The Guinness Book of Korean Cinema - Part 2

Read last week’s Part 1

Part 2

Case 7 - First Ever On Screen Kiss

Revolution. No, not the Matrix, nor any of that political stuff. Simple, pure revolution, that moment when popular culture makes a collective ‘ohhhh’, and new trends begin to occur. To the Korea of the mid 50s, still recovering from the human and psychological tragedy of the War, that revolution didn’t change their living conditions, it didn’t allow them to experience freedom, or cure their inner pain; it simply opened their eyes to a new world: frank sexuality in Korean Cinema. Of course sexuality itself had always been part of Korean films, but up to that moment it was only hinted at, never symbolically ‘consumed.’

Sex scenes would often have two characters holding hands, hugging each other, and then the dreaded fade out came in. For a country so in love with Melodrama, the absence of the final icing on the cake, the kiss, was quite an ironic situation. With the film industry slowly re-starting in 1954 and experimenting with 35mm films, that year 18 works were produced, and even if most of them were either directly or indirectly related to the war, the general mood and themes of the film always had to do with love one way or another (brotherly love, love for the family, for one’s fellow soldiers). But something began to change around those years, a rift between traditional values and the need and will to change things began to materialize. Out with Joseon, in with Korea, so to speak.

Although 1954’s most historically important film might be Lee Gang-Cheon’s remake of Na Un-Gyu’s classic 아리랑 (Arirang), the film having the biggest emotional impact with the public was Han Hyung-Mo’s 운명의 손 (The Hands of Fate) [available on DVD with English Subs]. It didn’t do incredibly well at the box office, not being able to reach the all-important 100,000 tickets in Seoul (think like today’s 5 Million nationwide), but it was a success at the box office, selling over 50,000 tickets at Sudo Theater, and people talked about it non-stop. It wasn’t just about the kiss, but the fact the heroine - played by Yoon In-Ja - let her emotions out of the closet, she didn’t hide or act embarrassed, she didn’t refuse that gesture.

But then again, the irony of the situation emerges again once you discover that their first tentative didn’t go too well on the set of the film, because they were wearing some special vinyl celluloid solution on their lips, something which according to rumours was required by Yoon’s husband who came to the set with her, after learning she was shooting a kiss scene, and getting mad - obviously. The film was one of the first cases of secretive marketing, with the production company trying to hide the content of the film up to its release in theaters. And it was a smart move: people were disgusted, shocked, and condemned the filmmakers for doing something so outrageous, but they still went to watch the film in droves. This of course has become a common practice, sometimes not only because of the film’s potentially touchy subject, but also as a simple marketing tool.

The film was Han Hyung-Mo’s second, and featured Yoon as a woman living a double life: Cabaret Madam ‘Margaret’ by night, North Korean spy by day. Although the style and plot of the film were closer to today’s film noir tropes, it was inevitable that its legacy has remained that famous kiss scene. I bet there’s directors from the 50s who would kill to have people remember their films - even only for a few seconds of footage - up to this day. Although ‘The Hands of Fate’ took the first step in liberating Korean Cinema from the taboo of the kiss, it took a while before another successful kiss scene emerged, namely two years later in in Kim Sung-Min’s 인생역마차 (人生驛馬車, Human Stagecoach). And it created problems on the set just like its predecessor: Lee Hyang, who was Yoon In-Ja’s kissing partner in ‘The Hands of Fate’, shot a kiss scene with Noh Kyung-Hee, which was later openly shown on a newspaper. Noh’s husband - actor Jeon Taek - took a pocket knife and followed Lee all around Chungmuro. It was only after director Kim sat at the negotiating table with the parties involved that the shoot was able to resume.

The first kiss in Cinema history belongs to May Irwin and Jonh Rice, who were the stars of a 20 seconds (!) short by Thomas Edison entitled ‘The Kiss’ (1896). That brief scene was actually part of a 1895 Broadway play entitled ‘The Widow Jones.’ Not surprisingly, it was the most popular film that year.

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Case 8 - First Ever Male and Female Nude Scene

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When Kim Hye-Soo shot her first ever nude scenes in 얼굴없는 미녀 (Hypnotized), it changed her career forever. Coupled with a ‘femme fatale’ role which finally allowed her to show the kind of maturation she made as an actress in the last 15 years, the thriller started a new career for the popular star. But that’s merely one of the big stars who took off their clothes at least once in their career, and created a big issue out of it. One could just mention Jeon Do-Yeon in 해피앤드 (Happy End) in 99 and Shin Eun-Kyung in 창 (Downfall) as recent examples, but going a little back you find similar examples.

Take one of the scenes in the upcoming release 사랑해 말순씨 (Bravo, My Life) a nostalgic human dramedy set in the 70s and 80s: a scene from Jung Jin-Woo’s 1981 drama 앵무새 몸으로 울었다 (The Parrot Cried With Her Whole Body) is shown, one of the films in which superstar Jung Yoon-Hee surprised the public by shooting nude scenes. But they all had a sort of ancestor to thank, and it’s something which might sound familiar: Yoon In-Ja. Yes, the actress responsible for the first ever kiss also was the first to shoot an on screen nude (although saying ‘노출/exposure’ would be more appropriate) scene. She shot a scene in a bathtub for Jo Jung-Ho’s 전후파 (戰後派, Postwar School), the first ever nude scene in Korean Cinema history.

Can we call Yoon In-Ja the pioneer of frank sexuality on screen? Probably. The same year, 1957, she shot what could be called the first ever (nude) shower scene in Chungmuro history, for which the production company had to talk it over with the (second) husband of Mrs. Yoon, Go Seol-Bong. Seems like she didn’t have much luck with men. Of course she was wearing a large towel covering most of her body, and only the DP and director were allowed to attend the filming. Yoon was considered a sort of Korean Marylin Monroe back then, often playing ‘hostess’ roles and not being afraid of revealing scenes and controversial roles. She continued her incredibly long career up to the early 90s, starring in a host of films, the most famous being Im Kwon-Taek’s 아제아제 바라아제 (Come, Come, Come Upward). Although she never won any major acting award, her pioneering feats earned her a place in history.

Hollywood’s first (non-pornographic) nude scene was more than 40 years before, in George Foster Platt’s 1915 film ‘Inspiration.’ Audrey Munson, a famous model at the beginning of the century, became the first woman to shoot nude scenes. The first male nude scene came in 1911, in the Italian film ‘L’Inferno’ (Dante’s Hell). Which brings us to male nudity in Korean Cinema. Although male genitalia was never shown (in theaters) until Jang Sun-Woo’s 1999 controversial film 거짓말 (Lies), comedian-cum-actor Gu Bong-Seo showed his butt to the public more than thirty years before, in Lee Man-Hee’s masterpiece 돌아오지 않는 해병 (The Marines Who Never Returned). And it was by accident, in a scene where his character goes to the toilet. Gu was a well know star back then, often playing comic relief with supporting roles, and later shooting to fame with leading roles. Although different in style, you could call him a Cha Seung-Won of the 60s (or the other way around, if you like Gu even more), an actor with excellent coming timing and quick, pungent delivery. The Gu Bong-Seo role I’ll always remember is his ‘joker’ in 맹진사댁 경사 (Maeng Jinsa’s Happy Days), a sort of Joseon era ‘Marrying The Mafia’ which was in more ways than one funnier than most comedies released today.

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Case 9 - Most Leading Roles for an Actor, Most Films Starred in a Year, Highest Number of Different Screen Partners

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The more I watch Korean films and TV Dramas, the more I keep noticing how often the same supporting character actors pop up. Of course it’s all down to simple economy: unless you make it big, Cinema is just like any other work, you have to keep doing it to pay the bills. Take Gi Ju-Bong, who stars in just about everything, from huge blockbusters to small independent films, from short films directed by unknowns to Daily TV Dramas. Although even up to date databases like Cine21’s and Naver’s only list about 40 to 50 works involving the talented actor, I’ve seen him in hundreds, often only for a few minutes. And he’s not alone, as a host of other familiar figures often populate the big and small screen, so often in fact that sometimes you miss their presence when they’re not there. So much that when one of those ‘faces without a name’ passes away, you feel as sorry as you would for a big star. But there’s someone who beat them all, who wrote records which will likely never be beaten: Shin Sung-Il.

Perhaps the most popular Korean actor of all time, and the actor able to keep that popularity running for over 3 decades (albeit Ahn Sung-Gi will certainly challenge him for that accolade sooner or later), Shin was an acting machine of incredible proportions. Not only he was a great actor, he was also the most prolific of them all. It all started in 1957, when at the age of 20, young Shin attended an audition with Shin Film, which allowed him to star in his debut film: 로맨스 빠빠 (Romance Papa). From that year up to 2000, Shin starred in 536 films (80% as a lead), going from about 10 per year in the early 60s to a whopping 45 in 1968, which averages to about one film per week. He commented that on some days he would shoot scenes for 18 different films, driving all around the city. This was used - with a very ironic touch - in Im Kwon-Taek’s latest film 하류인생 (Raging Years), to show how chaotic and energetic the industry was in the 60s.

But such was the scale of production in the Golden Age of the 60s, when about 200 films a year were produced. He did just about everything, from silly comedies to Buddhism-oriented films like 산산이 부서진 (Beyond The Mountain), from action flicks to melodramas. He was on the mouth of every person interested in films, and his face even plastered poster of films he didn’t star in. Hell, a poster without his face would feel strange: ‘...is that even a Korean film?’ people would say. His popularity is not the kind you’d expect either. He was quite outspoken and frank on the set and TV appearances, but young men were envious of his status, of the possibility of starring with all the big female stars in Chungmuro. He starred with 104 different female partners, and was the highest paid actor for over two decades.

Although Korea will not find someone who can fill his shoes anytime soon - simply because it’s unthinkable anyone could shoot 40 films per year - India has someone who can run laps around Shin, at least in terms of quantity (which is always humongous when talking about Bollywood, an industry which used to make over 800 films a year). Actress Manorama, a Tamil comedy mainstay who later moved to meatier roles, starred in over 1000 films. I bet all her major fans are broke and with gargantuan collections of Videos at home.

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Case 10 - Most Frequently Paired Screen Couple

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Sure, people might go crazy if the current ‘hot couple’ of Chungmuro, Kang Hye-Jung and Jo Seung-Woo, star in a film together for the first time. Rumours start the moment screen partners cross their paths for more than once, and it’s not unlikely to see the same kind of rumours pop up the moment a series ends. Song Hye-Gyo and Lee Byung-Heon becoming a couple after 올인 (All In) was the talk of the Entertainment circle for months, but there’s at least two people who might laugh at all that.

Reading the previous record, it’s pretty easy to guess who will be one of those people: Shin Sung-Il. But who’s the other? His very own wife, Eom Aeng-Ran. They starred in 34 films together, and an additional 13 without being a couple. Although they married after meeting and working together in several films, they’re perhaps the only famous couple who continued starring in films together even after getting married. And, although never reaching the levels of popularity her husband achieved, Eom was a star on her own, a member of her generation troika of actresses, who starred in over 150 films over 40 years.

To Be Continued…

In Part 3 [Next Friday]: Longest Theater Run, Highest Number of Locations, Highest Number of Extras, First Ever Female Director, Most Obscure Titles and more....

Source

Cine21, print edition, Issue No. 388 (2003/1/28~2/11), [p. 78~96]

Naver