Films describe a society or try to give meaning and value to peoples point of view and actions
Films describe a society or try to give meaning and value to peoples point of view and actions. There are a variety of ideologies and perspective that are shaped within the film that mostly tell about society. They also serve as a reference point to aspects that happened earlier within this same society. Most movies tell a story and allow people to connect through the story. This thus begs for the story to become as accurate as possible and essentially will enable the audience to create their perspective and relate to the characters within the story. Many aspects shape a good film, while a majority of the time only actors are celebrated for their performance, the behind the scenes actions is even more compelling and defining than what the actors do on screen because the actors outlay the emotions and feelings and points of view without context. Various other aspects such as the costumes they wear, the set design, the action, the intensity of light, direction and type of light, the kinds of camera actions and what the camera focuses on within the sphere of acting, help create and give the film meaning. The meaning in a film is what is referred to as the theme.
In other words, the theme is the subject of the discourse that communicate the premise, idea or the primary purpose of a film. A theme explains the main reason why a movie was made, and it serves as the heart of the movie. One of the main reasons why people take their time and decide to watch a movie is not because of the genre, story plot, cinematography or the characters, but it’s merely because of the theme. It’s incredible how a premise or an idea in a movie can be articulated by the use of just a single sentence. They may look unusual that the intention of a multimillion-dollar project begins with just a single sentence. Different themes in a film can analyze by the decade or period in which the movie was produced. Themes and the resulting films are usually a product and a reflection of the economic, social or political atmosphere of that specific time in history. The significance of a theme in a movie cannot be overemphasized. The whole perspective and purpose of a film is usually transformed when the theme changes.
One of the movies that have been in covered in class is The Throne. This specific movie begins with a pivotal event of the whole story that is one of the most significant tragic events during the era of Joseon. The importance of this scene is such vital as it captures the attention of the viewers immediately from the word go. The Throne is a story based movie that has been established on an actual event that happened when king Yeongjo of Joseon was in power. It is at this time that the king locked his son Prince Sado in a wooden rice chest for eight days until the son died of suffocation and starvation. Apart from the cruel death of Crown Prince by his father, the movie explains to us the previous life Sado that reveals the terrible relationship between the father and the son. This form of flashback transition is done uniquely from one image to the other, and the trick goes on several times consecutively.
Hong Gildong Jeon is our second movie that was produced during the era of the Joseon Dynasty. Hong Gildong is the main character, and he is a lowborn concubine and a legitimate son of a minister. Blessed by supernatural and intellectual abilities, he has managed to steal from the corrupt and the wealthy aristocrats who have made him be compared with other eminent bandits such Australia’s Ned Kelly. As a result of the strict Confucian laws from the Dynasty Joseon, Gil Dong, who has been born as an illegitimate child is not accepted by his family, including his father. He faces severe discrimination both from society and the family, and it is at this point, he decides to escape and become a bandit leader. He decides to steal from the rich and the corrupt officials simply because of one reason to help and assist the poor individuals within the society. His fame within the poor people in the community increases and at the end of the day, he is recognized as a hero.
Among the many themes that have been brought out from these two movies, the theme of tradition, culture, nationalism, rejection, family and death turn to be one of the themes they have in common. Let’s starts with the theme of traditional in Hong Kil Dong movie. In the history of the Korean cinema industry, the Hong Kil Dong movie has been identified as the most compelling film whose impacts on its viewers far surpassed the prospect of its creators. Hong Kil Dong movie is a form of a cinematic version that involves the legendary folklore story that narrates the adventure of the Korean Robin Hood. The writer of this specific film is attributed to one of the most prominent Korean scholar Ho Gyun. This particular movie is entertaining, dynamic and contains very few propaganda messages turning it to a symbol of some of the North Korean mass culture that it experienced back in the year 1980s. After so many years of neglecting the traditional Korean themes, and exclusively focusing on other issues, the Hong Kil Dong movie is among the Korean film that has managed to work to work in the cinematography.
Specifically, Hong Kil Dong movie stands to the first Korean action movie that has ever effectively used the art of martial arts with its characters jumping over the top of trees and flying in the air from the wise guidance and meticulous practice of an old teacher. From the movie, this tradition is well represented by a handsome young actor Ri Yong Ho who has taken the role of a jumpy protagonist. Ri Yong Ho is a returnee from Japan, and he also takes the role of a future sex symbol throughout the Korean cinematography. Probably Ri Yong Ho was not aware that by taking his position in Hong Gil-dong that he had already done a unique service to his compatriots within the Soviet Union during the film demonstration. From the past traditional, it was challenging to find to get attractive Asian faces on the soviet screens. But in these specific situations, Ri Yong Ho meets with several soviet girlfriends, and at the end of the performance, he ends up winning their heart. The exotic ancient rituals, bright national costumes, impressive views of the Korean mountain as well as the beautiful faces of the communist Koreans in the Hong Gil –dong is a real picture of how the Koreans are proud of their historical motherland. Before the production of Hong Gil –dong movie, the mind of the Koreans were exclusively associated with a weird cult of personality and a weird cult.
The theme of tradition is very evident and transparent throughout The Throne. To start with, the characters are wearing the traditional Joseon robe and the way they speak and move feels more traditional. This is not the only case, but the soundtrack that has been employed is a mix of traditional and contemporary that is usually generated from sombre pipes. According to the traditional, the sombre pipes are designed in a way that they can chase away or expel evil spirits from the community. In the film, the tradition of the death and the evil spirit is evident through Prince Sado. Sado is gradually deranged and is everyone is getting afraid of him. The young man is carrying a sword which, according to their culture, represents the traditional weapon. He goes all the way to the tomb and sleeps here some that he has not done earlier before. But through a flashback, it is more comfortable to reveal how more and more his aggressive irrational behaviours rhyme with the gradual fall of his relationship with his father.
Traditionally, this suggests that if Sado would at all been mentally ill, it would automatically have been driven too many expectations from his father as well as lack of love and understanding. Despite the high setting of the film, the story in this film feels retable, intimate, and it concerns itself with the traditional issues.
The theme of nationalism is our second common theme that has adequately been expressed in both of the films. Nationalism refers to the individual identification with his or her country with the maximum support for interest, especially when it comes to supporting the national issues and the well being of your citizens. Nationalism always put the concerns of the nation at a front line, especially to matters of maintaining and gaining national sovereignty.
The theme of nationalism in the film Hong Gil-dong has been well explained by the protagonist move to robe the rich and otherwise offer a helping hand to the poor people. From the flow of actions in the movie, Gil Dong decides to steal from the rich and the corrupt officials simply because of one reason to help and assist the poor individuals within the society. This is a patriotic move from Gil Dong, and he firmly believes that not only the rich and the corrupt individual in the government who should be enjoying the prosperity of their but the same should be enjoyed by even the poorest in the nation.
Gil Dong decision to steal from the corrupt and the rich was a rebel move of working against the feudal system. The key message from this film is a description of how Hong Gil-dong belongs to neglected strata of Korean community despite acting like a lower-class concubine and a son of a nobleman. The very king openly claims that he is not in a position to help Hong, simply because there exist some inequality of different classes which otherwise are the pillar of the society and if at all they don’t exist, the kingdom will automatically collapse. Watching the final verdict, it is clear that the brave hero withers. Other than reacting against the king, he moves out of country determined to look for some harmonious, happy places where people can enjoy from being treated according to their merits. The film has brought out this so much clear, and it’s now the responsibility of Hong Gil-dong to such place though the chances were meagre. In a country such as North Korean, where society is divided in terms of reliable and unreliable classes, such form of communication was rather sensitive. Hong Gil-dong openly criticizes this situation, and he publicly claims that the case was unjust a real indication of a spirit of nationalism at heart.
Lastly, in the film The Throne, the theme of nationalism has been expressed through the king when he kills his only son Prince Sado. Prince Sado was the heir to the king, and he was the person who was supposed to inherit the kingship from his father. Prince Sado is suffering from a mental illness, and this must be the main reason why his father decides not to rely on him. The action that the king took to kill his son is a way of expressing nationalism to his own country. It was not suitable for the king to leave his position to a man who was not of sound mind. Such a job requires a person who is in his sober mind and a man who appropriately fit that position not the like of Prince Sado. A leader should always be of exceptional characters such as being transparent, courageous and the ability to resolve problems. Prince Sado father was a real reflection of a leader and a nationalist who put the interest of his nation above his own. He decided to eliminate his only son simply because he did not wish to people his nation and the rest of the citizens into trouble.