Goryeojang (1963)

Renowned for his naturalistic depiction of human instinct, his peculiar literary dialog style and grotesque mise-en-scène, Kim Ki-young is thought of as the director with the most exceptional and characteristic traits through not only Korean cinema history, but also the entire history of world cinema. From his debut in 1955 and up to the early 1980s, Kim made more than thirty films that stood apart from existing Korean films, perhaps the most famous being The Housemaid (1960). Always in the top two on the list of the best Korean films, and a masterpiece of Korean cinema, The Housemaid tells the story of a middle-class man who has an affair with his housemaid, which results in her destroying both his family and herself. His subsequent films, including Woman of Fire (1971) and The Insect Woman (1972), are often considered as reworkings of The Housemaid scenario. Recently at the Cannes Film Festival, director Bong Joon-ho made the headlines when he mentioned how much The Housemaid had influenced him.

It cannot be denied that Kim Ki-young’s signature film or signature film series is The Housemaid [series]. While Goyeojang (1963) was also one of his signature films, showing as much of his unrivaled personality as The Housemaid, its true character has been partially hidden from the public for many years, as a 25-minute section of footage was lost with only the sound of the section remaining. This version, restored in 4K by the Korean Film Archive, runs for 110 minutes including the 25-minute section of lost footage. Goyeojang was introduced at Il Cinema Ritrovato (Rediscovered film festival) in Bologna in June 2019 and soon became public knowledge both in domestic and global film industries. Reinterpreting the traditional tale of Goyeojang, this film portrays a heartrending story happening in an impoverished village over 35 years, filmed in a naturalistic style peculiar to Kim Ki-young. Facing severe starvation, the village people are stripped of their human qualities and rely on their survival instincts, with some accepting a noble sacrifice. The film captures the moment of shifting from the realm of basic instinct to the world of human civilization and regaining human qualities through this. Hence, the film also reflects a gruesome post-Korean War society and simultaneously indicates a ray of hope in a new departure. Ju Jeung-nyeo, an actress representative of the 1950-60s, gives an outstanding performance as the mother.

This Blu-ray is the reborn version from the one restored by the Korean Film Archive in 2016. In 2019, the archive digitally restored the 35mm original film donated in 1982 into 4K, the best picture quality possible at present. Thanks to the good quality of the original film, a relatively satisfying restoration quality has been achieved. While the film has already been released on DVD, this Blu-ray version restored in HD will provide an opportunity to appreciate the film in a whole new way. As mentioned before, this Blu-ray includes the 25-minute section of missing footage with only the sound of the section remaining and the visuals described by subtitles.
 

Subtitles: Korean, English, Japanese
Frame: 1080P FULL HD 16:9
Audio: Korean LPCM Mono
Rating: Aged 15 or over

Special Features
Commentary by Jeong Seong-il (Film Critic & Director)
I Am A Truck (A short film by Kim Ki-Young)
Subtitles: Korean, English
Videos documenting the film before and after restoration
Trailers of Kim Ki-young’s films
Image gallery

Booklet
‘Fishing Humanity out of the Animal World: Kim Ki-young’s Cinematic World and Goryeojang’
Kim Young-jin (Professor at Myongji University, Film Critic)

Others
4 Types of Film Postcard