뉴스레터

The twentieth century was one of cinema. Motion pictures appeared as the nineteenth century was coming to an end and by the beginning of the following century, they climbed to the throne of entertainment in many countries throughout the world. It was the same case for Korea. Since June 1903, when the Empire of Korea's fate was hanging by a thread, movies engrossed the Korean public's adoration and lit up cities throughout the country night after night.

After Joseon fell to the status of a Japanese colony, film production first appeared in 1919 in Korea as part of kino-drama, a mixture of motion picture and play on stage. Once past the days of kino-drama, feature films started to be produced since 1923. Most of the very first feature films were either dramatizations of Korean folk tales or translations of Japanese melodrama, referred to as the "shinpa" genre. Under such circumstances, the screening of the film "Arirang" by Na Woon-gyu (羅雲奎, 1902-1937) in October 1926 naturally aroused heart-wrenching emotions.

Awareness of National Identity at Myeongdong Middle School

Born in Hoeryong, North Hamgyong province, Na Woon-gyu was influenced by his father who used to be a military officer at the end of the Joseon dynasty and gained a sense of national identity while attending Myeongdong Middle School in Jiandao. As a student there, he was chased by the Japanese police for taking part in the March 1st Independence Movement. He ran away to Siberia and when he returned to northern Jiandao, he joined a secret organization of the Korean Liberation Army. Then came the idea that a greater contribution could be made while engaging in academic study, which led him to relocate to Seoul. Once in Seoul, he was arrested by the Japanese police for participating in the Korean Liberation Army's activities and served a two-year sentence at Cheongjin Prison.

After his release, Na Woon-gyu became an actor by joining a play troupe named Yerimhoe (藝林會) based in Hamheung, and later set foot in the film industry as he began working for the Joseon Kinema Corporation in Busan. His first film appearance was when he played a minor role in the movie "Unyeongjeon" (Tale of Unyeong) in 1925 and he started to gain recognition the same year for playing the role of Mr. Shim the blind in "Shimcheongjeon" (Tale of Shimcheong).

In 1926, Na Woon-gyu came by his very first opportunity to direct a film. The popular folk song "Arirang" and the circumstances the Korean society was in at the time became inspirations for his first movie's synopsis.

Around the time, the June 10th Independence Demonstration was at its height and many students could be witnessed being brutally assaulted and arrested by the Japanese police on the streets. Choi Young-jin, the lead character in the movie Arirang, was someone who lost his sanity from participating in demonstrations for independence, a direct portrayal of students who filled the streets during the June 10th Independence Demonstration. The movie was also in the making when young adult associations were being formed nationwide in Korea and were leading tenancy disputes in rural areas, which is why the movie touched upon agrarian problems and disputes in Korea as well.

Films that Consoled Colonial Joseon After Dark

When Arirang premiered on October 1, 1926, the movie theater Danseongsa was completely packed. The audience became angered at the arrogation committed by the landowner's pawn Oh Gi-ho, gratified when the insane Young-jin murdered Oh Gi-ho, and shed tears as the police arrested Young-jin. The praise and response the movie Arirang ended up receiving was incomparable to what the preceding films had received altogether. Of course, playing the part of Young-jin in that one movie turned Na Woon-gyu into a top star in Joseon.

The release of Arirang made the second half of the 1920s the days of Na Woon-gyu in Korea. He went on to make the film “Punguna” (Soldier of Fortune, 1926), which projected his time as fugitive roaming around Siberia, “Sarangeul chajaseo” (In Search of Love, 1928) about the activities of the Korean Liberation Amy in northern Jiandao, and “Beongeoli Sam-ryong” (Sam-ryong the Mute, 1929) based on the novel written by Na Do-hyang. When the film “Sanai” (Manhood, 1928) was shown in a movie theater named Mangyeonggwan in Daegu, the size of the audience apparently caused the theater's second floor pillar to collapse.

Alas, the brighter the light, the darker the shadow surrounding it. Despite the huge success Na Woon-gyu achieved, his wild, self-indulgent life style left him with no money in his hands and took away credit he once gained from his colleagues. When he starred in the film “Arirang 2: The Sequel” (1930), he was specifically targeted with criticism from those in the film world who possessed socialistic views. By then, silent films were rapidly being replaced by talkies at movie theaters. Without enough capital nor technology necessary to respond to the trend, film production in Joseon fell into a slump. Na woon-gyu too was in no position to make films.

In 1935, Na Woon-gyu decided to make a talkie. What the investor wanted to make was “Arirang 3,” which Na was disinclined to do. The film's production started out with synchronous recording, but the lack of technique turned the shooting into a failure, and Na barely managed to wrap it up with help from Lee Chang-yong of the Goryeo Film Association. Nevertheless, the production ended up costing way more than the originally estimated budget.

Na Woon-gyu physically grew weak by suffering from consumption. After directing his last work “Oh Mong-nyeo” in the winter of 1936, his health seriously deteriorated. He never made it out of his sick bed and passed away in the lonely, early morning of August 9, 1937. His funeral was held at Danseongsa where screenings for most of his films had taken place.

The movies Na Woon-gyu made functioned as lanterns that threw light upon the dark world for the people of colonial Joseon and were a major source of entertainment for them after dark. Without his movies, things would have been a great deal more desolate. That is all the more reason to be relieved that the value of his movies are now equally recognized in South Korea as well as North Korea.