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Drama & Films
Korean drama has its origins in prehistoric religious rites,
while music and dance play an integral role in all traditional
theatrical performances. A good example of this classical
theatrical form is the masked dance called sandaenori or talchum,
a combination of dance, song and narrative punctuated with
satire and humor. Slightly varying from one region to another
in terms of style, dialogue and costume, it enjoyed remarkable
popularity among rural people until the early 20th century.
Pansori, the lengthy narrative songs based on popular tales,
and kkokdugaksinoreum or puppet plays, performed by vagabond
artists, also drew large audiences.
The shamanistic rituals known as gut were another form of
religious theater that appealed to the populace. All these
performances are presented nowadays, too, though not very
often. There are a few institutions that offer various performing
arts in one place, an example of this being Jeong-dong Theater
in central Seoul, that presents a traditional performing arts
series, drama and music. The first performance of sin-geuk
(new drama), a departure from the masked dance and other forms
of traditional dramas, was presented in December 1902.
However, modern drama began to take firm root in the 1910s
after the first Western-style theater was opened in Seoul
in 1908. The theater named Wongaksa was in operation until
November 1909. Theatrical groups "Hyeoksindan" and "Munsu-seong"
were also organized by those who returned from study in Japan
and staged sinpa (new wave) dramas. Sinpa was a concept that
countered gupa (old wave) drama, meaning kabuki of Japan.
Sinpa dramas first dealt with political and military themes
and then diversified into detective stories, soap operas and
tragedies. While sinpa dramas proved to be a passing fad,
a genuine new wave of dramas was promoted by artists who rallied
around Wongaksa and raised the curtain of modern drama. In
1922, Towolhoe, a coterie of theatrical figures, was formed,
with this organization leading the drama movement across the
country, staging as many as 87 performances.
Drama remained popular until the 1930s, but then subsided
in the socio-political turmoil of the 1940s and '50s. In the
following decade, it was further weakened amidst the boom
of motion pictures and the emergence of television. In the
1970s, a number of young artists began to study and adopt
the styles and themes of traditional theatrical works like
the masked dance plays, shaman rituals and pansori. The Korean
Culture and Arts Foundation has been sponsoring an annual
drama festival to encourage local theatrical performances.
At present, a great number of theatrical groups are active
all the year round, featuring all manner of genres from comedy
to historical epics at small theaters along Daehangno Street
in downtown Seoul. Some theatrical performances become very
successful and are staged for extended runs. The first Korean-made
film was shown to the public in 1919. Entitled "Righteous
Revenge," it was a so-called kino-drama designed to be combined
with a stage performance.
The first feature film, "Oath Under the Moon," was screened
in 1923. In 1926, charismatic actor-director Na Un-gyu drew
an enthusiastic response from the public by producing "Arirang,"
a cinematic protest against Japanese oppression. After the
Korean War in 1953, the local film industry grew gradually
and enjoyed a booming business for about a decade. But the
next two decades saw a stagnation of the industry due largely
to the rapid growth of television.
Since the early 1980s, however, the film industry has regained
some vitality thanks mainly to a few talented young directors
who boldly discarded old stereotypes in movie making. Their
efforts succeeded and their movies have earned recognition
at various international festivals including Cannes, Chicago,
Berlin, Venice, London, Tokyo, Moscow and other cities.
This positive trend has been accelerating in the 1990s with
more and more Korean directors producing movies that have
moved the hearts of world citizens based on unique Korean
experiences and sentiments. In 2000, Chunhyangjeon (The story
of Chunhyang), directed by Im Kwon-taek, became the first
Korean film to compete in the Cannes Film Festival. Four other
films were screened in non-competitive categories. The film
Seom (Island) competed in the Venice International Film Festival,
and Bakhasatang (Peppermint Candy) received three awards at
the 35th Carlo Bivari Film Festival. Public interest in films
has been mounting and several international film festivals
have been staged by provincial governments or private organizations
in Korea.
They include the Busan International Film Festival and the
Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. As in other
countries, Korean cinema circles are seeing a noticeable expansion
of the animation and cartoon industry. More than 200 companies
are producing works in this up-to-date genre. The film, video,
animation and on-line content industries are also undergoing
a boom in Korea, fueled by the availability of high-speed
Internet services. Korea sold 80 films with a combined value
of about US$5.7 million in 1999. This figure may be equivalent
to the price of a handful of imported movies. In 1999, movie
houses showed 49 Korean-made films. When all these facts are
considered, Korea's film industry is still in a fledgling
stage despite some creative directors
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