Over the years, the Far East Film Festival has presented numerous retrospectives and special screenings to shine a spotlight on Korean film history. With these programs, we have attempted to highlight the development of Korean cinema throughout the decades, from its modest beginnings to the globally recognized industry it has become today. But none of these screenings would have been possible without the persistent work carried out by the Korean Film Archive (KOFA) in collecting, preserving and restoring works from the past that have survived to the present day. As the Korean Film Archive celebrates its 50-year anniversary, the FEFF is proud to be the first festival to host its special commemorative program 50/50: Celebrating 50 Years of Korean Film Preservation, seven important films from the 1950s. Each work has been digitally restored, and will be presented with a new introduction recorded by KOFA to provide viewers with the necessary background information and historical context for each film. All of the selected works can be said to hold an important place in Korean film history, including the decade’s most influential smash hit (Madame Freedom), the nation’s first film directed by a woman (The Widow), the first Korean film to receive an overseas festival award (The Wedding Day), a recently rediscovered film shot during the Korean War (Nakdong River), an early, undisputed masterwork of director Shin Sang-ok (The Flower in Hell), a critically acclaimed film that shows the influence of Italian Neorealism on Korean cinema (Money), and a controversial work that pushed the ideological boundaries set by the nation’s censorship authorities (Piagol).
The 1950s were a time of trauma, poverty and struggle for the Korean people. Having been divided into two countries, North and South, at the conclusion of World War II in 1945, the peninsula was then beset by a tremendously destructive war which lasted from 1950 to 1953. By the end of the war, South Korea’s capital Seoul lay in ruins, much of the populace had been displaced and 1.3 million people, mostly civilians, are estimated to have been killed. The process of rebuilding in the years after the war was slow and painful, and statistically South Korea ranked as one of the world’s poorest countries. Yet somehow, the film industry entered into its first period of sustained success during this troubled decade. Partly, this was due to a recognition by filmmakers that audiences craved stories about the contemporary issues that affected their lives. Films about war widows, broken families, the outsized influence of US cultural and economic power, and ideological conflict all captured viewers’ imaginations in various ways. A string of box office hits, most notably Madame Freedom, led to a surge in private investment. This in turn led to increased production, so that by the end of the decade South Korea was making over 100 films per year. The debut of many new directors and the development of a local star system would set the stage for sustained commercial success in the coming decade. This “50/50” special program highlights some of the filmmakers who laid the groundwork for the Korean film industry’s future achievements. At the same time, it can be seen as a celebration of the act of film preservation itself. Each of these works are valuable historical documents that are only available to us thanks to the sustained efforts and dedication of staff at the Korean Film Archive. It’s hard to look back on the 1950s without being affected by the many skewed perspectives of the present, but films such as these provide a unique window into a now very distant past.
Darcy Paquet