Salangeul chajaseo
Salangeul chajaseo (사랑을 찾아서) (In Search of Love, or Looking For Love) is a 1929 Korean film written, directed, produced, edited by and starring Na Woon-gyu (1902-1937). The film premiered at the Choseon Theater in April 1929. More than one thousand extras from Na's hometown Hoeryong were employed in the filming of Salangeul chajaseo, making the film into a symbolic epic national exodus as a protest against the Japanese occupation of Korea. Originally entitled Crossing the Duman River (두만강을 건너서), the film was banned and censored by the Japanese occupying authorities after its first showing. Popular demand caused it to be re-released, though in a heavily edited form, and renamed In Search of Love. As with the vast majority of Korean films of this era, Salangeul chajaseo is a lost film.
| Salangeul chajaseo (In Search of Love) | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Na Woon-gyu in Salangeul chajaseo (In Search of Love) (1929) | |
| Hangul | 사랑을 찾아서 |
| Revised Romanization | Sarangeul chajaseo |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sarang ŭl ch‘ajasŏ |
| Directed by | Na Woon-gyu |
| Produced by | Na Woon-gyu |
| Written by | Na Woon-gyu |
| Starring | Na Woon-gyu Lee Geum-ryong Jeon Ok Yun Bong-chun |
| Cinematography | Lee Chang-yong |
| Edited by | Na Woon-gyu |
| Distributed by | Na Woon-gyu Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | (1,512 ft) |
| Country | Korea |
| Language | Silent film Korean intertitles |
| Budget | 3,500 won |
Production
The film was shot using 14 35mm films.[1]
Plot summary
The plot concerns three characters who have lost hope in continuing their lives in Korea—Kokosu (Lee Geum-ryong), an old man who has lost his farmland; Dong-min (Na Woon-gyu); and Jong-hui (Jeong Ok), who had been betrayed by her boyfriend. Kokosu had been a bugler in the Korean military during the last days of the Korean Empire. Seeking a better life in northeast China, the three are attacked by Chinese "majeok" bandits and the Japanese while attempting the ice-covered Tumen River crossing of the China–North Korea border . With his last breath, Kokosu blows the army bugle he had carried with him all his life. Dong-min takes the bugle and continues playing it.
References
- Kim, Kab-ui (2001). Chunsa Na Un-gyu chonjip: ku saengae wa yesul (춘사나운규전집: 그생애와예술). Seoul: Chimmundang. ISBN 89-303-0877-5.
- Lee Young-il, Richard Lynn Greever, tr. (1988). The History of Korean Cinema. Motion Picture Promotion Corporation, Seoul. ISBN 89-88095-12-X.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- Looking for Love - Going across River Doomankang(Salang-eul chaj-aseo) at The Korean Film Archive (KOFA)
Literature
『한국영화전사』(이영일,삼애사,1969)