Analysis: Korean Movie-A Flower in Hell.
Humanities
Screened Films:
“A Flower in Hell” (Dir., Shin Sang-ok, 1958)
“Youngja on the Loose” or “The Heydays of Youngja” (Dir., Kim Ho-sun, 1975)
“Peppermint Candy” (Dir., Yi Chang-dong, 2000)
“Sopyonje” (Dir., Im Kwon Taek, 1993)
Also viewed in excerpts:
“My Mother and the Houseguest” (Dir., Shin Sang-ok, 1961)
“The Marines Who Never Returned” (Dir., Lee Man Hee, 1963)
“Never Never Forget Me” (Dir., Mun Yeosong, 1976)
“Declaration of Idiot” (Dir., Lee Jang Ho, 1983)
“Chilsu and Mansu” (Dir., Park Kwang-su, 1988)
“Oasis” (Dir., Lee Chang Dong, 2002)
“Christmas in August” (Dir., Hur Jin-ho, 1998)
Discuss ONE of the following topics below, based on your viewing of the films, lectures, and the readings we have done since the First Reaction Paper. Your essay should not address every question in a given topic as they are guidelines for your thoughts; instead, concentrate on one or two questions in a topic. Focus on one of the screened films we viewed in their entirety, but you can also refer to the films we have viewed in excerpts in class. Your reaction paper should be an analytical essay, 2 pages in length, double-spaced. It should contain 2 citations from 2 different relevant course readings and 2 short, analytical passages about film techniques used.
1. Discuss one film in its depiction of the “quest.” How does the film define this quest? For instance, is it a personal quest for wealth, freedom, happiness, democratic society, or artistic perfection? How does the protagonist achieve this goal? If s/he fails, is the ‘failure’ meaningful in any way? What are the visual or aural elements that signal the turning points in their journey? How do the film style, structure, narrative tone, or visual composition of shots reveal or hide what’s really at stake for the protagonist?
2. Discuss one film it its treatment of the everyday (“the quotidian”). What kind of drama or the lack thereof, is created in the depiction of the everyday, small events and happenings? What is the possible connection between such cinematic depictions and the changed socio-cultural environment of S. Korea in the past few decades? How would you describe the idea of history in the film, given that it only deals with personal events, thoughts, and flow of time? What do you think are the different ways that the audience responds in watching a film about the everyday versus a film about historical or dramatic events? Are these films always mutually exclusive?
