Hong Kil-dong is a 1986 North Korean historical drama film directed by Kim Kil In[1][2] from a screenplay by Kim Seryun.
| Hong Kil-dong | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Korean name | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 홍길동 |
| Hancha | 洪吉童 |
| Revised Romanization | Hong Gildong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Hong Kil-tong |
| Directed by | Kim Kil-in |
| Screenplay by | Kim Seryun |
| Based on | Hong Gildong jeon |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Jon Hong-sok |
| Edited by | Om So-yong |
| Music by | Jon Chang-il Hwang Jin-yong |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Korea Film Export and Import Corporation Mokép Shochiku Home Video |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | North Korea |
| Language | Korean |
The film was based on the Hong Gildong jeon, an anonymous Korean novel about a Robin Hood-like bandit.[3]
Plot
editIn Joseon-era Korea, Hong Kil-dong is born in Hanseong (modern Seoul) as the illegitimate son of a nobleman. His stepmother tries to have him killed by bandits, but he is rescued by a monk who uses magic and martial arts. Hong goes on to train with the monk and defend the oppressed villagers, later fighting an invasion by Japanese ninjas.
Release
editHong Kil-dong was released in 1986. It received a wide release in the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc, and was very popular in Poland and Bulgaria.[4][better source needed]
Reception
editHong Kil-dong is often listed as among the best North Korean films; authors have noted the influence of Shin Sang-ok, a South Korean director abducted by the North Korean regime in 1978 and forced to make films. It is also known for its lack of propaganda and its criticism of policies of the North Korean regime (most notably the Songbun policy).[5] In 2002, North Korean defectors in South Korea were surveyed by The Chosun Ilbo, and declared it the best North Korean film.[4][6] Simon Fowler of The Guardian wrote that "With heaped spoonfuls of Shaw Brothers-inspired kung fu, the film is unlike the entire pantheon of North Korean cinema that had gone before it. This is a film that needs no historical context to be watched and most unusually for North Korean film, can quite easily be enjoyed."[7]
References
edit- ^ "Review: Hong Kil Dong". 18 July 2011.
- ^ Curnow, James (1 September 2013). "Hong Kil Dong: The Ironic and the Indestructible". Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "North Korean Film Industry Built From Propaganda And Kidnapping Of South Korean Director Shin Sang-ok". VOI - Waktunya Merevolusi Pemberitaan. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ a b Stephenson, ~ Ian (1 August 2017). "REVIEW: Hong Kil-dong [홍길동] (dir. Kim Kil-in, 1986)".
- ^ "Hong Gil-dong: Korean classics on North Korean screens". NK News. 7 June 2016.
- ^ Schönherr, Johannes (13 August 2012). North Korean Cinema: A History. McFarland. ISBN 9780786465262 – via Google Books.
- ^ Fowler, Simon (15 August 2014). "The five best North Korean films". the Guardian.
External links
edit- Hong Kil-dong at IMDb
- Entire film on YouTube
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