[Korean Film News] Kim Ji-hoon’s Upcoming Historical Drama May 18 [화려한 휴가]

Not by a long shot – historical films are here to stay, and the number of those treating events in recent memory is on the rise. It should come as no surprise, given the country’s turbulent past, its touch-and-go relationship with North Korea (with whom it is technically still at war), and Koreans’ strong national consciousness, that historical and political dramas figure prominently in the list of highest-grossing Korean films. A glance at the “top ten” yields: the historical fusion drama King and the Clown [왕의 남자] (2005, 12.3 M admissions), two sickly pro-reunification dramas – political thriller JSA [공동경비구역] (5.83 M admissions) and the Korean War drama Welcome to Dongmakgol [웰컴 투 동막골] (2005, 8 M admissions); another Korean War drama, Taegukgi [태극기(2004, 11.75 M admissions); and the political thrillers Shiri [쉬리] (1999, 6.2 M admissions), and Silmido [실미도] (2003, 11.1 M admissions). Hanbando [한반도], a political thriller criticized for its vehemently anti-Japanese rhetoric, was the fourth highest-grossing film of 2006.

Coupled with Koreans’ insatiable appetite for historical films is Chungmuro’s increasing experience with the genre and ever-increasing budgets. However, historical films are not without liabilities peculiar to the genre, specifically lengthy development windows and potentially excessive production costs. There are also unquantifiable risks. In 2005, the Seoul Central Court ordered the producers of Im Sang-soo’s brilliant political satire The President’s Last Bang [그때 그사람들] to remove 3 minutes and 50 seconds of documentary footage as a result of a lawsuit brought by Park Chung-hee’s son Park Ji-man (the ruling was overturned in August 2006). The film centered on events leading up to the assassination of President Park Chung-hee by the chief of the KCIA on October 26, 1979. Blue Swallow [청연] (2005), based on the life of an early female pilot and set during the 1920s, was unable to recuperate from allegations of the heroine’s pro-Japanese activities, effectively destroying the film’s chances of success. Evidently, the more recent the events depicted in a film are, the greater the likelihood of stirring up still simmering political disputes. Yet, even though set in the remote past and relying as much on myth as on written documents, the MBC TV drama Jumong [주몽] (2006), about the founder of Goguryeo, ignited an international dispute when Chinese authorities took issue with the frontiers of the ancient kingdom (37 BC- 668 AD) as depicted in the show.

As opposed to the hugely popular historical fusion dramas and a handful of costume dramas based on the lives of notable figures from Korea’s past (and targeting a predominantly female audience) -- Hwang jin yi [황진이] , Like Fireworks and Butterflies, Lee Shim and Julia -- the release of May 18 [화려한 휴가] coincides with the production of a number of films depicting significant events from Korea’s recent past, including The Bridge at Nogunri [작은 연못], a Korean War drama recounting the slaughter by American forces of hundreds of civilians fleeing North Korea. It makes sense that Yoo In-taek, who produced A Single Spark [아름다운 청년 전태일] (1995), about labor leader Jeon Tae-il, who immolated himself on November 13, 1970 in protest of the exploitation of workers under President Park’s government, should be involved in a project like May 18. What is less clear is why director Kim, nine years of age at the time of the Kwangju uprising, and whose debut comedy Mokpo, Gangster’s Paradise [목포는 항구다] (2004) was critically trounced, was entrusted with the project.

The casting, which brings together a mix of seasoned veterans and younger hallyu stars, includes:

Kim Sang-kyeong [김상경]. A World of Silence [조용한 세상] (2006), A Tale of Cinema [극장전] (2005), Lawyers [변호사들] (TV, 2005), Memories of Murder [살인의 추억] (2003), and Turning Gate [생활의 발견] (2002).

Veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki [안성기] starred alongside Hong Kong actor Andy Lau in A Battle of Wits [墨攻] (2006). Other recent films include Radio Star [라디오 스타] (2006), Duelist [형사] (2005), and Arahan [아라한 장풍대작전] (2004).

Lee Joon-ki [이준기], best known for his role in King and the Clown [왕의 남자] (2005), appeared in Fly Daddy, Fly [플라이 대디] (2006) and My Girl [마이걸] (TV, 2005).

Cha In-pyo [차인표]. Hanbando [한반도] (2006), Mokpo, Gangster’s Paradise [목포는 항구다] (2004).

Song Jae-ho [송재호]. The President’s Last Bang [그때 그사람들] (2005), Memories of Murder [살인의 추억] (2003).

Park Cheol-min [박철민], who in the past ten years has amassed a filmography that would be the envy of those much older. See You After School [방과후 옥상] (2006), The Customer is Always Right [손님은 왕이다] (2006), and When Romance Meets Destiny [광식이 동생 광태] (2005).

Park Won-sang [박원상], another prolific actor, starred in Paradise Murdered [극락도 살인사건] (2007), The Art of Fighting [싸움의 기술] (2006), Bewitching Attraction [여교수의 은밀한 매력] (2005), Spider Forest [거미숲] (2004), The Big Swindle [범죄의 재구성] (2004), and Marriage is a Crazy Thing [결혼은 미친 짓이다] (2002).

Na Moon-hee [나문희]. Cruel Winter Blues [열혈남아] (2006), You Are My Sunshine [너는 내 운명] (2005), and Crying Fist [주먹이 운다] (2005).

Lee Yo-won [이요원]. Fashion 70s [패션] (TV, 2005), When Romance Meets Destiny [광식이 동생 광태] (2005), and Take Care of My Cat [고양이를 부탁해] (2001).

Manning the camera is Lee Doo-man, the cinematographer responsible for Wedding Campaign [나의 결혼원정기] (2005), about two farmers who go off to Uzbekistan to find a wife. Workmanlike and composed mostly of static medium and close-up shots, the lensmanship is more notable for being filmed on location rather than for any visual panache. Art direction will be handled by Park Il-hyun, creator of the look of Crying Fist [주먹이 운다] (2005), and responsible for Marriage is a Crazy Thing [결혼은 미친 짓이다] (2002), Peppermint Candy [박하사탕] (2000), and Shiri [쉬리] (1999). Obviously, with so many variables both in front of and behind the camera, just how well May 18 will do is anybody's guess.

Faced with plummeting exports, soaring production costs and the lowest domestic market share (48%) at any time since 2002, the Korean film industry is undergoing profound upheavals. In the search for solutions, the industry has curtailed the number of works in production and is seeking ways to reduce expenses, especially fees paid to top-billed stars. But these measures fail to address a fundamental underlying problem: the numbing quantity of look-alike comedies, gangster films and sequels. One possible culprit is the over-reliance on internet novels and mangas rather than on original, fully-developped scripts. More than one critic has noted a want of vitality in today’s productions when compared to the emerging cinema of the immediate post-IMF (1997) years -- a period that saw the release of films like Happy End [해피 엔드] (1999), Peppermint Candy [박하사탕] (2000), Kick the Moon [신라의 달밤] (2000), No Blood No Tears [피도 눈물도 없이] (2002), Road Movie [로드 무비] (2002), and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance [복수는 나의 것] (2002), to name just a few. Some of the most powerful works in those early years were not films, but television dramas. Two critically-acclaimed TV dramas, Eye of Dawn [여명의 눈동자] (1992) and Sandglass [모래시계] (1995), juxtaposed powerfully engaging personal stories against the unfolding panorama of Korea's struggle for independence and an end to government corruption, establishing the standard against which subsequent dramas would be measured. This engagement has increasingly shifted from mainstream to documentary and independent filmmakers, whose films are then marginalized to the festival circuit or relegated to limited runs in art house theatres, a notable example being the critically acclaimed omnibus If You Were Me series commissioned by the Korea National Human Rights Commission. As the number of special effects-laden star-vehicles rises, it is to be hoped that Korean cinema doesn't follow the trajectory of China's film industry, which not too long ago turned out films like Raise the Red Lantern (1991), now produces works like Curse of the Golden Flower (2006).

Director: Kim Ji-hoon
Cast: Lee Yo-won, Kim Sang-kyung
Executive Producer: Yoo In-taek
Producer: Lee Soo-nam, Park Chang-hyun
Distributor: CJ Entertainment
Original Story: Park Sang-yun
Cinematography: Lee doo-man
Lighting: Kang Seong-hun
Music: Kim Sung-hyun
Recording: Lee Dong-suk
Sound: Lee Sung-jin
Art: Park Il-hyun
Costumes: Kim Kyung-mi
Make-up: Yun Ye-ryung
Budget: $10 million
Release date: July

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