Yeong-ja's Heydays

Yeong-ja's Heydays (Hangul: 영자의 전성시대; RR: Yeongja-ui jeonseong sidae) is a 1975 South Korean film directed by Kim Ho-sun. It became a huge box office hit upon its release; it drew an audience of 360,000, surpassing the top foreign film at the time, The Sting, by 30,000.^[1]

Plot

After returning from the Vietnam War, Chang-su (Song Jae-ho), who works as a scrubber at a public bath, runs into Yeong-ja (Yeom Bok-sun) at the police station. Three years ago, Chang-su was a laborer at an iron foundry. He met Yeong-ja at his boss's house, where she worked as a housemaid. He fell in love with the innocent and kindhearted Yeong-ja, and proposed to her before leaving for Vietnam. But while he was gone, Yeong-ja was sexually assaulted by the boss's scoundrel son, then kicked out of the house. Wishing to live an upstanding life, she got a job at a sewing factory, but her paltry wages were not enough to make ends meet. She even tried working in a bar at a friend's recommendation, but the work did not suit her. Yeong-ja became a conductor on a bus, only to lose one of her arms in a traffic accident and degenerate to the level of a prostitute. Reuniting with her for the first time in three years, Chang-su is shocked to discover that she is living an aimless life with no hope or prospects. He pours all his care into saving her, including making her an artificial arm, but she leaves him for the sake of his future. Several more years pass. Chang-su discovers Yeong-ja's whereabouts and goes to her house. When he sees that she is living a happy life with her husband (Lee Soon-jae), who also has a disability, and their child, he wishes her happiness and departs.^[2][3]

Cast

• Yeom Bok-sun as Yeong-ja
• Song Jae-ho as Chang-su
• Choi Bool-am
• Lee Soon-jae
• Do Kum-bong

References

External links

• Yeong-ja's Heydays at the Korean Movie Database
• Yeong-ja's Heydays at the Internet Movie Database