GANGLANDS IN 1990’S KOREAN FILM Setting the scene for genre changes in the 2000’s?

Introduction: Korean Ganglands

¨  Introducing My Project ¨  1990’s KGF Overview ¨  Production Factors ¨  Thematic Changes ¨  Spatial Themes ¨  Questions

Introducing My Research Project

Space in the Korean Gangster Film

Mapping the KGF through Space

Significance:

Korean Film

Genre Film

Gangster Film

Space & Genre

¨  Hypothesis: ¤  Change in the KGF genre is reflected in spatial

changes in the genre-scape post 2000

n  Expansion of Gangland n  Movement out of Gangland

¨  Questions: ¤  What are the key spatial changes in the KGF

after 2001? ¤  How can these changes be accounted for? ¤  Critical element: -

n  Is current genre theory adequate to account for this?

Spatial Change in KGF 2001-2012

¨  Gangland? ¨  Why Gangland?

Gangland

Home

Town

1990’s KGF?

Thesis Plan

¨  Introduction ¨  Literature Review ¨  Methodology ¨  Core Chapters ¨  Conclusion

¤ Epilogue n New Noir Spaces in KF

1.  1990’s KGF Spaces Expanding Gangland 2.  Gangland Business 3.  Gangster Education Leaving Gangland 4.  Return to the Hometown 5.  Domestic Gangsters

Basic Structure Core Chapters

So Many Ways to Be Bad!

1990’s KGF Overview

What’s at Stake in 1990s KGF?

¨  Do KGF in the 1990'ss provide a background to changes in the genre in the 2000's?

¨  To what extent?

¨  Changes in Industry Regulation ¨  Changes in Industrial Structure ¨  Demand - Niche & Regional

Markets ¨  Demographic Change ¨  Influence of Hong Kong

Gangster Films ¨  Semantic & Syntactic Changes ¨  Social Change and Genre

Functions

Research Question Wider Contexts

How can we account for the camel’s double hump? Popularity?

1990’s Production Trends for KGF

History of KGF: Database Research

Gangster   Cho Pok   Hwalgeuk   Total  

1960's   94   24   118  

1970's   104   41   145  

1980's   65   5   70  

1990's   110   1   111  

2000's   164   32   3   199  

Total   537   33   73   643  

0

20

40

60

1960

19

63

1966

19

69

1972

19

75

1978

19

81

1984

19

87

1990

19

93

1996

19

99

2002

20

05

2008

20

11

Total Gangster Films

Total Gangster Films

0.00% 5.00%

10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00%

Gangster Films

Average

Gangster Films as Percentage of Total Films

KGF: Peak Sales, Popularity in 2000’s

0.00%

20.00%

40.00%

60.00%

80.00%

100.00%

1977

19

78

1979

19

80

1981

19

82

1983

19

84

1985

19

86

1987

19

88

1989

19

90

1991

19

92

1994

19

95

1996

19

97

1998

19

99

2000

20

01

2002

20

03

2004

20

05

2006

20

07

2008

20

09

2010

Percentage of KGF*

KGF* in Top 10

The Percentage of Korean Gangster Films in the Top 10%

0

50

100

150

200

250

1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's

Cho Pok

Hwalguek

KGF-Mid-Low

KGF-High

Corpus Composition by Number

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1960's 1990's 2000's

Gangster-Mixed

KGF-High

Changing Proportions of Gangster/ Mixed-Genres Films

Changing Genre Formula in KGF

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Hwalguek

Cho Pok

KGF-Mid

KGF-High

Mainstream & Mixed Theme KGF

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

1980

19

81

1982

19

83

1984

19

85

1986

19

87

1988

19

89

1990

19

91

1992

19

93

1994

19

95

1996

19

97

1998

19

99

2000

Mainstream Gangster Film

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1980

19

81

1982

19

83

1984

19

85

1986

19

87

1988

19

89

1990

19

91

1992

19

93

1994

19

95

1996

19

97

1998

19

99

2000

Genre-Mixing Gangster Films

Factors Impacting KGF Production

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

KGF-Mid

KGF-High

General’s Son

2000’s

New

Form

ula?

REGULATION Industry Structure

Korean Blockbusters?

The Impact of Hong Kong Action Films

¨  Created Demand?

¨  Aesthetic Influence? ¤ Wong Ka Wai

¨  Thematic Influence? ¤ No cop/thug

brotherhood ¤  But baddies transgress

traditional codes for personal gain

Same issues different setting?

1990’s KGF Generic Dynamics

1990’s KGF Overview

¨  Historical ¤  Colonial/Liberation/Nostalgia

¨  Contemporary ¨  Seoul / Pusan / Chonla

¨  Anti Japanese ¨  Gangster Ethics ¨  Women Gangsters ¨  Family Reunion ¨  Male Melodrama ¨  Comedy ¨  Change in Realism

Settings

Themes & Issues

Plots

¡ Good Gang / Bad Gang ¡ Good Gangster / Bad

‘Oyabun’ ¡ Reluctant Revenge ¡ Gangsters as ‘Baddies’

Social Change and Genre

¨  Youth Demographic ¨  Aging ‘Niche’ Audience ¨  Cinephilia ¨  Diversified channels –

DVD Rooms? ¨  Democracy ¨  ‘Remasculinatinization’? ¨  Shift to Neo-Liberal

Society ¨  Post IMF Masculinities

Ø  Shift to youth themes? Ø  Introduction of Nostalgia? Ø  Enhanced Aesthetics? Ø  Date Movies? -Romance &

Action? Ø  Ideological Shift? Ø  Sexier Heroes & Fights’? Ø  Shift to isolated individual

as anti-hero? Ø  New Male Melodramas?

Leads to Sematic Change

And, Syntactic Change

¨  Good Gang Vs Bad Gang ¨  Baddie Transgresses ¨  Hierarchal Male Loyalties ¨  Nar. & Moral Agency ¨  Happy Ending ¨  Status quo based on

Traditional Korean Values is restored

¨  Women Saved

¨  Good Gangster vs Bad Boss ¨  Hero Transgresses ¨  Horizontal Male Bonding ¨  Only Moral Agency ¨  Tragic Ending ¨  Negative status quo based

on corrupt modernity is restored

¨  Girl friends Abandoned

Early 1990’s / Period Setting Later 1990’s / Contemp. Setting

Revisiting the Key Question

¨  Was there movement towards a mixing of gang and non-gang milieus?

¨  Yes! ¨  Perhaps this results from movement

towards individualized heroes operating more outside the gang?

How Unified was the 1990’s Korean Gangland?

Spatial Changes

Gangland Spaces

¨  Clubs and Bars ¨  Room Salons ¨  Restaurants ¨  Boss’s Office ¨  The Street ¨  The Docks ¨  Liminal Spaces

¤  Pusan and the Sea ¤  Dark City and Immorality

¨  Factories ¨  Warehouses ¨  Gang HQ Basement ¨  The Docks ¨  Public Graveyards ¨  Sawmills ¨  Quarries ¨  Car Parks

Main Action Fight Scenes

Inside Spaces

¨  Style ¤ House ¤  Industrial ¤ Commercial

¨  Swords& Eagles ¨  Phones ¨  Globes and Maps ¨  Art and Mottos

¨  Associated with Female Gangsters

¨  Related to Family Subplots

¨  Men’s Dorm to Male Buddy Space

Boss’s Office

Domestic Space

Journeys: Urban Migration Tales

Seoul (Sin City)

Gangland Death

Yong Pal

Further Research: Spatial Change in 2000s KGF

¨  Business?

¨  Education?

¨  Domestic Space?

¨  Rural Hometowns?

Ø  Away from business & manufacturing towards bars

Ø  Only on 1997 film Jjang

Ø  Re: family & female gangsters Ø  Shifts to ‘buddies space’ Ø  ‘Period’ heroes embody

traditional Korean values Ø  Young Pal Character

Indicates a fairly significant shift in the 2000’s

THANKS! Any Questions?