Thumbnail image for Film review: Yu Hyun-mok’s Descendants of Cain

I had looked forward to the first movie in the KCC’s Korean Novels on Screen series – Kim Ki-young’s adaptation of Yi Kwang-su’s The Soil – and had been disappointed. Conversely, not being a particular fan of Yu Hyun-mok’s depressing movies, I was regarding the second in the series – his adaptation of Hwang Sun-won’s 1954 […]

Read the full article →

Screening: Jang Sun-woo’s A Petal

by Events Editor 10 April 2018
Thumbnail image for Screening: Jang Sun-woo’s A Petal

It’ll be good to get another chance to see this classic movie. Thanks to the KCC for programming it. A Petal (꽃잎) Director: Jang Sun-woo (1996, 101 mins) Cast: Moon Sung-keun, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Young-ran, Yoo Soon-chul Original novel by Choe Yun 10 May 2018 7:00 pm, KCCUK. Book via EventBrite Stumbling along rivers and […]

Read the full article →

Brief review: Kim Ki-young – The Soil

by Philip Gowman 2 April 2018
Thumbnail image for Brief review: Kim Ki-young – The Soil

I’m not sure quite how to assess Kim Ki-young’s adaptation of Yi Kwang-su’s 500-page serial novel The Soil (흙, 1932-3). At 125 minutes, it doesn’t sound particularly long. But as we got up from our seats at the KCC last Thursday at around 9:15pm, it felt much later – maybe around 10:30pm. And that wasn’t […]

Read the full article →

Book review: Yi Kwang-su — The Soil

by Philip Gowman 26 March 2018
Thumbnail image for Book review: Yi Kwang-su — The Soil

Yi Kwang-su: The Soil Translated by Hwang Sun-ae and Horace Jeffery Hodges Dalkey Archive, 2013, 512pp Originally published as 흙, 1932-3 Yi Kwang-su’s The Soil, at over 500 pages long, is not a book that immediately entices you to read it. But with a screening of Kim Ki-young’s adaptation of the novel coming up shortly […]

Read the full article →

Screening: White Badge + Ahn Jung-hyo Q+A

by Events Editor 18 March 2018
Thumbnail image for Screening: White Badge + Ahn Jung-hyo Q+A

Jeong Ji-yeong’s adaptation of Ahn Jung-hyo’s Vietnam War novel is the third in the KCCUK’s Korean Novels on Screen season of screenings. Director Jeong came to London back in 2010 to talk about this movie. LKL’s write-up can be found here. White Badge (하얀전쟁) Director: Chung Ji-young (1992, 124 mins) Cast: Ahn Sung-ki, Lee Gyoung-young, […]

Read the full article →

Screening: Yu Hyun-mok’s The Descendants of Cain

by Events Editor 16 March 2018
Thumbnail image for Screening: Yu Hyun-mok’s The Descendants of Cain

The second in the KCC’s season of book adaptations is Yu Hyun-mok’s version of Hwang Sun-won’s The Descendants of Cain. LKL reviews the novel here. Yu Hyun-mok: The Descendants of Cain (카인의 후예, 1968) Cast: Kim Jin-kyu, Moon Hee, Park No-sik, Jang Dong-hwi KCCUK, 12 April 2018, 7:00 pm Free admission | register on EventBrite […]

Read the full article →

Screening: Kim Ki-young’s The Soil

by Events Editor 8 March 2018
Thumbnail image for Screening: Kim Ki-young’s The Soil

This year the KCC’s first film screenings are adaptations of Korean novels. We start the season with Kim Ki-young’s adaptation of Yi Kwang-su’s 1932 novel 흙, variously known as The Soil, Earth or Peasants. Kim Ki-young: The Soil (흙 – 1978) Cast: Lee Hwa-si, Kim Jeong-cheol, Yeom Bok-soon, Nam Sung-hoon Thu 29 March 2018, 19:00 […]

Read the full article →

March Literature Night: Hwang Sung-won’s Descendants of Cain

by Events Editor 24 February 2018
Thumbnail image for March Literature Night: Hwang Sung-won’s Descendants of Cain

March’s literature night at the KCC will feature Hwang Sun-won’s 1954 novel The Descendants of Cain, set in the bitter period between liberation and the start of the Korean War. LKL’s review can be found here. And don’t forget you only have until the end of March to submit your Kim Aeran essay. Korean Literature […]

Read the full article →

I think I just don’t get Park Kyung-ni

by Philip Gowman 19 April 2015
Thumbnail image for I think I just don’t get Park Kyung-ni

Having failed to make much headway with Park Kyung-ni’s T’oji / Land, I thought I might give her Curse of Kim’s Daughters a try, in preparation for a re-watch of Yu Hyun-mok’s film adaptation of the novel. I didn’t particularly enjoy the movie the first time I saw it. But then, so far I haven’t […]

Read the full article →

A week-long programme of films based on Korean novels at SOAS

by Events Editor 6 April 2015
Thumbnail image for A week-long programme of films based on Korean novels at SOAS

April is the month of the London Book Fair (14-16 April at Olympia). Last year Korea was the market focus, an honour assumed by Mexico this year. But the Korea Publishers Association, LTI Korea and other bodies will be attending to fly the flag for Korea. To remind us of the fun we had last […]

Read the full article →

Festival Film Review: This Road Called Life

by Philip Gowman 15 December 2014
Thumbnail image for Festival Film Review: This Road Called Life

Following on from the success of their feature-length animation Green Days, Studio MWP worked with Korean TV broadcaster EBS to produce a trio of short films which adapt three familiar short stories which are studied by most Koreans in high school: Yi Hyo-seok’s Buckwheat Season, Kim Yu-jeong’s Spring, Spring, and A Lucky Day by Hyun […]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries