A Korean Movie"s Nostalgic Power

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A Korean Movie"s Nostalgic Power

'April is the cruelest month.' It is not the opening verse of Chaucer or Eliot but the plaintive words of Korean movie-theatre owners.
Nature enthusiasts prefer spring's scenery, and students are now in the library preparing for exams, so theatres are empty.
However, a Korean movie 'The Organ in My Heart' is showing strong rumblings of life. It has been drawing about 3,000 citizens, daily, at six cinemas in Seoul, and 10,000 on the weekend. This movie has captured audiences' hearts by its nostalgic portrayal of the 1960's.
Nostalgia rode out the box office storm created by 'Swiri', the Korean blockbuster that is writing new records for attendance each day.
About 180,000 people in Seoul saw 'the Organ in My Heart' since its release on March 27. It is a remarkable result considering no movies, including Hollywood blockbusters, among the 20 newly-released films drew more than 10,000 patrons last week except for 'Swiri'.
This melodrama, against all odds, overcame the oppression of overseas direct distributors.
Some theaters that confronted distributors' demands to show their films decided to tear off the poster of 'the Organ in My Heart.'Theater owners were worried about missing out on potential hits released by the distributors in May.
We can find the 'andante cantabile', that is, the slow and songlike power of the best of Korean movies in this film. The success is indebted to the director and producer that strove to honestly portray Korean sentiment and to the audiences that appreciated the virtue. Myoungbo Theatre and Seoul Theatre promised a long-term showing until the middle of May.
Jooan Kang : jooan@joongang.co.kr
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