 Classic Movie Night: Special Feature Series
May 12-14, 2008
South Korean
films continue to set box-office records across Asia and win laurels in
international film festivals. Meanwhile, little attention is given to
the cinema from the other half of the peninsula. From May 12 to 14,
2008, three films from the DPRK’s canon will be screened as a special
presentation in the Classic Movie Night series.
The films—Hong Gil Dong, Bellflower, and My Look in the Distant Future—have
been rarely seen outside the former Eastern Bloc. Cinema in the DPRK is
an original expression of social realism and a primary vehicle for
conveying state ideology. Even so, the tales—of peasant farmers
struggling against feudal lords, anti-Japanese resistance fighters, and
ordinary citizens loyal to their hometowns—are also told with genuine
artistry. Click to buy tickets.
Tickets are available for $7 (members), $12 (non-members), and $30 (for all three movies, $18 for members). For more information, please contact Yuni Cho at (212) 759-7525, ext.323 or email .
All films are presented with English subtitles and will be screened at The Korea Society (950 Third Avenue,
Eighth Floor, New York City; building entrance on the SW corner of 57th Street and Third Avenue).
SCHEDULE
Monday, May 12
6:00 PM Opening Reception for the Series
Introduction by Professor Charles Armstrong, Director, Center for Korean Research, Columbia University
6:30 PM Hong Kil Dong (1986) buy tickets
Directed by Kim Kil-in
Starring Ri Yong-ho, Ri Gwon and Ri Ri-youn
104 minutes
Mixing Hong Kong-style kung fu with a socialist ethos, the Robin Hood-esque Hong Kil Dong
took the Bulgarian box office by storm in the late 1980s. Forever
barred from privilege, the eponymous protagonist-the illegitimate son
of a nobleman-wanders Korea helping farmers fend off feudal
exploitation. But when Korea is invaded by Japanese ninja, he must unite with his perennial enemies to defend the fatherland.
Tuesday, May 13
6:30 PM Bellflower (1987) buy tickets
Directed by Jo Kyong-sun
Starring O Mi-ran, Kim Ryong-jo, Song Yon-ok and Kim Hye-son
83 minutes
As the most popular North Korean production of the 1980s, Bellflower
earned lead actress O Mi-ran the honorific title "People's Actor." O's
character, Jin Song Rim, strives to turn her humble mountain hometown
of Pyokgye-ri into a model socialist village. Released when the
economic foundations of the DPRK were starting to tremble, Bellflower praises the spirit of workers who accept their roles and work for the betterment of the nation.
Wednesday, May 14
 6:30 PM My Look in the Distant Future (1997) buy tickets
Directed by Jang In-hak
Starring Kim Myong-mun and Kim Hye-gyong
102 minutes
Reeling from
famine in the mid-1990s, North Korea mobilized tens of thousands of
urban residents for emergency agricultural work in the countryside. My Look in the Distant Future
depicts that dire period with an optimistic gloss. Sent to the
countryside, a young, urban loafer finds inspiration in a stalwart
village leader and decides to become a model worker.
Classic Movie Night continues to the themes of critical realism in Korea on Thursday, May 15 with The Ball Shot by a Midget.
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