A steam train enters Seoul’s historical station, marking the beginning of this melodrama about a village lad named Young-bok who is seeking his luck in the big city. After a while, he has to protect his newfound love Kye-soon and his sister Young-ok, who has followed him to the capital, from the sleazy Kye-chul.
CHEONGCHUN-EUI SIPJARO is the oldest surviving Korean feature film and the only one by Ahn Jong-hwa to have been preserved. The end of the Japanese occupation, the division of the country and the devastating war between North and South did as much to destroy film historical heritage as carelessness in the post-war era. What has not been lost, however, are the memories of the art of mise-en-scène, the film narrators called “pyeonsa”, the music and the costumes that all formed part of silent film performances in the 1930s. Taking these memories as his inspiration, director Kim Tae-yong (“Late Autumn”) has put together a modernised stage show complete with orchestra, narrators and singers to celebrate the rediscovery of this cinematic gem, which is now coming to Berlin. (Christoph Terhechte)
Cast: Lee Won-yong, Shin Il-seon, Kim Yeon-sil
Format: Digi Beta, b&w
Running time: 70 min
Language: Korean
Cheongchun-eui sipjaro
Crossroads of Youth
Ahn Jong-hwa
Korea 1934
