|
|
|
|
|
GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
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
|
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
|
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?
This interactive article is closed to new input.
Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
CONTACT US
|
ADVERTISING INFO
© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.
|
|
|
|
WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 06:07:11 PM)
"Just for the heck of it, change your name to 'hoi san doi'. :) (I think that's how you'd say it in toisanese right?)"
Hehe... I think someone else already used that name. Yeah, that's how you say it, but I haven't spoken "Hoi San" in years, since all my grandparents have passed away. I just speak Canto with my parents now.
TSJ
Eric@KristinKreuk.net
Wednesday, July 24, 2002 at 13:19:04 (PDT)
Toi san jai:
Just for the heck of it, change your name to 'hoi san doi'. :) (I think that's how you'd say it in toisanese right?)
cheerios
Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 21:46:51 (PDT)
"And they also have some pretty unique love dramas. They explorer some pretty weird taboo relationship."
Well, I know Japanese are into hardcore fetishes, but that's a totally different story... =P
TSJ
Eric@KristinKreuk.net
Wednesday, July 03, 2002 at 10:21:45 (PDT)
TSJ,
They are unique in that a lot of their movies have no beginning and no end. Just an open ended story.
And they also have some pretty unique love dramas. They explorer some pretty weird taboo relationship.
AC Dropout
Friday, June 28, 2002 at 07:54:39 (PDT)
"Korea cinema should looks like Japanese cinema."
What does Japanese cinema look like? Their movies don't have much of a distinction, other than the super old school Kurosawa flicks, which inspired Hollywood westerns.
TSJ
Eric@KristinKreuk.net
Wednesday, June 26, 2002 at 12:52:57 (PDT)
Korea cinema should looks like Japanese cinema.
AC Dropout
Tuesday, June 25, 2002 at 11:50:52 (PDT)
DJ Spinn. Haha... you must have dug deep into the archives to find my posts about hip hop. No, I am not Korean, as my name, TOI SAN JAI, should obviously tell you. Well, it looks like you are from Brooklyn. I like some of those NYC cats. No one can kick the ill rhymes like Necro. All the fools I mentioned are straight west coast, Bay Area to be exact. It's all good. We got love for you. Like Fabolous and E-40 said "From Brooklyn to the Bay."
"Stop hating cuz your country ain't making it. Are you even korean?"
Uhh... say what? First of all, obviously, you don't even know what my country is. Then, you ask if I'm Korean. Well, if I was, then you would be contradicting yourself (not that Korea is making it).
"I don't see you with a record deal."
Uhh... do you? So, now I have to have a record deal to say what's good or bad? That means I would have had to played in the NBA to say that Doug Christie choked on the big one in game seven, or played baseball to say that Mariano Rivera blew the Series last year? Anyways, NO, I don't have a record deal, but I do work in the industry.
I don't hate on Koreans. If I hated Koreans, I would even watch the music videos or listen to the songs in the first place! And I sure as hell wouldn't bother responding to you.
TSJ
Eric@KristinKreuk.net
Monday, June 24, 2002 at 19:41:19 (PDT)
Well, whatever it is, I hated Rush Hour 2 last year. I don't see what the reason was for Zhang Ziyi to be blown up in the end. What the **** does that supposed to mean? Does that mean all Asian girls are like that? I feel bad for that, especially to this day. I still take it literally. That's how I felt before and how I feel now. So, don't take it personal. I'm just an emotional AM.
P.S. I don't give a flying **** about Hollywood. Period.
dsfbcbsijbdax
Monday, June 24, 2002 at 14:10:06 (PDT)
i think the asian filming community as a whole should stay away from hollywood until they can prove that they can produce scripts and films that we have had to import into this country to enjoy..instead of selling the film rights for them to import and sell, why don't we do it..distribute through tai sung video or others..
jay
Sunday, June 23, 2002 at 17:18:25 (PDT)
Hey movie fan,
Korean film, TV serials, and popstars have a wide audience in China, HK, Taiwan. Several reknown HK and mainland Chinese directors have praised the new vitality of Korean films, and are working in co-productions. It's now Korea's day in the sun.
chinesegal
Sunday, June 23, 2002 at 00:46:31 (PDT)
korean cinema WILL NOT & SHOULD NOT be like Hong Kong cinema...i dont think Hong Kong style movies are something to envy about or sought after these days and i dont think korean movie makers are aiming for that either...they've (hollywood and hong kong movie makers) have saturated and milked all they can do with the so-called Hong Kong style, whether from kung fu fighting, double gun action movies, or dramas. in my opinion hong kong style movies are a "has been".
kendall
Friday, June 21, 2002 at 15:35:44 (PDT)
NEWEST COMMENTS |
EARLIER COMMENTS
|