Review: 청춘의 십자로 (Cheongchunui shibjaro/Crossroads of Youth)

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Kim Tae-yong, Korean Cinema Blogathon, London

Year: 1934
Director: Ahn Jong-hwa
Re-directed by: Kim Tae-yong (김태용)
Cast: Lee Wan-yong, Shin Il-seon, Kim Yeo-sil
Runtime: 70 min

This post is part of the Korean Cinema Blogathon 2012, which runs from March 5-11. Featuring the best of posts on Korean film from blogs around the web, the blogathon is hosted by CineAwesome this year and mirrored by New Korean Cinema, VCinema, KOFFIA, Hangul Celluloid and Modern Korean Cinema.

Seen at a special screening organised by the KCCUK at the annual Thames Festival (London) in September 2011.

Being Korea’s oldest surviving film, 청춘의 십자로 (Cheongchunui shibjaro/Crossroads of Youth) is a production you are unlikely to ever see as it screens so rarely. Yet reviewing it is worthwhile, simply for the reason to encourage you to go watch it if you should ever happen to be so lucky to come across a performance.

Review: 만추 (Manchu/Late Autumn)

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Film Festival, Kim Tae-yong, London

Year: 2010
Chinese title:  晚秋
Country: Korea
Languages: English, Korean, Chinese
Director: Kim Tae-yong
Screenplay: Kim Tae-yong, Kim Ji-Hyeon
Cinematography: Kim Woo-hyung
Cast: Hyun Bin, Tang Wei
Runtime: 115 min
Trailer: Trailer 1 and Trailer 2
Additional videos: On asianmediawiki (includes a Making of, Character Trailer and Music Video, among other things)

Seen at a screening at the LKCCUK as part of the 2011 London Korean Film Festival (LKFF).

Late Autumn was a late addition to the London Korean Film Festival, but sold out quickly. I was lucky to get a ticket, which I booked because I had previously seen and enjoyed two productions by Kim Tae-yong (including a Q&A with the man himself, in which he came across as rather sympathetic).

Review and Q&A: 가족의 탄생 (Gajokeui tansaeng/FamilyTies)

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KCCUK, Kim Tae-yong, Korean Film Night

Year: 2006
Director: Kim Tae-yong
Screenplay: Kim Tae-yong, Sung Ki-yeong
Cinematography: Jo Yeong-gyu
Cast: Moon So-ri, Kong Hyo-jin, Bong Tae-gyu, Uhm Tae-woong, Go Doo Shim, Kim Hye-ok, Jung Yoo Mi
Trailer: on YouTube (not subtitled)
Runtime: 113 min

Seen at one of the bimonthly Korean Film Night screenings at the KCCUK on 12 September 2011, followed by a Q&A with director Kim Tae-yong. (Note for Londoners: the film is available at KCCUK’s library.)

Three stories are told in Family Ties (original title 가족의 탄생/Gajokeui tansaeng, literally Birth of a Family). They are set in different moments in time but are connected, although this does not become apparent until the very end of the film – it is even something that can (almost) be missed as character-aging, perhaps unsurprisingly for a Korean production, is not the film’s strongest suit.