These two cultural films, If You Work Hard, There Will Be No Poverty, discovered at Gosfilmofond of Russia in 2019, and Crossroads of Youth (1934), collected in Korea in 2007, are a precious testament to Korean silent cinema. – Sungji Oh


GEULLOUI KKEUTENEUN GANANI EOPDA [Per chi lavora duramente non vi sarà povertà/If You Work Hard, There Will Be No Poverty] (KR, c. 1925-29)
regia/dir: Lee Gyu-seol. photog: Ota Hitoshi. cast: Park Soon-bong (Park Bok-geol), Kim Won-bo (Song Hyo-wan). prod, dist: Tokunaga Kumaichiro. copia/copy: DCP, 19′; did./titles: KOR/JPN.  fonte/source: Korean Film Archive, Seoul.

A cultural film in the form of a fiction narrative, If You Work Hard, There Will Be No Poverty is an important discovery that fills a gap in the history of early Korean cinema. Found at Gosfilmofond of Russia in 2019, it was originally produced for the purpose of educating and enlightening the public under Japanese colonial rule; its director and cast were Korean.
The plot is simple. Park Bok-geol and Song Hyo-wan are neighbors; Park ekes out a living by repairing shoes, Song by collecting and selling firewood. One day Park finds a wallet on the road. He takes it to the police and earns a reward, which then prompts him to work harder. He becomes busy and successful, and makes regular deposits at the local Post Office savings bank. Park comes to his neighbor’s rescue when Song loses his money. The two men reap the benefits of their conscientious work. This short yet entertaining film contains animation, various camera shots, special effects, and slapstick comedy.
The film was produced and distributed by Tokunaga Kumaichiro, a prominent figure in the entertainment world of Korea under Japanese colonial rule, and directed by Lee Gyu-seol, who had previously directed Nongjungjo (1926) and played the father of the protagonist Young-jin in Na Wun-kyu’s Arirang (1926). That Ota Hitoshi, who had shot Korea’s first feature film Weolha-ui Mangseo (The Vow Made Below the Moon, 1923, directed by Yun Baek-nam) took part as the cinematographer shows that the film was the result of collective effort by several representative filmmakers of Korean silent cinema during the period of Japanese colonial rule. A cameo appearance by director Lee Gyu-seol makes it even more valuable. – Sungji Oh

 

CHEONGCHUN-EUI SIPJARO (Crossroads of Youth) [Crocevia della giovinezza] (KR 1934)
regia/dir, scen, mont/ed: Ahn Jong-hwa. photog: Lee Myeong-u. cast: Lee Won-yong (Young-bok), Sin Il-sung (Young-ok), Park Yeon (Gae-cheol), Kim Yeon-sil (Gye-soon), Moon Kyung-sim (Bong-seon). prod: Lee Hyeong-won. copia/copy: DCP, 75′; did./titles: ENG.  fonte/source: Korean Film Archive, Seoul.

The oldest silent feature film in the KOFA collection, Crossroads of Youth was Ahn Jong-hwa’s third directorial work. In 2007, KOFA acquired 9 reels of the original nitrate negative – kept by a family that had run a theatre after liberation – and restored all but one, which had severe deterioration. In 2012, the film was designated a national cultural asset for its historical value as a primary source of Korean silent cinema.
The film depicts the joys and sorrows of a group of young people at the crossroads of fate. A disillusioned young man named Young-bok leaves his village for Gyeongseong (Seoul) after his fiancée is seduced and abandoned by Myeong-gu. There he meets Gye-soon, who works in a gas station and looks after her ailing father. Meanwhile, Young-bok’s younger sister Young-ok starts working in a bar, where she meets Jang Gae-cheol, an unscrupulous friend of Myeong-gu who takes advantage of naïve women. Both Gye-soon and Young-ok become victims of their wiles, leading to Young-bok seeking revenge.
Lee Won-yong, who plays Young-bok, was one the most popular Korean action stars of the time. Park Seung-pil and Lee Gu-young, who ran the Danseongsa, Korea’s first movie theatre, in Seoul, discovered him in the Joseon Budokan (martial arts hall) around 1927, during their search for a Korean Richard Talmadge. Sin Il-sung (Young-ok), rose to stardom at age 15 for her performance in the legendary film Arirang (1926). She sought to make a comeback with Crossroads of Youth after marriage, but received some unfavorable reviews: “She must’ve had confidence in her old acting skills, but is too old to play a girl.” (Dong-a Ilbo [East Asia Daily], 21 September 1934) Gye-soon was played by Kim Yeon-sil, who turned to acting in 1927 under the influence of her older brother, a silent-film narrator (byeonsa); she also had a singing career after 1930, and eventually defected to North Korea, where she continued acting.
The film is an exquisite combination of melodrama and action, peppered with comedic elements. As a mark of its widespread popularity, the film came in sixth on the list of the top ten films – silent and sound – voted for by Korean audiences in November 1938.
At the time of its initial release in 1934, Crossroads of Youth drew some favorable reviews. Two are quoted here: “The film achieves excellence in many aspects, including editing and acting. There are minor flaws here and there, but there’s no such thing as perfection after all…The unique techniques that herald a departure from the Joseon films of the past are much to the director’s credit.” (Chosun Ilbo [Korea Daily News], 28 Sept.‒3 Oct. 1934) “In terms of adapting, directing, acting, filming and editing, this film is a step ahead of all the other previous films – a commendable achievement for Korean cinema.” (Chosun JoongAng Ilbo [Korea JoongAng Daily News], 1-3 Dec.1934) – Sungji Oh