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Spring On The Korean Peninsula

1) The 1941 Korean film "Spring on the Korean Peninsula" depicts the political and economic crisis facing Korea under Japanese rule through the use of costumes, language, and themes. 2) Costumes show the modern Japanese characters versus traditional Korean attire, highlighting the economic prosperity of Japan and limitations faced by Korea. 3) The film only allows Korean language in private scenes, reflecting increasing Japanese suppression of Korean culture through language policies.

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151 views4 pages

Spring On The Korean Peninsula

1) The 1941 Korean film "Spring on the Korean Peninsula" depicts the political and economic crisis facing Korea under Japanese rule through the use of costumes, language, and themes. 2) Costumes show the modern Japanese characters versus traditional Korean attire, highlighting the economic prosperity of Japan and limitations faced by Korea. 3) The film only allows Korean language in private scenes, reflecting increasing Japanese suppression of Korean culture through language policies.

Uploaded by

Robert Mariasi
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Assignment 1: Critical Essay

K80

30 October 2020

Spring on the Korean Peninsula

The movie entitled Ban-do-ui bom (in English Spring on the Korean Peninsula) was

released in 1941 and represents one of the movies which managed to survive the passage of

them. The Second Sino Japanese War had a dramatic effect on the society of the involved

countries. It did not only affect the population's cultural background but also limited their

creativity by imposing strict guidelines in regard to what can be written and published and also

what kind of movies would be directed during the following period. During those years, the

Japanese focus on wiping out the culture from Korea and due to that established strict laws in

regard to everything related to their history, culture, or social circumstances (Han,2019). The

regulatory policies which were influenced kept on becoming more drastic as the year has passed

and due to that the Korean language usage in movies was prohibited. Even so, even producing

these films was considered a true adventure due to the fact that most of the producers were

facing a lack of economic resources to exhibit their creativity. One of the most severe laws was

entitled "Choson Motion Picture Law" which focused on strengthening the control of the public

through media monitorization (Sohn,2018). All the movies need to focus on the dominance of

the Japanese without causing any damage to the image of the Japanese Empire. The movie

entitled "Spring on the Korean Peninsula" reflects this exact reality. Through the main characters

of the movie, the usage of language and the costumes used, the producer tries to underline both

the political and also financial crisis which Korea faced during that period. The movie itself
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represents a real reflection of the instability the country was experiencing under the form of a

national crisis.

The first element of analysis will be represented by the costumes which the character

wears. Their purpose is to underline the economical perspective of the Japanese and the lack of

possibilities of the Korean population. In the movies, the Japanese are defined as being educated

persons who are part of the elite society and which have access to all the modern resources. For

example, Anna is depicted wearing modern clothes which further confirms that her lifestyle is

highly influenced by western culture. This is presented in comparison with Jung-hee, who is a

Korean woman wearing their traditional clothes. This element of contracts underlined the fact

that the Japanese economic industry was very prosperous during that period and that they have

extensive access to western culture. On the other hand, Korea was more limited, they were still

wearing their clothes due to the inability to keep up with the modern days. More than that, the

difference between Anna and Jung-hee further confirms the inferior position of Korea when

compared to the Japanese lifestyle and possibilities.

In terms of language, the movies in that area were prohibited from implementing

extensive speeches in Korean. This is due to the dominance of the Japanese who wanted to

suppress any characteristics of Korean society. The movie depicts the characters communicating

in Japanese in all the public spaces. Even so, once they were in their private spaces they used the

Korean language. These scenes have a major focus on pointing out how the Japanese regulations

were starting to increase and become more drastic for Korean society. If in the beginning they

only prohibited particular cultural themes, as time passed, they were interested in suppressing all

the aspects which could define the Korean particularities. The movie presents exactly this issue
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of the Japanese language being present in all the public spaces such as in the coffee shop, in the

newspaper, or on the radio.

During the Choson dynasty, everything related to the Korean film industry was actually

struggling to keep up and survive. This element is depicted in Young-ill quote when he tries to

find ways to receive money to produce the film. He stated that all his sacrifices will save them

all, more exactly referring to all the cultural elements which were lost due to the Japanese

dominance. As it pointed out in the film, especially through his decision, the character Young-il

is actually willing to sacrifice everything he has, including his life, in order to save the Korean

film industry. Once it is found out about his improper practice, Mr. Han immediately cuts the

funding for the movie. From many perspectives, including mine, this represents a hard depiction

of how Japan was also controlling all the capital of Korea. From a powerful country, Korea has

become highly dependent on Japan. They had the power to control every single aspect of the

country including the distribution of money for different productions.

Even so, the movie has a hidden message. Anna is a representation of the modern

Japanese woman who has a high power of influence but who fails to make Young-il fall in love

with her. Instead, he loves the other woman who was Korean. Due to that, Anna can be seen as a

clear presentation of Japan government trying to control every aspect of the Korean lifestyle.

Even so, she fails to reach her goal when compared to the other woman. Through these scenes,

the producer wanted to underline the fact that no matter how hard the Japanese government tries

to diminish the culture of Korea, they will never be able to do it as they wish.

In conclusion to this essay, the movie Spring on the Korean Peninsula represents a

cinematographic piece of art that tries to deliver a hidden message to the audience in regard to

both the financial and social crisis which Korea faced during the Japanese colonial period. The
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movie provides another point of view in regard to what was going on in the country in

comparison to the way the Japanese population depicted it. The usage of costumes, languages,

and different actions serves as hidden symbols in regard to the message the producer wanted to

deliver, and from my point of view he succeeded in doing so.

Works Cited

Han Gil-Soo, The Unsettled Legacies of the Colonial Period in Korea, Cross Currents, East

Asian history and culture review , Retrieved on 10/30/2020 from: https://cross-

currents.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/e-journal/articles/Cross-Currents%2032%20-%20G.

%20Han%20%28An%29.pdf , 2019

Sohn Irhe, The Makings of Cinema in Colonial Korea, Retrieved on 10/30/2020 from:

https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/146131/irhesohn_1.pdf?

sequence=1&isAllowed=y , 2018

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