Arirang (1926 film)
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| Arirang | |
 Na Woon-gyu in Arirang (1926) |
|
|---|---|
| Directed by | Na Woon-gyu |
| Produced by | Yodo Dorajo |
| Written by | Na Woon-gyu |
| Starring | Na Woon-gyu (Choi Yeong-jin) Shin Hong-ryeon (Choi Yeong-hee) Nam Gung-woon (Yun Hyeon-gu) Joo In-gyu (Oh Gi-ho) Lee Gyu-seol (Yeong-jin's father) |
| Distributed by | Joseon Kinema Productions |
| Release date(s) |  October 1, 1926 |
| Running time | (1,599 feet) (9 reels) |
| Language | Korean (Silent) |
| Budget | 15,000 Won |
| Followed by | Arirang geuhu iyagi |
| IMDb profile | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul: | 아리랑 |
| Hanja: | (none) |
| Revised Romanization: | Arirang |
| McCune-Reischauer: | (none) |
Arirang is a 1926 Korean film. One of the earliest feature films to be made in the country, it is named after the traditional song Arirang, which audiences were said to sing at the conclusion of the film. The silent, black and white film was written and directed by Na Woon-gyu (1902-1937), and stars Na Woon-gyu, Shin Il-seon and Nam Gung-woon. It depicts life in Japanese-occupied Korea.
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[edit] Plot summary
The film concerns a student, Choi Yeong-jin, who has become mentally ill after being imprisoned and tortured by the Japanese for his involvement in the March 1, 1919 protest against the Japanese occupation. He returns to live with his father and sister, Yeong-hee in their small village home. Yeong-jin's friend, Yun Hyeon-gu, is in love with Yeong-hee. While the villagers are preoccupied with a harvest festival, Oh Gi-ho, a toady for the Japanese police, attempts to rape Yeong-hee. Hyeon-gu fights with Gi-ho, striking and killing him with a sickle. When Yeong-jin regains his sanity, he believes himself to have killed Gi-ho. The film ends with the Japanese police taking Yeong-jin over Arirang hill to return to prison.
[edit] Impact
The premier of the film at Dansung-sa theater in Seoul on October 1, 19261 caused a national sensation, and the film was soon shown throughout the country. Arirang became an extremely influential film in the history of Korean cinema, and started what is known as the "Golden Age of Silent Films" in Korea which continued until about 1935. It was also the first in a line of nationalist, anti-occupation films which ended with the increased repression of the national culture in the mid-1930s.
Na Woon-gyu made two sequels to this film: Arirang geuhu iyagi (1930) and Arirang 3 (1936). Also, IMDB shows that Na Woon-gyu's story for Arirang has been remade at least three times since the 1926 debut of the original. Director Lee Kang-cheon filmed his version of Arirang in 1954, Yu Hyun-mok filmed his in 1968, and most recently, Lee Doo-yong made a version in 2003.
Revered to this day as a masterpiece and milestone in the history of Korean cinema, one of the sites on which the movie was filmed has recently been refashioned into a "Street of Motion Pictures," housing the Arirang Cine Center, Arirang Information Library, a small theme park claiming to be the movie set, a monument in memory of the 100th anniversary of Na Woon-gyu's birth, and an annual film festival.
[edit] Lost status
Along with almost all other Korean films of this era, Na Woon-gyu's Arirang is now considered a lost film. The original nine reels of the film are believed to have been lost during the 1950-1953 Korean War. However, a copy of the film was rumored to be in the possession of Japanese collector, Abe Yoshishige, who died in February of 2005. His collection of approximately 50,000 films reverted to the Japanese government with his death, however no news has yet come forth as to whether the film was found in the collection.
[edit] Footnotes
- Note 1: Lee Young-il. The History of Korean Cinema. p.43.
[edit] References
- Arirang(Alilang) at The Korean Film Archive (KOFA)
- Kim, Kab-ui (2001). Chunsa Na Un-gyu chonjip : ku saengae wa yesul. Chimmundang, Seoul.
- Lee Young-il, Richard Lynn Greever, tr. (1988). The History of Korean Cinema. Motion Picture Promotion Corporation, Seoul. ISBN 89-88095-12-X.
[edit] External links
- Arirang at the Internet Movie Database
- Collector’s Death May Free Long-Lost Korean Classic Film at Digital Chosun Ilbo February 11, 2005.
- S. Korea Seeks to Recover Legendary Film 'Arirang' from Japan by Shim Sun-ah at Yonhap News February 22, 2005. (dead link as of June 25, 2006)
- Street of Motion Pictures by Kyung Tae Lee at KBS World.
