Lee Chang-dong
Kim Young-jin, translated from Korean by Park Sanghee; Seoul Selection: 114
pp., 12,000 wonCelebrated director and former Minister of Culture (2003-2004) Lee Chang-dong marked a milestone for Korean cinema when Jeon Do-yeon, the female lead of his fourth film “Secret Sunshine” (2007), was crowned Best Actress at the Festival de Cannes in May.
“Lee Chang-dong” (Kim Young-jin, translated from Korean by Park Sang-hee; Seoul Selection: 114 pp., 12,000 won) offers all you need to know about the 53-year-old filmmaker who became an icon with just four works under his belt. The book’s publication is most timely for quenching the growing curiosity of international audiences. Written by Kim Young-jin, one of the most active film critics in the country, it provides an intimate glimpse of Lee and insightful analyses of his three master works, “Green Fish” (1996), “Peppermint Candy” (1999) and “Oasis”(2002).
When the author met Lee for the fifth time for the book, the director was in the post-production process of “Secret Sunshine.” Kim could not see the film nor was he able to talk about it in detail because Lee “has an obsessive aversion to any premature predictions about his unfinished films.”
“Yet, I had a premonition that his new film would be a significant turning point in his career,” wrote Kim in the preface. “For now, I hope my premonition will turn out right.”
And it sure did. “Secret Sunshine” remapped Korea’s standing in the international cinematic scene.
“One thing is for sure __ his new film will show how he has evolved from a four-year hiatus that included a stint as the Minister of Culture and Tourism.”
The book introduces readers to Lee and his films through critical commentaries, a biography and extensive interviews with the director and comprehensive filmography and synopses for reference.
Readers will be able to view Lee from many different perspectives: a filmmaker wishing his works to speak for themselves (“If I could explain it in words, why make a film?” Kim quoted him as saying during a interview for “Peppermint Candy,” p. 67); a perfectionist novelist; a discreet Minister of Culture; and a man joking over a cup of coffee, calling himself “a bum pretending to be an artist” (p. 9).
“Lee” is the latest addition to the Korean Film Council’s “Korean Film Directors Series,” an ongoing project that aims to provide international audiences a thorough examination of the works of Korean film icons.
The series includes books on veteran director Im Kwon-taek and the award-winning Park Chan-wook.
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