1960s and 1970s
A Spinner (1964) and Boidchi annun dchonson (1965) were made in the 1960s. One of the most highly regarded films in North Korea, Sea of Blood , was produced in 1969. The entrance hall to the Korean Feature Film Studio contains a mural of "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il supervising the production of this film. This is a two-part, black and white film. The first part is 125 minutes in duration, and the second is 126 minutes.
Kim Il Sung made a famous call for Juche art in 1966, saying, "Our art should develop in a revolutionary way, reflecting the Socialist content with the national form". [16] In a 1973 treatise on film entitled On the Art of the Cinema , Kim Jong Il further developed this idea of Juche art into the cinema, claiming that it is cinema's duty to help develop the people into "true communists", and as a means "to completely eradicate capitalist elements". [17] Kim Jong Il, an avid film buff, used this treatise to detail his views on filmmaking as both an art form and a tool of propaganda. [18] The book deals comprehensively with aspects of cinema, including film and literary theory, acting, performance, score music, the screen, [19] camerawork, costumes, make-up, and props. [20] Of particular importance are themes of directing and producing as the driving forces of filmmaking. [19] Ideas in the book are elucidated by drawing examples from North Korean films, of which Sea of Blood is the most referred one. [18] On the Art of the Cinema presents two major theories: the theory of literature as "humanics" and the "seed theory". Both are considered justifications for the party's control over artistic creation. [21] Other ideas developed by the treatise are the so-called "modeling theory" and "speed campaign". Compliance with these principles earns an artwork the title of "collective work". [22]
Part of this ideological usage of the arts was a treating of the same subjects repeatedly through various art forms. Consequently, the most prominent films of the era took their stories and titles from pre-existing novels, ballets or operas. The film Sea of Blood was also an opera and a symphony, as well as the name of an opera company. Future Minister of Culture, Choe Ik-kyu's The Flower Girl (1972, 130 min.) [23] later was remade as a dance. This film won a special prize and special medal at the 18th International Film Festival, and is one of the more well-known North Korean films of the 1970s.
Unsung Heroes , a 20-part epic miniseries about the Korean War, was released between 1978 and 1981; it achieved notice outside of North Korea two decades later mainly because United States Forces Korea defector Charles Robert Jenkins played a role as a villain and the husband of one of the main characters. [24] Other American defectors had roles in the series, such as James Joseph Dresnok, Larry Allen Abshier, and Jerry Wayne Parrish. [25]
North Korean film developed a mass audience in China during the Cultural Revolution. [26] : 206–207 In 1978, the North Korean government abducted the South Korean filmmaker Shin Sang-ok and his ex-wife, the actress Choi Eun-hee. While in North Korea, Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee were forced to create seven films, including, most famously, Pulgasari , a kaiju film heavily influenced by Japanese tokusatsu films such as the Godzilla franchise. [27] The two escaped in 1986. The films produced by the two while in North Korea are considered to have been significant milestones in the history of Korean cinema, and Pulgasari later became the first North Korean film to be shown in South Korean theaters. [28] Pulgasari has also become a cult classic outside of North Korea. [29] [30]
1980s and 1990s
With 14 listings, the 1980s is the best-represented decade for North Korea at IMDB. A possible turning to less didactic subjects is indicated with a 1986 production of the popular stories like Chunhyang-jon (1980 – 155 min.) and Hong Kil-dong (1986 – 115 min.). [31] Probably the most well-known North Korean film internationally is the giant-monster epic, Pulgasari (1985), directed by a kidnapped South Korean director Shin Sang-ok. Multi-part films promoting the Juche ideology, including Star of Korea and The Sun of the Nation were also produced in the 1980s. North Korean animation produced for domestic consumption is reportedly less politically dogmatic during this period, resulting in a large adult audience. [32] At least one international co-production has been filmed in North Korea, Ten Zan - Ultimate Mission , directed by Italian director Ferdinando Baldi and starring American Frank Zagarino. Norodom Sihanouk, a filmmaker and former King of Cambodia, was among Kim Il Sung's good friends, [33] allowing him to make up to four films in North Korea beginning with The Mysterious City in 1988, using the country's actors and facilities while in exile away from Cambodia. [34] [35]
2000s to present
The 2005 animated film Empress Chung , directed by Nelson Shin, is a co-production of South and North Korea. In order to save costs, Shin collaborated with the North Korean SEK Studio because North Korean animators are paid less than South Korean animators. The film made use of 500 animators, 400 of which were North Korean. On August 12, 2005, Empress Chung became the first film to have been released simultaneously in both North and South Korea. It played in 6 theaters in North Korea and 51 theaters in South Korea. The film won a prize at the 2003 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and won the top prize at the 2004 Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival. [36]
Since 2013, North Korea has had 4D film theaters. [37] [38]
