Yu Hyun-mok
Encyclopedia
Yu Hyun-mok was a South Korea
n film director. Born in Sariwon
, North Hwanghae, Korea
(North Korea
today), he made his film debut in 1956 with Gyocharo (Crossroads). According to the website koreanfilm.org, his 1961 film Obaltan
"has repeatedly been voted the best Korean film of all time in local critics' polls." Yu attended the San Francisco International Film Festival
in 1963, where Variety
called Obaltan a "remarkable film", and praised Yu's "[b]rilliantly detailed camera" and the film's "probing sympathy and rich characterizations."
His dedication to the intellectual side of film and interest in using film to deal with social and political issues led him to have difficulties both with box-office-oriented producers, and with Korea's military government during the 1960s and 1970s. Korean critics have said his directing style is "in the tradition of the Italian Neorealists
," yet "the terms 'modernist' or 'expressionistic' [are] just as applicable to his works."
Besides his directing activities, he has taught film, and made a significant contribution to Korean animation by producing Kim Cheong-gi
's 1976 animated film, Robot Taekwon V
. A retrospective of Yu's career was held at the 4th Pusan International Film Festival
in 1999.
Yu died from a cerebral infarction
on June 28, 2009.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n film director. Born in Sariwon
Sariwon
Sariwŏn is the capital of North Hwanghae Province, North Korea. The city's population is estimated to be 310,100 people.-Healthcare:Sariwon has the only pediatric hospital in the entire region; it serves 16 districts and 500,000 children and teens annually....
, North Hwanghae, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
(North Korea
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...
today), he made his film debut in 1956 with Gyocharo (Crossroads). According to the website koreanfilm.org, his 1961 film Obaltan
Obaltan
Obaltan , also known as The Aimless Bullet and Stray Bullet, is a 1960 Korean film directed by Yu Hyun-mok. The plot is based on the same titled short novel written by Yi Beomseon. It has often been called the best Korean movie ever made.-Plot:...
"has repeatedly been voted the best Korean film of all time in local critics' polls." Yu attended the San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
in 1963, where Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called Obaltan a "remarkable film", and praised Yu's "[b]rilliantly detailed camera" and the film's "probing sympathy and rich characterizations."
His dedication to the intellectual side of film and interest in using film to deal with social and political issues led him to have difficulties both with box-office-oriented producers, and with Korea's military government during the 1960s and 1970s. Korean critics have said his directing style is "in the tradition of the Italian Neorealists
Italian neorealism
Italian neorealism is a style of film characterized by stories set amongst the poor and working class, filmed on location, frequently using nonprofessional actors...
," yet "the terms 'modernist' or 'expressionistic' [are] just as applicable to his works."
Besides his directing activities, he has taught film, and made a significant contribution to Korean animation by producing Kim Cheong-gi
Kim Cheong-gi
Kim Cheong-gi is a South Korean director of animated, fantasy, and science fiction films.His work, Robot Taekwon V , is considered one of the milestones of Korean animation of the 1970s...
's 1976 animated film, Robot Taekwon V
Robot Taekwon V
Robot Taekwon V is a South Korean animated film directed by Kim Cheong-gi and produced by Yu Hyun-mok, the prominent director of such films as Obaltan . It was released on July 24, 1976, immediately becoming a mega-smash hit in the late 1970s, and consequently inspired a string of sequels in...
. A retrospective of Yu's career was held at the 4th Pusan International Film Festival
Pusan International Film Festival
Busan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
in 1999.
Yu died from a cerebral infarction
Cerebral infarction
A cerebral infarction is the ischemic kind of stroke due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain. It can be atherothrombotic or embolic. Stroke caused by cerebral infarction should be distinguished from two other kinds of stroke: cerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid...
on June 28, 2009.
Filmography
| Title | Original Title | Transliteration | year |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Crossroad | 교차로 | Gyocharo | 1956 |
| The Lost Youth | 잃어버린 청춘 | Irobeorin Cheongchun | 1957 |
| The Life Seized | 인생차압 | Insaeng Chaab | 1958 |
| Forever With You | 그대와 영원히 | Geudae-wa Yeongwon-hi | 1958 |
| Beautiful Woman | 아름다운 여인 | Areumda-un Yeo-in | 1959 |
| Even the Clouds Are Drifting Even the Clouds Are Drifting Even the Clouds Are Drifting is a 1959 South Korean drama film directed by Yu Hyun-mok. It was entered into the 10th Berlin International Film Festival.... |
구름은 흘러가도 | Gureum-un Heulleogado | 1959 |
| The Aimless Bullet Obaltan Obaltan , also known as The Aimless Bullet and Stray Bullet, is a 1960 Korean film directed by Yu Hyun-mok. The plot is based on the same titled short novel written by Yi Beomseon. It has often been called the best Korean movie ever made.-Plot:... |
오발탄 | Obaltan | 1961 |
| To Give Freely | 아낌 없이 주련다 | Akkim Eobsi Juryeonda | 1962 |
| Great hero, Yi Sun-Sin | 성웅 이순신 | Seong-ung Yi Sun-sin | 1962 |
| Daughters of Pharmacist Kim Daughters of Pharmacist Kim 'Daughters of Pharmacist Kim' is 1963 South Korean film by Yu Hyun-mok has issues on sibling rivalry and troubled marriges of four sisters... |
김약국집 딸들 | Kim Yakkuk Jip Ttaldeul | 1963 |
| The Blue Dream shall Shine | 푸른 꿈은 빛나리 | Pureun Ggum-eun Bitnari | 1963 |
| Extra Human Being Extra Human Being Extra Human Being is a 1964 South Korean film directed by Yu Hyun-mok. It was awarded Best Film at the Blue Dragon Film Awards ceremony.-Synopsis:... |
잉여인간 | Ingyeo Ingan | 1964 |
| Wife's Confession | 아내는 고백한다 | Anae-neun Gobaekhanda | 1964 |
| Sleep Under The Blue Star | 푸른 별아래 잠들게 하라 | Pureun Byeolarae Jamdeul-ge Hara | 1965 |
| An Empty Dream | 춘몽 | Chunmong | 1965 |
| Martyr | 순교자 | Sungyoja | 1965 |
| Secret Marriage Operation | 특급 결혼작전 | Teukgeup Gyeolhon Jakjeon | 1966 |
| Sun will rise again | 태양은 다시 뜬다 | Taeyang-eun Dasi Ddeunda | 1966 |
| Guests Who Came by the Last Train | 막차로 온 손님들 | Makcharo On Son-nim-deul | 1967 |
| Three Henpeck Generations | 공처가 삼대 | Gongcheoga Samdae | 1967 |
| Han | 한 | Han | 1967 |
| Arirang | 아리랑 | Arirang | 1968 |
| Han 2 | 한 2 | Han | 1968 |
| Descendants of Cain | 카인의 후예 | Kain-ui Huye | 1968 |
| I'll Give You Everything | 몽땅 드릴까요 | Mongddang Deuril Kkayo | 1968 |
| Yeo | 여 | A Woman | 1968 |
| Nightmare | 악몽 | Akmong | 1968 |
| School Excursion | 수학여행 | Suhak Yeohaeng | 1969 |
| I Would Like to Become a Human | 나도 인간이 되련다 | Nado Ingan-i Doe-Ryeonda | 1969 |
| Two husbands | 두여보 | Du Yeobo | 1970 |
| Bun-Rye's Story Bun-Rye's Story Bun-Rye's Story is a 1971 South Korean film directed by Yu Hyun-mok and based on a novel by Bang Young-wung.- Plot :Bun-rye, the eldest daughter in a poor family, is violated by Yong-pal, who is a married man, and out of desperation she becomes a concubine of Young-cheol, a gambler who is... |
분례기 | Bunlyegi | 1971 |
| Flame Flame (1975 film) Flame is a 1975 South Korean film directed by Yu Hyun-mok. It was awarded Best Film at the Grand Bell Awards ceremony.-Synopsis:... |
불꽃 | Bulkkot | 1975 |
| The Gate | 문 | Mun | 1977 |
| Once upon a time, Hweo-oi Hweo-i | 옛날 옛적에 훠어이 훠이 | Yetnal Yetjeok-e, Hweo-oi Hweo-i | 1978 |
| Rainy Days | 장마 | Jangma | 1979 |
| A Song Everyone Wants to Sing Together | 다함께 부르고 싶은 노래 | Dahamggye Bureugo Sipeun Norae | 1979 |
| Son of Man | 사람의 아들 | Saram-ui Adul | 1980 |
| Ruinded Reeds Ruinded Reeds Ruinded Reeds is 1984 South Korean film by Yu Hyun-mok.-Plot:The film tells story of a Korean wife of American GI who stuggled to saved her mixed race son after he joined biker gang.-Cast:*Choi Chong-min*Park Il-jun... " |
상한 갈대 | Sanghan Galdae | 1984 |
| Mommy, Star, and Sea Anemone | 말미잘 | Malmijal | 1995 |
Awards
- Blue Dragon Film Awards
- Best Picture/Best Director (Descendant of Cain) (1968)
- Grand Bell AwardsGrand Bell AwardsThe Grand Bell Awards is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea....
- Best Director (To Give Freely) (1962)
- Best Director (Martyr) (1965)
- Best Director (Bun-Rye's Story) (1971)
- Best Picture (Flame) (1975)
- Honorary Director Award (1995)
- Korean Film Critics Awards
- Best Director (Son of Man) (1980)
- Order of Cultural Merit, Korean government (1988)
- Pusan International Film FestivalPusan International Film FestivalBusan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
- Award for Artistic Contribution (2003)
External links
- The Yu Hyun-mok Page at koreanfilm.org