Review by C.J. Bunce
The biggest fascination for Western audiences to Bastian Meiresonne’s new definitive look at the history of Korean cinema may come as a surprise. Hallyuwood: The Ultimate Guide to Korean Cinema, just released and available now here at Amazon, is not your typical movie guide stuffed with lists of films by genre or director and a recommended viewing list. The story of Korean film is so interwoven with its conflict-filled past that telling the story requires a hefty history book text. From early 19th century dominance by Japan to division post-World Wars, the slow rise from early rudimentary theaters, to cementing its international stake 100 years later with the Academy Award-winning film Parasite, Korean cinema is a mirror of its culture–favored genres shifting side-by-side with the rise of its peoples’ rights, culminating in today’s era of women directors and full freedom of expression.
It all started with Kim Do-San’s 1919 film Fight for Justice, but getting to that point involved serials much like in the United States. Japan had the greatest influence on Korean film at that point simply because of its occupation of Korea. But Korean traditions, historical drama styles and the relationships of men and women were reflected in early stories, along with nationalism as a key theme. After the dividing line of the 38th parallel was established and the Korean War made the country the poorest on Earth, the creative minds behind storytelling and film had a challenge ahead of them. Ultimately it took Korean culture to move overseas for film to reach its heights. Some of that rise was thanks to the popularity in this century of K-pop, K-dramas, and streaming series like Squid Game.
The title “Hallyuwood” isn’t an accepted catch-all for Korean films but intended by the author as a catchy description for the wide scope of the history of film and its influences from beyond. Along with Japan the undeniable influence worldwide of American cinema made its way into Korean film, first with melodramas, then with Westerns, ultimately adding battle of the sexes comedies, horror, martial arts films, and genre-benders.
Not sure if you’ve seen Korean film? Before Bong Joon-Ho created Parasite (reviewed here) he adapted the French graphic novel Snowpiercer into the feature film starring Chris Evans (reviewed here). You might also have caught the zombie thriller Train to Busan (reviewed here), the sci-fi film JUNG_E (reviewed here), or been introduced to famous Korean actors in the popular Netflix historical zombie fantasy series Kingdom (reviewed here), like Bae Doona, who would go on to star in Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon movie series.
The author covers a dramatic incident borg readers will be familiar with, the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il’s kidnapping of successful South Korean actress Madame Choi Eun-hee and her filmmaking husband Shin Sang-ok, recounted in the book Madame Choi and the Monsters: A True Story (reviewed here).
The hefty hardcover volume features thick pages full of images from 125 years of Korean film, including movie posters. If you’re looking to start your journey into Korean film, you can search the book by era, by film via the index, or examine sections of the key genres of each era.
Hallyuwood: The Ultimate Guide to Korean Cinema is just that–it’s a complete introduction to this AAPI niche of cinema history. Just published this month by Black Dog & Leventhal publishers, you can get your copy here at Amazon. It makes a good companion to the TCM Library of books on the history of American film–and a way to stretch your film appreciation beyond Western film.
