The Representation of Masculinity in Korean Cinema
Masculinity (link: effeminacy in men chapter) is a crucial subject in Korean cinema, in that the regaining of masculinity in its film appears to reflect Korea regaining its own voice following its history with the medium. Kyung states, “The word ‘remasculinization’ presumes a condition of threatened masculinity or emasculation” (Kyung, 2004:9). This emasculation can be seen in previous Korean films such as A Windy, But Pleasant Day (Lee, 1980), where a woman deceives Kil-nam, although he loved her. This can be interpreted as a reflection of Korea’s creativity stifled due to requiring government approval before screening; I understood this as masculinity in cinema being Korea’s filmmaking potential, and the government is represented as the woman in this scenario. However, a reimagining of the male protagonist occurred; Kyung continues, “By the late 1990s, the typical representation of Korean men in cinema was no longer solely composed of [pathetic] male characters… many screen males emerged instead as objects of desire” (Kyung, 2004:10), unlike female characters, where he argues, “…the representations of femininity remained strikingly unchanged while the representation of masculinity underwent changes” (Kyung, 2004:8). I believe that Korea was inspired by Hollywood’s developments in the portrayal of masculinity.
Contrary to Dogme 95 and to an extent New Zealand cinema, Korean cinema takes influence from Hollywood in the construction of its narratives; Hyangjin states, “The references to Hollywood films [go] beyond mere imitation…a high degree of self-consciousness but also an ambition to exceed Hollywood” (Hyangjin, 2000:63) in reference to Shiri (Kang 1999). It was in fact Jurassic Park’s success (Steven Spielberg, 1993) that encouraged Korea’s “media production as a national strategic industry” (Shim, 2004:32). Masculinity was anchored in a very specific way in a number of Hollywood productions in the late 1990s, most notably Fight Club (Fincher, 1999), in which the Narrator is ‘feminised’ by modern culture, before reclaiming his masculinity through the fight club.
I found Hollywood’s varying influence on all the material screened to be compelling, but it is its influence on Korean cinema that I find the most interesting. Oldboy (Park, 2003), for example, follows Hollywood’s 3-act structure, a big budget, similar filming and editing techniques, and gratuitous fight scenes not unreminiscent of scenes such as this in The Matrix Reloaded (Wachowski Brothers, 2003), albeit less flashy. Oh Dae-Su in Oldboy uses a hammer in this fight, the symbol of the proletariat, which I interpreted as anti-government symbolism, reflecting the Korean cinema pre-1955. This violence is representative of new-found masculinity both in Hollywood, following the ‘new man’ in touch with his emotions found in the early 90s, and in Korean cinema, following the self-loathing male. This is not without its consequences in Korean cinema, however; Oh Dae-Su is punished with the knowledge that he slept with his daughter, and in Address Unknown (Kim, 2001) “Ji-Hum has to pay for his regained manhood and violence-defined masculinity, however, and finally ends up in jail” (Gateward, 2007:256). This, like New Zealand and Dogme 95 cinema, represents an approach to taboo topics, like Hollywood tries to avoid. I found through my journey with Korean cinema that masculinity is depicted in ways both analogous to and divergent to Hollywood, from themes of violence and isolation to the differences in gratuity and fate.
Bibliography:
Gateward, Francis (2007) Seoul Searching: Culture and Identity in Contemporary Korean Cinema. New York, NY: State University of New York Press
Kyung Hyun Kim (2004) The Remasculinization of Korean Cinema. Durham, NC: Duke University Press
Shim, Doobo (2004) ‘Hybridity and the rise of Korean popular culture in Asia’ In: Kellner, Douglas (ed.) Media, Culture & Society Vol.28 (2006). Abigdon, UK: Routledge. pp. 25-44