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Kim Hye-soo
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Kim Hye-soo: Film Fanatic, Actress, Now Asiana Critic
A press conference for the 6th Asiana International Short Film Festival was held last Tuesday morning at the Kumho Art Hall in Gwanghwamun, downtown Seoul. Present were actor and festival director Ahn Sung-ki, film director Yoon Jong-chan, festival programmer Lee Joo-yeon, actress Kim Hye-soo and actor Chung Bo-hoon. A total of 1,734 films from 69 countries have been submitted to this year’s event. “Although more films were submitted this year than last, we had to reduce the number to be screened during the festival due to time restraints,” said Lee Joo-yeon. Kim Hye-soo, one of Korea’s top actresses, was notably appointed as a special member of the jury. Kim has appeared in some 20 movies since her 1986 debut with “Ggambo” to her most recent release, this year’s “Modern Boy.” “I graduated from university one year later than my fellow students, mainly due to the fact that I was working in the film industry while I was attending classes. Another reason is that I wasn’t the most conscientious student. The only thing I loved as a film major student was to watch films. As a huge fan of short films, I will do my best to discover actors with great potential through watching many good short films,” said Kim. One of the noteworthy aspects of the festival is its showcase of films selected for in-flight entertainment schedules. In order to seek alternative ways to distribute films, each year the organizing committee chooses about ten films in competition to screen during Asiana’s international flights until June of the following year. The 6th Asiana International Short Film Festival will be held from Nov. 5 through 10 in Cinecube in Gwanghwamun, Seoul. For further information, refer to the festival’s website, www.aisff.org.
'Modern Boy': Reinterpretation of Japanese Colonialism?
Following the footsteps of ``Radio Dayz,'' ``Once Upon a Time'' and ``The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' comes ``Modern Boy,'' another purely entertainment-driven movie set during the Japanese colonial era (1910-45). Gyeongseong, the name of Seoul at the time, is home to flamboyant flappers (so-called ``modern boys and girls''), radio stars and charming bandits who aren't necessarily working for Korea's independence. The symbolic power of cinema is extensive, as it often showcases a given country's aesthetics, technical achievements and entertainment factors, and moreover portrays to varying degrees its cultural, historical and social values. Period pieces in particular become the subject of scrutiny as they speak for the shared history of a people. A Japanese newspaper made a misleading report about ``Modern Boy'' and the above-mentioned Gyeongseong movies in January this year. Katsuhiro Kuroda, managing editor of Sankei Shimbun's Seoul branch, announced ``the reinterpretation of Japanese colonialism'' in Korea ― how there was an effort to reexamine it as an era of modernization rather than one of exploitation, oppression and resistance, and that the conventional school manual ``dark period'' version has gotten a facelift and was drawing popularity among the younger generation. The cheerful characters of ``Modern Boy'' deliver a colorful story, but by no means do they beautify history. It simply shows that life continued, and that there was love, friendship and fun even in oppressive times. Gyeongseong is another name for exoticism, and rich period details give way to a visually lush film. The film portrays a new side of Gyeongseong, brightly lit with neon signs, where swing dance and jazz music were in full swing. One can argue that the moral distinction between ``courageous'' independence fighters versus pro-Japanese ``traitors'' and evil Japanese authorities has entered a gray zone. ``Modern Boy'' does indeed feature a sympathetic Japanese character (Lee Han) that suffers over his genuine friendship with a Korean. But this is because the area of central conflict has shifted. Back in the day, Korean cinema had its fare share of political films. Director Choi In-kyu, for example, made a 180-degree turn away from movies propagating Japanese militarism in the 1930s into making ultra-patriotic ones after Liberation in 1945. Such ``nationalistic'' filmmaking is not unusual. Hollywood continues to demonstrate the political agenda du jour, as Middle Eastern and even North Korean ``axis of evil'' terrorists began replacing the public enemy role long held by scheming Russian communists, Neo-Nazis and the ruthless Vietcong. For Korean cinema's quintessential bad Japanese imperialist, it's a different story. The new Gyeongseong films mark a role shift rather than a reinterpretation of history. The Japanese oppressor is still evil but has melted into the background rather than being a strictly dishonorable character. The bitterness over losing sovereignty remains intact. Some of the most affecting moments in ``Modern Boy'' are when the protagonist, wealthy but deprived of his country, recalls his childhood dream of becoming Japanese rather than a doctor or such, and how a talented artist cannot sing in her own language. ``Modern Boy'' is about a rich, hedonistic playboy played by the fabulous Park Hae-il who cannot care less that his country was colonized and falls head over heals in love with a beautiful independence fighter, ingeniously brought to life by Korean sex symbol Kim Hye-soo. Director Jung Ji-woo crafts a dramatic femme fatale story that evokes ``Carmen'' and ``Original Sin,'' but which can also be compared to Ang Lee's ``Lust, Caution.'' It is essentially a love story, and the dynamics of the time period set the heartbreaking mood for the narrative. So whether it's Hollywood or Chungmuro, a common denominator is that no matter who plays the bad guy, movies shift their focus away from the political problem at hand. That's entertainment.
'Modern Boy'paints a colorful story
Director Jung Ji-woo's historical drama "Modern Boy" promises to be a real highlight of this year's film calendar. Set in 1937 Gyeongseong (old Seoul) when Korea was under Japanese occupation, it follows the story of Lee Hae-myung (played by Park Hae-il), a Korean civil servant with an extravagant lifestyle and a dress sense to match. As a self-proclaimed romanticist, his liberal approach to life defies the oppression and economic depression of the time, hence the film's title. However, all is changed as he falls in love with the enchanting Cho Nan-sil (Kim Hye-soo), a mysterious bar-performer who proves to be a lot more than meets the eye. Lee Hae-myung suddenly finds that he is pit against the grand forces of history in a fight for his love. On his choice of setting, director Jung Ji-woo said that "it was an era wrought with economic trouble but still incredibly rich in culture, I thought it would provide a great setting for a movie," in the opening press conference at Apgujeong CGV on Wednesday. "Modern Boy" stays true to the sageuk genre (Korean historical drama) with characteristic emphasis on its setting, recreating the intricate details of 1930s Gyeongseong from scratch. From suspended paper streetlights to historical sites like the Gyeongseong station and Sungnyemun, no expenses were spared in bringing the period to life in full color. This attention to detail is bound to mesmerize the audience with the depiction of a vibrant, passionate Gyeongseong, a place that lingers in the history books only through black and white photos as a difficult period of Korean history. Two years in the making, Jung was full of pride for his film and praise for his actors. He said they were "a pleasure to work with" and that "the film will be worth seeing for their captivating performances alone." Due for release on Oct. 2, "Modern Boy" looks to set the screens alight with all the color and passion of autumn.
'Modern Boy' Opens in October
After six years in the making and a release date postponed by months, Jung Ji-woo's ambitious period drama ``Modern Boy,'' starring hot actors Park Hae-il and Kim Hye-soo, will open in theaters in October. The press gathered to catch the film's first promotional event held Wednesday in a Seoul theater. The critically acclaimed director of ``Happy End'' (starring ``Old Boy'' hero Choi Min-sik and ``Secret Sunshine'' heroine Jeon Do-yeon) brings a dramatic love story set in 1930s Gyeongseong or old Seoul, when Korea was under Japanese colonization (1910-45). With years of pre-production for the period detail, the film also utilizes the most blue screen shoots for computer graphics imagery(CGI) used in a Korean movie. ``In trying to recreate the period, I realized how little remains of the past because Korea was so focused on economic development,'' the director told reporters. The film resurrects via CGI the recently burnt down Sungnyemun and other landmarks. ``Unlike the black and white documentaries we're familiar with, 1930s Gyeonseong was a thoroughly modern city, very colorful with neon lights,'' he said, explaining that while it was a time of tragedy, it was also very dynamic with culture thriving and modernization in full gear. Like recent success ``The Good, the Bad, the Weird,'' which is set in the 1940s, this particular period, which had in the past been the subject of depressing documentaries, becomes a backdrop for crafting rich, exciting drama. ``The point here is not making a story about the colonial era but taking a character who could well exist in 2008 and displacing him in the past,'' he said. Park plays the role of a ``modern boy,'' a suave, rich young man who is unaffected by the fact his country was colonized. With his Japanese best friend, he struts around with his fashionable perm and customized linen suits, womanizing while flirting with a civil servant position. One day, however, he becomes mesmerized by a sexy singer/dancer (Kim), and becomes implicated in this mysterious woman's schemes to bomb a building. The reputed male lead from ``Rules of Dating'' and ``Paradise Murdered'' said he took a contemporary approach to his character. ``I felt rather overwhelmed about playing a character in another time,'' said the 31-year-old actor. But he understood his character as being today's equivalent of a couture wear sporting hedonist living in the rich neighborhoods of Gangnam (southern Seoul). ``He just wants to be happy but was born in the wrong era,'' he said. It's no surprise that Kim, Korea's ultimate sex symbol, plays a femme fatale. But the 37-year-old actress from ``Tazza: The High Rollers'' said that sex appeal doesn't define her character, who has at least nine identities from singer and dancer to fashion designer. ``She's a very talented woman who lived ahead of her time,'' she said. Kim sings in Korean, Japanese and English and swings to jazz music. She said the months of preparation were physically enervating yet spiritually invigorating. ``It was a life changing experience both personally and professionally,'' she said with a smile. The screen beauty also revealed that she had been long interested in the film even before she was cast. ``I read about the movie in a magazine and was captivated by a photo they used of a singer from the era,'' she said. Throughout the press conference, Kim and Park did not hesitate to compliment each other. The director added that the film would be worth watching just to see the chemistry between two of the most talented actors in Korea.
Major Korean Films Offered With English Subtitles
CGV Yongsan in central Seoul will devote a screen to the exclusive showing of popular domestic movies with English-language subtitles, an unprecedented move by a movie theater. ``It's to serve the many foreigners in Korea who want to watch Kor....
Retro movies rediscover colonial era
Gyeongseong is emerging as a popular background for Korean films, reflecting the public's recent penchant for retro style, and filmmakers' newfound interest in the Japanese colonial period -- evidence of their quest for fresh characters and themes. ....
