The Road to Sampo

The Road to Sampo (Korean: 삼포가는 길; RR: Sampoganeun gil) is a 1975 South Korean film starring Baek Il-seob, Kim Jin-kyu and Mun Suk. The final and posthumous work of director Lee Man-hee, it is adapted from an original short story of the same name by Hwang Sok-yong.[1][2][3]

The Road to Sampo
Directed byLee Man-hee
Produced byJoo Dong-jin
Written byHwang Sok-yong
Screenplay byYoo Dong-hun
StarringBaek Il-seob
Kim Jin-kyu
Mun Suk
Music byChoi Chang-kwon
CinematographyKim Deok-jin
Edited byJang Hyeon-su
Release date
  • May 23, 1975 (1975-05-23)
Running time
95 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

Lee collapsed during the editing phase of the film. He was admitted to a hospital and soon died. According to Baek Kyeol, a screenwriter, Lee's health was already at its worst when he took on the project and may have known that he might not live to see the film's completion.

Plot

With little money left and no work during winter, Roh Young-dal (Baek Il-seob), a young construction worker is at a loss where to go when he meets a middle-aged man named Jeong (Kim Jin-kyu) who is on his way back to his hometown. Jeong gets by doing odd jobs using skills he learned while serving time in prison. After more than ten years' absence, he is homesick and dreams of his hometown, Sampo, where he can fish in the sea and tend his crops.[1][4]

Young-dal and Jeong meet Baek-hwa (Mun Suk), a runaway waitress at a restaurant in town and the three of them begin their journey together. At first, Young-dal and Baek-hwa argue constantly but soon become attached to each other. As they continue their travel to the train station, each reminisces about his or her past.

At the train station, Young-dal buys Baek-hwa a ticket for her onward journey, hinting at a farewell. He and Jeong then depart for Sampo. After finding a job, Young-dal leaves Jeong. When Jeong finally arrives in Sampo, he is shocked to see how his hometown has changed.

Cast
  • Baek Il-seob as Roh Young-dal
  • Kim Jin-kyu as Jeong
  • Mun Suk as Baek-hwa
  • Kim Ki-bum
  • Kim Yong-hak
  • Sok In-soo
  • Seok Myeong-sun
  • Jang In-han
  • Choe Jae-ho

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Recipient Result
197514th Grand Bell Awards [4]Best FilmThe Road to SampoWon
Best DirectorLee Man-heeWon
Best Supporting ActorKim Jin-kyuWon
Best New ActressMun SukWon

Response

Screen Anarchy's Pierce Conran: The Road to Sampo is a minor masterpiece of Korean Cinema that has given me ample excuse to seek out the rest of Lee Man-hee's work.[5]

Korean film stamps

In 2009, Korea Post issues The Road to Sampo as part of the third series of Korean film stamps, which also includes Yalkae, a Joker in High School, Never Ever Forget Me and Chilsu and Mansu.[4]

References
  1. "A Road to Sampo (Sampoganeun gil) (1975)". www.koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
  2. "Director Lee Man-hee: His Life and Movies". Korean Film Archive via Google. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
  3. "The Road to Sampo (1975) - Korean Film Archive". YouTube. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
  4. Paik, Hyun (8 January 2015). "Korean film via stamps -- The Road to Sampo". Korea.net. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
  5. Conran, Pierce (14 March 2013). "Adventures in Classic Korean Cinema: THE ROAD TO SAMPO". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved 2016-09-07.


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