Monograph
Forgotten Korean Film History: Inside and Outside of Cultural Movies
This volume is a compilation of revised and complemented articles that were presented at the 2013 academic symposium “Forgotten Korean Film History: Inside and Outside of Cultural Movies” held by Korean Film History Institute of Korean Film Archive, and at the 2012 academic symposium “Living History, Moving Resource: Research of Motion Pictures between Korea and Japan, and Exchange of Archiving Information” held by the Center for Korean History of Korea University. This book is an outcome of approximately 2 years of research by the research seminar team organized to research the cultural movie oral history by the Korean Film History Institute in 2012.
As a researcher of film history, Lee Soon-jin disclosed in the preface of the book “From Alternative Film to Propaganda Film: Issues and History of the Korean Cultural Film” that this book doesn’t seek to provide a clear definition of cultural film. Since cultural film is defined as “a sort of a communication channel that has been agreed between specific members of society like a movie genre, and historically, is a scope that has changed endlessly.” Therefore, this book rather focuses on systematic change, production and acceptance surrounding cultural films.
In this aspect the book can be largely divided into two parts. Part 1, System and History of Cultural Film sheds light on the system and historical context related to cultural films. The volume contains a thesis by Jeong Jong-hwa and Jo Jun-hyeong that deals with legal and systematic systems defined by cultural films and examines how cultural film functions in the main trend, and a thesis by Lee Soon-jin and Lee Jung-ah that deals with the government’s film-producing tools and the history of cultural film producers; the two principle agents that have produced the cultural film.
Part 2, Production and Acceptance of Cultural Film, deals with a more specific case study or text analysis. This volume contains Shim Hye-kyeong’s thesis that discloses how Olympia (1938) produced by Leni Riefenstahl that documents Sohn Kee-chung, the marathon winner of the Berlin Olympics was accepted by South Korean society during the colonial era and after liberation; Gong Young-min’s thesis that positions the animation of the National Film Production Center of Korea in the context of animation that was actively utilized as a means of propaganda globally; Park Hye-young’s thesis that analyzes the “show cultural films” produced by private companies, and Jo Jun-hyeong’s thesis that analyzes Germany’s sex education film Helga: From the Origins of Human Life (Erich F. Bender, 1967) and shows the process of being imported and censored in 1960s and 1970s and analyzes each process in the social context of the corresponding period.
This book, which newly examines cultural films, which were neglected in the research of Korean film history until now, is highly significant in the aspect that it reflects on the footprint of the cultural film and enhances its significance. Although we are still at a preliminary stage of researching cultural film, it is expected that each thesis contained in this book will present an alternative for deeper and more multifaceted research for movies.
As a researcher of film history, Lee Soon-jin disclosed in the preface of the book “From Alternative Film to Propaganda Film: Issues and History of the Korean Cultural Film” that this book doesn’t seek to provide a clear definition of cultural film. Since cultural film is defined as “a sort of a communication channel that has been agreed between specific members of society like a movie genre, and historically, is a scope that has changed endlessly.” Therefore, this book rather focuses on systematic change, production and acceptance surrounding cultural films.
In this aspect the book can be largely divided into two parts. Part 1, System and History of Cultural Film sheds light on the system and historical context related to cultural films. The volume contains a thesis by Jeong Jong-hwa and Jo Jun-hyeong that deals with legal and systematic systems defined by cultural films and examines how cultural film functions in the main trend, and a thesis by Lee Soon-jin and Lee Jung-ah that deals with the government’s film-producing tools and the history of cultural film producers; the two principle agents that have produced the cultural film.
Part 2, Production and Acceptance of Cultural Film, deals with a more specific case study or text analysis. This volume contains Shim Hye-kyeong’s thesis that discloses how Olympia (1938) produced by Leni Riefenstahl that documents Sohn Kee-chung, the marathon winner of the Berlin Olympics was accepted by South Korean society during the colonial era and after liberation; Gong Young-min’s thesis that positions the animation of the National Film Production Center of Korea in the context of animation that was actively utilized as a means of propaganda globally; Park Hye-young’s thesis that analyzes the “show cultural films” produced by private companies, and Jo Jun-hyeong’s thesis that analyzes Germany’s sex education film Helga: From the Origins of Human Life (Erich F. Bender, 1967) and shows the process of being imported and censored in 1960s and 1970s and analyzes each process in the social context of the corresponding period.
This book, which newly examines cultural films, which were neglected in the research of Korean film history until now, is highly significant in the aspect that it reflects on the footprint of the cultural film and enhances its significance. Although we are still at a preliminary stage of researching cultural film, it is expected that each thesis contained in this book will present an alternative for deeper and more multifaceted research for movies.
Lee Soon-Jin | researcher of film history
Jeong Jong-hwa | senior researcher, Korean Film Archive
Jo Jun-hyeong | department manager, Korean Film History Institute of the Korean Film Archive
Lee Jung-ah (visiting scholar, Korean Film Archive)
Shim Hye-kyeong | professor of Korea University
Gong Young-min | researcher, History Film Convergence Research Team of Center for Korean History of Korea University
Park Hye-young | researcher, Korean Film History Institute of the Korean Film Archive
Jeong Jong-hwa | senior researcher, Korean Film Archive
Jo Jun-hyeong | department manager, Korean Film History Institute of the Korean Film Archive
Lee Jung-ah (visiting scholar, Korean Film Archive)
Shim Hye-kyeong | professor of Korea University
Gong Young-min | researcher, History Film Convergence Research Team of Center for Korean History of Korea University
Park Hye-young | researcher, Korean Film History Institute of the Korean Film Archive
Publication Remarks
[Preface] From Alternative Film to Propaganda Film: Issues and History of Korean Cultural Film … Lee Soon-jin
[Part 1, System and History of Cultural Film]
Research on the Concept Formation of Cultural Films during Joseon of the Colonial Era … Jeong Jong-hwa
Systemization Process of Cultural Film: Centered on Policy Change related to Film Law in the 1960-70s … Jo Joon-hyeong
The History of Film Production by the Government and National Film Production Center of Korea: Centered on the relationship between government film production tools and private film businesses … Lee Soon-jin
Short History of Private Cultural Film through the View of Private Cultural Film Production Centers … Lee Jeong-ah
[Part 2: Production and Acceptance of Cultural Film]
One Origin of Sports-Nationalism in South Korea: Before and After Liberation, Olympia Part 1, Festival of the Nations, Centered on the Screening of Cultural/Record Films for Olympics and marathon … Shim Hye-kyeong
Relationship between Propaganda Animation before and after World War II and Animation Produced by the National Film Production Center of Korea in the 1950-60s … Gong Young-min
Enlightenment and Entertainment of the “Show Cultural Movie”: Public Entertainment and Fragments of Modernization Projects … Park Hye-young
Movies, & Sex and Nation at the End of President Park Chung-hee Regime: Centered on the German Sex Education Movie Helga: From the Origins of Human Life (centered on the process of import and censorship of the movie) … Jo Joon-hyeong
[Preface] From Alternative Film to Propaganda Film: Issues and History of Korean Cultural Film … Lee Soon-jin
[Part 1, System and History of Cultural Film]
Research on the Concept Formation of Cultural Films during Joseon of the Colonial Era … Jeong Jong-hwa
Systemization Process of Cultural Film: Centered on Policy Change related to Film Law in the 1960-70s … Jo Joon-hyeong
The History of Film Production by the Government and National Film Production Center of Korea: Centered on the relationship between government film production tools and private film businesses … Lee Soon-jin
Short History of Private Cultural Film through the View of Private Cultural Film Production Centers … Lee Jeong-ah
[Part 2: Production and Acceptance of Cultural Film]
One Origin of Sports-Nationalism in South Korea: Before and After Liberation, Olympia Part 1, Festival of the Nations, Centered on the Screening of Cultural/Record Films for Olympics and marathon … Shim Hye-kyeong
Relationship between Propaganda Animation before and after World War II and Animation Produced by the National Film Production Center of Korea in the 1950-60s … Gong Young-min
Enlightenment and Entertainment of the “Show Cultural Movie”: Public Entertainment and Fragments of Modernization Projects … Park Hye-young
Movies, & Sex and Nation at the End of President Park Chung-hee Regime: Centered on the German Sex Education Movie Helga: From the Origins of Human Life (centered on the process of import and censorship of the movie) … Jo Joon-hyeong