[2006 K-FILM PREVIEWS] Kang Woo-Suk's 한반도 (Hanbando)
1993 might have been the year of Im Kwon-Taek's 서편제 (Sopyonje) and its legendary, record breaking theater run, but something really important happened that year, something that would slowly but surely change the face of Korean commercial Cinema. A young alumni of the prestigious Sunggyunkwan University, a certain Kang Woo-Suk, would finally find the first big hit of his career. Sure, he started several years before, with 하이틴물 (High Teen Flicks) like 달콤한 신부들 (Sweet Brides) and
행복은 성적순이 아니잖아요 (Happiness Does Not Come In Grades), sometimes even doing well, but they were mostly forgettable affairs. Moving to darker, more interesting fare with 누가 용의 발톱을 보았는가 (Who Saw The Dragon's Toenail?) in 1991, young Kang started showing what would become his biggest obsession: social satire. Be it a crazy romcom or a simple court Drama, Kang would always fill his films with social commentary, often very pungent, which is one of the major reasons why he was able to build his 'empire'. But 1993's 투캅스 (Two Cops) changed it all. A buddy movie pairing together legendary Ahn Sung-Gi with one of the country's most promising actors in Park Joong-Hoon, the film was certainly not high art (and some even say it was a ripoff of a French film), but it was head and shoulders above most commercial fare of the period, perhaps because the idea of 'commercial Cinema' kept changing -- things like Bae Chang-Ho's 고래 사냥 (Whale Hunting) were considered commercial in the 80s -- and not everyone adapted to this new and improved industry rapidly enough.
The film became a huge hit that year, beating all expectations and quickly passing the Million tickets mark in Seoul, which crowned Kang the new King of Chungmuro. The years between the success of the film and the beginning of the blockbuster era in Korea -- which most people locate around 1996's 은행나무 침대 (The Gingko Bed) by Kang Je-Gyu, but the horrible Sci-Fi Fantasy 구미호 (The Fox With Nine Tails) got there already in 1994, in some ways -- saw Kang form Kang Woo-Suk Productions, a small production company which later paved the way for Cinema Service, and his first few films as a producer. 마누라 죽이기 (How To Top My Wife) confirmed the drawing power of Park Joong-Hoon -- alongside 'national sweetheart' Choi Jin-Shil -- and Kang began his reign at the top of Cine21's Top 50 most influential people in Chungmuro, which would last nine consecutive years.
Although none of the films Kang directed in the 90s could be considered 'good', he always tried to distance himself from the pre-boom trends in commercial Cinema, adding some meat to the usual junk food. After 1998's 생과부 위자료 청구 소송 (Bedroom & Courtroom), Kang took a long pause from directing, concentrating on producing hits like 신라의 달밤 (Kick The Moon) and 킬러들의 수다 (Guns & Talks). It was with hesitation then that people approached his return to the directing chair, in the excellent 공공의 적 (Public Enemy). This was an upgrade of everything Kang did in the 90s, with more striking comedy, better Drama, and better performances thanks to Seol Kyung-Gu, Lee Sung-Jae, Kang Shin-Il and more. The film, not surprisingly, was a big success.
Fast forward to late 2003, and here's the big shocker. People were wondering if anything would be able to beat Kwak Kyung-Taek's 친구 (Friend) and its 8 Million tickets sold, but here's Kang's new work 실미도 (Silmido), dealing with the hottest theme in town (North/South Divide) and setting a new, incredible record. If it weren't for 태극기 휘날리며 (Taegukgi) beating its record, the success of the 2003 film with Ahn Sung-Gi and Seol Kyung-Gu would be remembered a lot more, with its 11 Million tickets and the kind of intensity Kang rarely showed before. It felt like a new Kang, much more politically inclined than in the past, aware of the kind of filmmaking that attracted the huge crowds. Returning with 공공의 적 2 (Another Public Enemy), much weaker than the original but still quite watchable, Kang continued his run as one of the top dogs in the business, closing around the 4 Million tickets. Now satisfied of his new position as 'just a director', no longer Cinema Service's head honcho, Kang had two projects left in the tank: one is the fourth and final installment of the Two Cops saga, which might or might not happen based on the performance of Lee Joon-Ik's 라디오 스타 (Radio Star), the other, much more ambitious and risky, the 10 Billion blockbuster 한반도 (Hanbando).
Hanbando... the Korean peninsula. Thousand of years of history, many struggles trying to escape the assault of outside influences, many tragedies influencing the lives of its inhabitants. Although the North/South Divide is still the hottest ticket in Town, as shown by the success of 웰컴 투 동막골 (Welcome To Dongmakgol), Kang Woo-Suk's new film doesn't simply stop at North and South Korea. Be it because of the current controversy with Japan over the Dokdo Islets and the slow and gradual move towards right-wing nationalism in the neighbouring country, this new 'faction (fact+fiction)' film became much more appealing for Kang and his newly formed K&J Entertainment (the new company set up by Kang and fellow director/producer Jang Jin). It might be fiction, but with the ruckus over the EEZ just a few weeks behind us, mention 'Japan' and things are bound to get touchy.
Deciding not to disclose information about the film, including stills and footage, Kang kept his big new project away from the attention of people who might use it to help their politics, from people who might misunderstand what the film is trying to do. That was one of Kang's biggest fears, that people might see this as non-fiction, even if it's merely an (opportunistic, yes) attempt to use public sentiment to make some involving Political Drama out of it. Or, in short, Kang's modus operandi from day one. Whether success has changed Kang or not, that's still to be seen, but the most obvious changes are in his approach to this film. Often accused of paying little attention to the production values of the film, Kang spent a lot more money and time on recreating the right atmosphere (especially as we're dealing with the Blue House and other important and familiar places) in terms of art direction and cinematography.
The near future. After decades of slow progress, the two divided Koreas are on the verge of re-unification, with the re-opening of the Gyeonguiseon Rail Road (a double railroad which once connected Seoul and Shineuiju in North Korea) to traffic the perfect event to celebrate this momentous event. With peace a possibility now more than ever, Japan reacts angrily to a possible united Korea, contesting that during the colonial period, then Emperor Gojong signed a contract with Japan transferring possession of the Gyeongeuiseon railroad line to them. Contract in hand, Japan puts a difficult hurdle in the way of unification. After North and South refuse to comply with their requests, Japan dispatches troops to the area via Sea, with Korean Marines and North Korea's massive military forces quickly following soon after, putting Northeast Asia in a war climate.
Key to all this is not something happening in the present, but a secret hidden for over 100 years, that of Emperor Gojong's real seal of state (Emperor and Kings in the Joseon Dynasty used a Royal seal to sign documents, and if you're familiar with Sageuk you might have seen political rivals trying to steal the steal from the King, like in 홍국영 (Hong Guk-Young) and similar Dramas). If this secret is not revealed, the entire Korean Peninsula risks becoming theater of a carnage, once again. Trying to let the truth emerge is historian Choi Min-Jae (Jo Jae-Hyun) and his younger colleague Lee Sang-Hyun (Cha In-Pyo), an expert in Japanese culture and also an intelligence agent. On the other side is the Prime Minister (Moon Sung-Geun), saying that 'if the US and Japan get out of South Korea, it'll take just a decade to end up like the North', trying to make the President reconsider re-unification. Helped by a 'professional grave robber' (Kang Shin-Il), Min-Jae will try to reveal this historical secret and save the situation. Touchy indeed...
Say what you will about the politics involved, and the opportunism in bringing up these issues now, but Hanbando sounds like a winner. Not because it plans to put things in perspective and 'reveal truths', but simply because the people behind it are good enough to make it a very exciting Political blockbuster -- think 유령 (Phantom: The Submarine) with a better cast and production values, and you shouldn't be too far off. Director Kang might not have a subtle hand dealing with the emotional sensibilities of his characters, but he's become quite good when it comes to creating and maintaining suspense, helped by the capable hand of now Kang regular, writer Kim Hee-Jae. And besides that, with a cast like this (Jo Jae-Hyun, Cha In-Pyo, Ahn Sung-Gi, Moon Sung-Geun, Kang Shin-Il, Kang Su-Yeon, Kim Sang-Joong and many more), it would take the dumbest script of the year and the dullest directing in town to derail this 'rail road'. Finally approaching its release, Hanbando will debut on July 13, just two weeks before the onslaught of Cannes' favourite Baby Monster in Korean theaters.
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INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR KANG WOO-SUK
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How did the film get started?
Kang Woo-Suk: When I got the rough draft, I kept thinking about how to shoot the film, and eventually I ended up sending the script back. The item was really good, but it looked like the kind of film you couldn't really direct. As time went by, the film kept coming to mind. Later, I took a look at it again, and found new things that appealed to me. Like, you know, this is fiction, but it had that kind of power that could make it feel as if this was non-fiction. And I always wanted to direct a Political Drama, so that was a big factor too. I finally decided to do it after all, and this is the first time I start again a project I gave up on. Of course a few times I ended up regretting that (laughs) but now that I'm done shooting, I feel relieved in a way I've never experienced before. I'm not even afraid about the film's box office performance, really. It's that kind of 'if it flops too bad, if it's a success I'm not going to jump in excitement' feeling. Back when 실미도 (Silmido) was about to release in theaters, I was really agitated, thinking if this didn't work that'd be over for me, but this time I feel nothing like that.
And the initial concept, then?
Kang: I wanted to learn a bit more about the external circumstances that influenced our history. Take the situation 110 years ago for example, Queen Min's assassination and the poisoning of Emperor Gojong started with foreign powers toying with us, so it's essentially the same thing that's happening today. I think we're confronting the issue of foreign influence in our matters with too much ease, so I thought dealing with the matter through a film would be a good idea. If you think about the Dokdo Issue and everything around it, then the idea Japan might claim the Gyeongeuiseon Line as their own too could be plausible. When the script first came many directors like Lee Joon-Ik said the 'book' (slang for script in Chungmuro) was fun, but the idea Japan would proclaim Gyungeuiseon as their own was a little too excessive to accept, so they were a little worried. But looking at Japan's recent behavior people will find the chances of something like that happening a little more likely, and I think they'll accept the film.
As a whole, the film paints the struggles between Korea and Japan. Even if you mention anti-Japanese sentiment, then that's just what a portion of the public feels. But really, what's your level of anti-Japanese sentiment?
Kang: You know, more than being anti-Japanese I'd rather make a statement about dealing with the problem successfully, that sense of overcoming those challenges Japan puts in front of us. It's the kind of sentiment you try to restrain emotionally, but there's always a fundamental sense of denial you can't express. When talking about Japan, be it soccer, films or anything else, there's always that mentality that 'we have to beat them', isn't it? Yeah, of course I want to make something much better than what Japanese films can achieve, but my family itself went through all this personally, so I guess that kind of sentiment is very strong in me.
The image this film might give is that of trying to go for a very powerful commercial POV of 'Korea beating Japan', trying to win over average moviegoers through that. Is there any scene in the film dealing with things like that?
Kang: I'm glad you brought that up. More than an Anti-Japanese film, this is a 극일 (that sentiment of trying to win against Japanese Imperialist attitude, started in the mid 80s by the Chosun Ilbo. Think the protests over the Dokdo and schoolbooks issues and you're pretty much there) film. It all started from this idea: if what we went through 110 years ago when we couldn't do a thing about it happened again today, what would we do? There's no need to see that as nationalism or extremism. What I try to say in the film is not a simple: "We're gonna beat Japan", but more like "we'll try our best to succeed". So you're not just using cheap thrills, but trying to show pride and confidence in being able to accomplish things. When the President says 'Let's attack Japan', there's cool-headed people thinking he's going overboard, and people making rash conclusions yes, but you can't just ignore them. Becoming too extreme in dealing with these issues is definitely a problem, but once national pride is concerned, why kill off the issue instantly? That's why this film could have been dangerous in a certain sense, and why there's no simple bad/good guy dichotomy right from the middle, when I changed the cards. There's people you think might be right, and then their theories turn out to be wrong... that definitely is in there. Everything they think and say will be 'judged' at the end, but I'm not excluding one of the parties' point of view right from the beginning. You could say that's one of this film's strengths. When we started working on it, the idea was that this film would deal with issues in a possible future, but that future is becoming more and more today's reality, so people are more likely to relate to it now. Honestly when we deal with the International situation right from the beginning, people might even feel like they're watching a Documentary. Jung Seung-Hye of Morning Films called this one of those films that 'grab you by the collar'. While watching the film for those 2 hours plus, you won't be able to leave your seat.
There might be people feeling the film is ultra-nationalist.
Kang: Be it excessive nationalism or extremism, I can see how people might react to the film that way. But I can accept nationalism. After all, in a situation like ours, with all our country went through over the years, isn't nationalism almost a given? Moreso for a divided country like ours. Really, although I can forgive people who were Pro-Japanese back then and their descendants, you can't help but feel bad about the situation. But... let's end it here. Let's see the film and talk about that later.
After Silmido and Another Public Enemy, you're back with another film illuminating and/or asserting about a hot topic.
Kang: This 'assertion' is a little different from what you find in 공공의 적 2 (Another Public Enemy). This time Drama is the vehicle I use to argue things, but it would be enough if people think 'that's an interesting point', because that argument comes from both sides. If in the past I was advocating only for Korea's side of things thinking that was the only way to go, this time I'm trying to judge things a little more rationally.
Fundamentally speaking, Jo Jae-Hyun's the main character. Your usual leading character would be Seol Kyung-Gu, like what happened with the Public Enemy films and Silmido. Can we consider Jo a simple replacement or successor to Seol, then?
Kang: No, not at all. They're two completely different actors. Including Cha In-Pyo, they'll break every single pre-conception people have about their acting, and show something new, a different side of their acting game to the viewers. So it's different from your usual Jo Jae-Hyun, and obviously different from the kind of characters Seol Kyung-Gu was playing in my previous films. Just like the accident at the beginning of the film, he sticks to the case and keeps going after the people involved. To be honest, I heard people talking a lot about him and Cha In-Pyo ever since I cast them. At the end of the day, their image sort of became the image the film was carrying, that's why people around me were a little worried and asked a lot of things. Just thinking I'm working with new faces would do.
Other than Jo Jae-Hyun and Cha In-Pyo, many famous actors appear in the film, but there's very little information about it. People could see that idea of using famous actors to portray that 'defeat Japan' sentiment as a simple dichotomy.
Kang: There isn't a single superficial character in the film. Everyone from the President to the historians is three-dimensional. Filtering those characters through one's personal stance on those issues, or through the eyes of history, then you might consider them as 'villains', or just people who adapted to the circumstances of the period, reacting as best as they could. So to speak, even if those people might have caused accidents or were involved in some, you can't easily judge whether their actions helped national interests or not. You could get angry at them, but also think in some ways what they're saying is true. This might sound like self-praise, but looking at the film a female producer commented that she couldn't see 'through' the characters' future moves and inclination simply because that wasn't easy to grasp on the surface. Seems like we're finally going with a 2 Hour 24 Minutes running time, so if you get bored, then that's a big problem. I don't want people to guess everything about the film in a few minutes.
You've seen films carrying the label of 'Korean-style Blockbuster' fail at the box office all the time. What do you think was their biggest problem?
Kang: That actually they were 'Korean-Style' only in name and not in terms of identity. So that's why they could only fail, they simply weren't Korean at all. Even if they were well made, they couldn't move people and grab their attention. If you look at 실미도 (Silmido) or 태극긱 휘날리며 (Taegukgi) instead, you can find that Korean sentiment. Be it 6/25 (1950, the day the Korean War began), the North/South Divide and the separated families, it's all there. Even if you weren't one of those displaced people, you could relate to their issues anyway. But then looking at other blockbusters, all I felt was people shouting and shooting left and right, and the film would never really hit a balance. More than a problem with scale, it's again that lack of uniquely Korean sentiment which made them fail.
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한반도 (韓半島, Hanbando)
Director: 강우석 (Kang Woo-Seok)
Cast: 조재현 (Jo Jae-Hyun), 차인표 (Cha In-Pyo), 안성기 (Ahn Sung-Gi), 문성근 (Moon Sung-Geun), 강신일 (Kang Shin-Il), 강수연 (Kang Su-Yeon)
Teaser Trailer (Streaming, 700k, Windows Media)
Budget: 8 Billion Won
Produced By: 시네마 서비스 (Cinema Service)
Distributed By: 시네마 서비스 (Cinema Service)
Rating: TBA
RELEASE: July 13
