Korean Film: History, Resistance, and Democratic Imagination

(Hardback)

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Description

Establishes contextual and theoretical bases to help the reader understand cultural, political, and socioeconomic aspects of Korean film. Despite its rise in the global market, recent political progress, and a surging interest worldwide, Korean films are relatively unknown and rarely studied. This new work begins by investigating the history, industry structure, and trends of filmmaking in Korea, going on to examine how Hollywood films have affected both Korean mainstream and nonmainstream film industries in terms of both means of production and narrative. Moreover, the authors analyze the ways in which Korean films of recent years have represented the modernization process in Korea itself, as well as the ideological implications that arise from the cinematic constructions of Korean imagination. More than a mere chronological account of Korean cinematic history, Korean Film attempts to consider the films as a popular cultural form that have a life beyond their theatrical runs: stars, genres, and key movies become part of any culture's identity, and in their narratives and meanings can be located evidence of the ways in which a culture makes sense of itself. Korea has never before been given such an extensive treatment of this central idea, and here for the first time, the nation's culture and cinema are merged into one discussion that both reflects and shapes our understanding of it.

Reviews

The three Korean authors of this carefully researched, thoughtful book are well equipped to introduce their subject to English-speaking audiences. They approach the Korean film industry chronologically, conveying a sense of the continuing interrelationship between the history of the region and the growth and (sometimes) paralysis of its film industry. . . . The plot synopses, descriptions, and evaluations of many films should prove useful to readers with no opportunity to view the movies. The bibliography includes both English and Korean sources. Highly recommended. All collections; all levels. * Choice *
[A] valuable new addition to the growing body of English-language scholarship on Korean cinema. . . . [O]riginal examples of (con)textual analysis of significant Korean films throughout are fascinating. * History: Reviews of New Books *

Author Bio

Eungjun Min is associate professor of communication at Rhode Island College. Jinsook Joo is professor of film studies at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, Korea. She is a producer of the documentary Keep the Vision Alive, an ethnography on Korean women filmmakers. Han Ju Kwak is an independent researcher. He is a PhD candidate in critical studies at the School of Cinema and Television at the University of Southern California.