The Remasculinization of Korean Cinema by Kyung Hyun Kim [in AsianWeek]
Kim argues that the New Korean Cinema of the last two decades, which catapulted Korean films into the international spotlight, is finished as a movement. While the art-house flicks of Korean masters like Im Kwon-Taek defined the genre, today’s Korean studios are “scrupulously following the path of Hollywood and [have] shown more interest in making deals and formulaic genres than in innovating and devoting itself to the creation of art.” Kim focuses on the films of the 1980s and ’90s, and through close readings of more than two dozen Korean films, Kim examines the development of contemporary Korean male identity, covering the spectrum from the emasculated wimp to the hyper-testosterone driven killing machine.
Review: “New and Notable Books,” AsianWeek, April 30, 2004
Readers: Adult
Published: 2004
Discussion