Discourse on Joseon cinema II (Mae-il-Sin-bo, 06.28–30 1942) Im Hwa

Abstract

What will become of Joseon cinema? This question emerges from a much more complex situation than does the question of where Joseon cinema is heading towards. The matter of whereto is a problem of dynamics, but the matter of becoming is a problem of existence. Indeed, the problem of existence precedes that of dynamics, since dynamics is a mode of existence. Hence, the question of whereto is already predicated on the problem of becoming as a self-evident fact. On that account, the question of becoming is namely a question of ontological certainty. Before deliberating on the original question, it is necessary to consider what makes us raise such a question in the first place. Wemust keep in mind that the question of what will become of Joseon cinema does not come from some abstract notion of the ontology of Joseon cinema. To tell the truth, the question is more of a reflection of the atmosphere surrounding Joseon cinema nowadays than an independent proposition. This atmosphere is, of course, fermented from a prolonged stagnation resulting from poor ventilation. Why was it ventilated poorly? Of course, it is because film production in Joseon remained inactive for the most part since last year. Nevertheless, there were such periods of stagnation not only in the early days of Joseon cinema but also several times since the talkies. People at that time don’t seem to have been ready to answer the question of what will become of Joseon cinema either. If so, what generated the atmosphere that gave rise to such a question during this recent stagnation that has been lasting no more than a year? It is here that I anticipate something peculiar brought about by last year’s stagnation that has continued till now in Joseon cinema. In the conclusion of my essay last year (Hwa 1941), I highlighted that the future of Joseon cinema depends first on the development of a new stage of cinema as art and second on whether it successfully overcomes the difficulties of industrialization or not. Needless to say, it is clear that this tame observation was no wonder drug at all, given that the stagnation of Joseon cinema had always arisen from those two factors. However, the essay was written by no means to elucidate the past stagnation in film productions, but to elaborate on how if stagnation were to befall once again, it would be because the two factors were not only left unsolved but also in contradiction. Besides, more importantly, I drafted the essay right after the release of Choi In-gyu’s Angels on the Streets and Jeon Chang-geun’sMiles Away from Happiness, foreboding that such a stagnation had already begun to a certain extent. Much time had already passed, and everything changed a great deal since then. Nevertheless, just as many critics including myself predicted in the past, the stagnation in Joseon cinema seems to have returned, inevitably