[KS] Koreanstudies Digest, Vol 29, Issue 6
Walter K. Lew
Lew at humnet.ucla.edu
Sun Nov 6 15:08:07 EST 2005
Adding to Stephen's suggestion, /Chang'gunUi adUl/ is also noteworthy
for its brief but wonderful depiction of a pyOnsa (live narrator of
film--or what I call a "movieteller") performance. As the screening
of (a reconstruction of) the film /Kuk'kyOng/ begins, the
energetically declaiming male pyOnsa is shown giving narrative
background and then impersonations of several characters in rapid
succession, including a young woman. This excerpt never fails to
fascinate and entertain students--and I have used it in courses
ranging from introductions to Korean civilization to graduate-level
multimedia writing workshops.
There are other reconstructed films with a pyOnsa soundtrack--
sometimes taken from old 78 rpm recordings--as well as documentaries
about the "majimak pyOnsa" Shin Ch'ul, who has performed in the US
several times over the last few years, but /Chang'gun/ faithfully
recreates the whole moviegoing, theater, and performance setting.
Unfortunately, pyOnsa scenes are not included in any of the sequels.
-- Walter K. Lew
> Message: 7
> Date: Sun, 6 Nov 2005 14:54:40 +1300
> From: "Stephen Epstein" <Stephen.Epstein at vuw.ac.nz>
> Subject: Re: [KS] Films dealing with the Colonial Period
> To: "Korean Studies Discussion List" <Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
> Message-ID:
> <5FBD50649A79784EB70489F77E2C1FAF02047652 at coso.staff.vuw.ac.nz>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> I don't think anybody has yet mentioned Im Kwon-taek's fast-paced
> "ChanggunUi adUl" (The General's Son), which is an action film set
> in the '30s. It's an entertaining movie, but for me the star is
> the set design which vividly recreates Seoul during the occupation
> (not that I can personally vouch for its authenticity....). I think
> ti would go down well in the classroom and provide a lot of
> amterial for discussion. The film has a sequel as well "ChanggunUi
> adUl 2."
>
> Btw, I believe that the film mentioned below is in fact "2009: Lost
> Memories."
>
> Stephen
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