Liberty (1945-1950) and War (1950-1955) eras With the surrender of Japan in 1945, Korean cinema enjoyed a burst of liberty-- and liberty itself, understandably, became the major theme of films at this time. Choi In-gyu's Viva Freedom! (자유만세 - Jayu manse!), about Korean freedom-fighters during the waning days of the Japanese occupation, is considered the major film of this era. The rebirth of Korean cinema which seemed to be coming had to wait, however. First the country was divided into North and South, and then civil war was to break out in 1950. Though film production did not completely cease during the war years, only five or six films were produced each year from 1950 to 1953. Much worse for Korea's film legacy, the vast majority of Korea's film history was lost in this devastating war. [edit] Golden Age (1955-1973) With the armistice of [+]

Because of the isolated nature of the country, information-- particularly unbiased information-- on North Korean cinema is difficult to find. Outsider appraisal of North Korean cinema is often condescending, but of dubious worth given the difficult relationship the country has with the rest of the world, and the lack of access outsiders have to the country and its films. Statements from official North Korean sources, on the other hand, include extravagant claims like, "In recent years our film art has created an unprecedented sensation in the world's filmdom... The revolutionary people of the world are unstinting in their praise of this feature film and other monumental works, calling them 'the first-class films by international standards', 'the most wonderful movies ever produced' and 'immortal revolutionary and popular films'."[23] The number of films produced in North Korea is difficult to determine. In 1992, [+]

The first half of the 1930s saw a dramatic decline in the domestic film industry in Korea. Due largely to censorship and oppression from the occupying authorities, the number of films produced at this time dropped down to only two or three per year, and many leading filmmakers fled Korea for the more robust film industry in Shanghai at this time. Perhaps the most important film of this era is Imjaeobtneun naleutbae (Ferryboat with no Ferryman) (1932), directed by Lee Gyu-hwan (1904-1981), and starring Na Woon-gyu. Because of increasing governmental censorship, this has been called the last pre-liberation film to present a significant nationalistic message [+]

Korean film studios at this time were Japanese-operated. A hat merchant known as Yodo Orajo established a film company called Choson Kinema Productions. After appearing in the Choson Kinema's 1926 production Nongjungjo (농중조), the young actor, Na Woon-gyu, was given a chance to write, direct and star in his own film. Though a few films of some quality had been produced in the year before its production, the release of Na's film, Arirang (아리랑) (1926) is generally considered the film which started the era of high-quality silent film in Korea. Like the folksong "Arirang", on which its title was based, Na Woon-gyu's Arirang did not have an overtly political theme. However hidden or subtle messages could be magnified through the common use of a live narrator at the theater. A newspaper article of 1908 shows that this tradition of byeonsa (변사, [+]

According to the October 19, 1897 issue of The Times, "Motion pictures have finally been introduced into Joseon, a country located in the Far East. At the beginning of October 1897, motion pictures were screened for the public in Jingogae, Bukcheon, in a shabby barrack that was borrowed from its Chinese owner for three days. The works screened included short films and actuality films produced by France's Pathe Pictures".[2] There are reports of another showing of a film to the public in 1898 near Namdaemun in Seoul. American traveler and lecturer Burton Holmes was the first to film in Korea as part of his innovative travelogue programs.[3] In addition to displaying his films abroad, he showed them to the Korean royal family in 1899.[4] An announcement in the contemporary newspaper, Hwangseong sinmun, names another early public screening on June 23, 1903. [+]

Korean cinema encompasses the motion picture industries of North Korea and South Korea. As with all aspects of Korean life during the past century, the film industry has often been at the mercy of political events, from Japanese occupation to the Korean War to domestic governmental interference. While both countries have relatively robust film industries today, only South Korean films have achieved wide international acclaim. North Korean films tend to portray communist or revolutionary themes. South Korean films enjoyed a "Golden age" during the late 1950s, and 1960s, but by the 1970s had become generally considered to be of low quality. A slow rebirth of the domestic film industry led to South Korea, by 2005, being one of a very few nations to watch more domestic than imported films in theatres.[1] South Korean films generally differ from Hollywood films by their [+]

Korea's first sound film was Lee Myeong-woo's 1935 Chunhyang-Jeon (춘향전).[15] The sound technique was reportedly poor, but Korean audiences appreciated hearing their own language in the cinema. The number of films produced increased during the latter part of the decade. Na Woon-gyu began making a larger number of films again with significant works like Kanggeonneo maeul (1935), and Oh Mong-nyeo (1937), before his premature death in 1937. Coming as they did during the mid- to late-1930s, sound films in Korea faced much harsher censorship from the occupying forces than did the silent films before them. Also, the loss of the byeonsa narrators with the coming of sound film meant that anti-authority messages could no longer be sneaked around the censors in this way. The showing of American and European films decreased at this time, and were replaced by Japanese films. Korean-made films became [+]