The ‘Short Cuts’ series of books are introductory texts to different aspects, genres, histories and critical ideas of cinema. In volume 46 of this long running series the South Korean film industry falls under the spotlight as the democratization of the country, the political and the commercial forces which led up through the Korean New Wave on through to the New Korean Cinema are examined. Written by Dacy Paquet – who has long been one of the strongest and most consistent voices in championing and spreading the word on Korean cinema through his excellent website (koreanfilm.org) and writing for the likes of Screen International and Variety – New Korean Cinema: Breaking The Waves is a carefully measured text that keeps a clear and balanced perspective while outlining relevant themes and events.
Broken into manageable and thematic sections, New Korean Cinema: Breaking The Waves firstly covers the transformation of South Korea from an authoritarian state into a young democracy, then follows through with a commentary on the effects that this had on the Korean film industry and how key events such as the bloody protests in Gwangju would become reoccurring themes for filmmakers. The second half of the book is then concerned with the creative and commercial forces which affected the industry, taking it from local filmmaking into a cinema that provoked interest and sales worldwide.
While defining and explaining the reasons for the emergence of the New Korean Cinema, Darcy Paquets book also covers earlier cinema – especially the Korean New Wave that directly preceded it – and so while the focus of the volume is obviously the emergence of the critical and commercial explosion, it also provides a strong sense of context, including box office figures. Popular directors such as Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook and Kim Ji-woon are referenced, as are the likes of less familiar but equally important directors such as Lee Chang-dong and Hong Sang-soo, as well as many of the box-office and critically acclaimed films of the period.
Invaluable to newcomers or those who want to gain some insight into some of the issues that are often hidden just below the surface of Korean films – or sometimes the whole thrust of a subject – New Korean Cinema provides enough of an overview to highlight and suggest what directors , films, political movements and historical events to research elsewhere, helpfully providing a general context that is much needed given the difficulty in piecing together much of the material written elsewhere on aspects of Korean cinema. New Korean Cinema provides an introduction rather than an in depth study in any specific area, but Darcy Paquets book is surely one of the key texts in opening up new avenues of interest to both film studies students and the serious fan. Written in an accessable and straightforward manner which manages to cover a lot of ground without overly simplyfying it, New Korean Cinema is a very good kicking off point for anyone with more than just a casual interest in Korean cinema.
