Crossing the Line (film)
Encyclopedia
Crossing the Line is a 2006 British documentary film by Daniel Gordon and Nicholas Bonner.
The film is about a former U.S. Army soldier, James J. Dresnok
, who defected to North Korea on August 15, 1962. The film was directed and produced by British filmmakers Daniel Gordon and Nicholas Bonner, and was shown at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. The film, which was narrated by actor Christian Slater
, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the festival.
The film was first screened in 2007 on the BBC
. The film centred around Dresnok's history, highlighting his insecurity with America
, particularly his desertion in 1962 to the DPRK
. It also showed Dresnok in the present day, around Pyongyang
(where he now lives), and interacting with his North Korean friends. Dresnok spoke exclusively to the filmmakers about his feelings about his childhood, his desertion from the United States Army
, living in a country completely foreign and even hostile to his own, and his wife and children.
Dresnok is also shown with fellow defectors, including Charles Robert Jenkins
, who actually returned to Japan
to be with his wife, Hitomi Soga
(a victim of kidnap by the North Koreans), while filming was taking place. During the height of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Jenkins faced extradition to the U.S. for charges of desertion. He could have been executed for the crime, but ultimately received only 30 days jail time. Dresnok felt hurt and angry at Jenkins, and rebuffed allegations of physical abuse leveled against Dresnok and the North Korean regime by Jenkins who had been quoted in the press as making such allegations.
Towards the end of the film, a North Korean doctor discloses to the BBC that Dresnok is in failing health, mainly due to heavy drinking and smoking.
The film is about a former U.S. Army soldier, James J. Dresnok
James Joseph Dresnok
James Joseph Dresnok is an American defector to North Korea, one of six American soldiers to defect after the Korean War. He was featured on the CBS magazine program 60 Minutes on January 28, 2007, as the last United States defector alive in North Korea and was the subject of a documentary film...
, who defected to North Korea on August 15, 1962. The film was directed and produced by British filmmakers Daniel Gordon and Nicholas Bonner, and was shown at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. The film, which was narrated by actor Christian Slater
Christian Slater
Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the festival.
The film was first screened in 2007 on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. The film centred around Dresnok's history, highlighting his insecurity with America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, particularly his desertion in 1962 to the DPRK
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. It also showed Dresnok in the present day, around Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
(where he now lives), and interacting with his North Korean friends. Dresnok spoke exclusively to the filmmakers about his feelings about his childhood, his desertion from the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, living in a country completely foreign and even hostile to his own, and his wife and children.
Dresnok is also shown with fellow defectors, including Charles Robert Jenkins
Charles Robert Jenkins
Charles Robert Jenkins is a former United States Army soldier who lived in North Korea from 1965 to 2004 after deserting his unit and crossing the Korean Demilitarized Zone.-Military service and desertion:...
, who actually returned to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to be with his wife, Hitomi Soga
Hitomi Soga
Hitomi Soga is a Japanese woman who was abducted to North Korea together with her mother, Miyoshi Soga, from Sado Island, Japan, in 1978. She was "given" to and later married Charles Robert Jenkins, an American defector to North Korea, in 1980...
(a victim of kidnap by the North Koreans), while filming was taking place. During the height of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Jenkins faced extradition to the U.S. for charges of desertion. He could have been executed for the crime, but ultimately received only 30 days jail time. Dresnok felt hurt and angry at Jenkins, and rebuffed allegations of physical abuse leveled against Dresnok and the North Korean regime by Jenkins who had been quoted in the press as making such allegations.
Towards the end of the film, a North Korean doctor discloses to the BBC that Dresnok is in failing health, mainly due to heavy drinking and smoking.