Événement

"Last Witness" screening at PUSAN WEST

[1980/154min/DVD/Color]

Before being released in 1980, the censors butchered over 50 minutes for lewdness, however, the real reason was a political one. The 1980s was a decade of political darkness which profoundly affected filmmaking. The military government exerted a harsh censorship against political content while being more lenient on sexual contents. The film dealt with particularly sensitive subject of the conflict between North Korean communist guerrillas and the South Korean army during the Korean War: the biggest tragedy in modern Korean history. The film was known for Lee Doo-yongs fine directions and action scenes and acquired a legendary status among younger filmmakers like Park Chan-wook before the film was finally restored to its 154-minute original version this year.

While investigating the murder of brewery owner Yang Dal-su, detective Oh Byung-ho comes across Yang Dal-sus concubine Son Ji-hye, Son Ji-hyes husband Hwang Ba-wu, and former communist guerilla unit leader Kang Man-ho. As detective Oh gets deeper into the investigation, he begins to uncover the tangled web of mystery and tragedy that surrounds these characters. Lee boldly depicts a tragic moments in Korean history with dark and grainy images and by uncovering the hidden and forgotten history, he is also revealing the tragedy of the 1980s.

The film is an adaptation of a mystery thriller of the same title by Kim Seong-jong.

Q&A with Director Doo-yong Lee after the screening!

Doo-yong Lee was one of the most prolific filmmakers in Korea in the 1980s and he is also one of the first Korean filmmakers to gain international recognition. His 1983 film Mulreya, Mulreya was the first Korean film to be invited to Cannes Film Festival to be presented at Un Certain Regard section. He first entered the Korean film industry in the 1960s as assistant director to Lee Man-hee, the foremost filmmaker of the decade, and made his directorial debut in 1969 with The Lost Wedding Veil. In the 1970s, he became a successful action film director with such films as Returned Single-legged Man (1974) and in the 1980s he made several period dramas depicting the sufferings of women under traditional confucian society. His 1980 film The Hut was invited to Venice Film Festival and won a special ISDAP award.

Price includes admission to Closing Reception after the screening.