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ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Is Corean (Korean) Cinema the New HK Cinema?
t the peak of its Golden Era between the mid-80s and early-90s Hong Kong cinema was defending nearly half its domestic box office turf against Hollywood imports, thanks to an unusual concentration of mega-talents like John Woo, Chow Yun-Fat, Jackie Chan and Tsui Hark. No other film industry in the world had been able to claim that for a half century. What's more, some HK kung-fu and gangster flicks outdrew Hollywood thrillers in many international markets.
Corean heartthrob Won Bin
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Hollywood's strategy for coping with the HK threat? Simple and devastatingly effective -- buy up the biggest box-office draws. The result has been an epic shift: the top HK talents have been reduced mostly to coolie-ing on Hollywood formulaics while HK cinema has become a parched gulch with bounding tumbleweeds and half-hinged screen doors banging forlornly with every hot gust.
Corean American Shiri star Kim Yoon-jin
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But just as Asian Americans resigned themselves to having screen images hijacked by a remarkably Asian-unfriendly Hollywood, Corean cinema began throwing off heat. Beginning in the early 90s a hardy new generation of Corean filmmakers made themselves fixtures at the award ceremonies of Cannes, Venice and other international film festivals. By the turn of the century Corea's Pusan Film Festival emerged as Asia's premiere celluloid bazaar. But that was small potatoes, not enough to catch the notice of an industry whose real lifeblood is box office.
Then came Shiri (1999), Kang Jae-gyu's lovingly-wrought, haunting thriller about a deadly North Corean female terrorist who falls in love with exactly the wrong guy. It became the first domestic film in history to break the 2 million ticket mark for the Seoul metropolitan area (which accounts for about 25% of the Corean market), and went on to outgross Hollywood blockbusters like The Mummy, The Matrix, Titanic, Star Wars Episode One and Toy Story. Its $5 million budget is less than a tenth of what Hollywood spends at the drop of a dime but was considered a daring gamble. It paid off. Domestic box office receipts ultimately spiked past $60 million, ensuring an unexpected profit for the film's backer Samsung Entertainment -- and more importantly, whetting the appetites of investors for more "big-budget" projects.
Director Kang took pains to point out that Shiri's success was founded on a painstakingly crafted screenplay -- something few Corean directors had bothered with before then.
In 2000 and 2001 alone, two Corean films surpassed Shiri's box office benchmarks: Joint Security Area (DMZ military mystery/drama, 2000) and Friend (male-bonding, 2001). These blockbusters have stimulated a general upsurge of interest in domestic films. Films like Friend and My Sassy Girl (romantic comedy) outgrossed Hollywood megapics like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. They helped make Corea the only market in which domestic films captured over 50% of box office receipts, with Hollywood fare attracting 40%.
As the saga of Hong Kong cinema has shown, nothing yanks Hollywood's chain like being kicked at the box office. Major studios have begun importing Shiri, Musa (co-starring Zhang Zhiyi as a Ming princess rescued by Corean swordsmen) and other Corean films for limited U.S. theatrical release and video distribution. More significantly -- or ominously, depending on your perspective -- they have begun signing Corean talent. One is actress Shin Eun-kyung who starred in the popular comedy My Wife Is a Gangster (2001) which outgrossed Lord of the Rings. Shin will play the female lead opposite Andy Garcia. Miramax even paid $1.1 million for the remake rights to My Wife Is a Gangster.
Is Corean cinema the new Hong Kong cinema? Or will an Asian version of Hollywood ultimately emerge in Corea?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 06:07:17 PM)
"TSJ seems to have it backward."
Sorry, I told you I was no expert. I just said this was my observation. I never even mentioned the pop songs. I'm talking about those old Teresa Teng type songs from the 70's and even before. Many Korean songs use old Chinese instruments, like the sit down harp. Some videos have kung fu scenes.
About Koreans being influenced by hip hop... what hip hop did they listen to? Will Smith and Puff Daddy?! That is some of the most poppish rap I have ever heard, and what's funny is they try to pass it off as hardcore, all decked out in their FUBU and Mecca. Drunken Tiger is okay, but not that hard. Jinusean sounds good, but it's more like soft hip hop. School Bell by Dusty is a dope song though. DJ Doc is okay too, but more on the dancy hip hop side. Do any of these songs have a political message of any sort?
The fact of the matter is, they can't make real hip hop because they aren't from the streets. Now, I don't know about the social environment in Korea, but I doubt it's as rough as the streets of Oakland, Compton or Bed Stuy. They can listen to the likes of Tupac, Necro, Ill Bill, Slum Village, and Dilated Peoples all day, but can never be like them.
Toi San Jai
Eric@KristinKreuk.net
Wednesday, April 17, 2002 at 14:53:40 (PDT)
I am Korean-American who is currently in Korea. HK movies were fad way back in the early 90's but anyone under 25 would have hard time naming five Chinese Entertainers. HK directors such as John Woo and Tsui Hark did influence few Korean directors but judging from what is popular these days, that influcence has waned to a point of none. Movies like Friends, Attack Gas Station, Peppermint Candy that was really popular are distinctly Korean.
As for Music, influences is near nil to a point of statically insignificant. TSJ seems to have it backward. There are so many remake of Korean songs by Chinese Entertainer, I am surprised that you would think Yuki Hsu's collaboration with Yoo Seung Jun is somehow indicative of Chinese influence on Korean music. Chinese Pop Music were never popular in Korea! Never! It just dont suit Koreans taste.
Now if you talk about African-American's influences on Modern Korean Music, now that is a different story!
Jason Han
Wednesday, April 17, 2002 at 07:57:43 (PDT)
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