Interview with Kim Jee-woon (김지운)
I would to express my utmost thanks to the following who have made this interview possible: Chris and Zak from Icon Pictures; Hye-Jung from the Korean Cultural Cenre; and Jun-Young who kindly assisted in translating.
Obvioulsy, this interview was conducted in relation to his latest film, The Good, The Bad, The Wierd, which is released in UK cinemas on February 6th. There will be more info on where to see the film next week and you can read my review here.
Kim Jee-woon in London (Nov 08). Photo taken by J. Bechervaise
1. What do you mean by the Oriental Western?
The marketing company (international sales agent) labelled it an Oriental Western; and, although it was an American genre, it is a very American conventional film; it was made by a Korean director and is a Korean film in a very Korean way. They wanted to explain in an easier way that this is not an American traditional western, it is an oriental/ genre.
After A Bittersweet Life many people, especially in international film festivals would ask me what my next project is going to be. I would answer that I’d like to make a Korean western but nobody understood. When I mentioned it’s an ‘Oriental Western’ then suddenly everybody understood what I meant. So that’s another reason why I refer to the film in that way.
2. Was the original The Good, The Bad, The Ugly your main area of focus when making the The Good, The Bad and The Weird or/and were there other films that you drew ideas from such as the films of Kursowa –like Yojimbo.
This film has lots of different elements from different films. I always loved the western film genre since I was a kid. I watched a lot of westerns but I’d find especially with the US ones that their emphasis was too much on American values. That is why I preferred spaghetti westerns. They had a strong impact on me. I thought if I were to make a western that I’d like to make it in that kind of style. I was largely influenced Sergio Leone and also Manchurian action films that had existed in Korea in the early 1970s.
He would also like to mention Break the Chain by Lee Man-hee, you could probably say it is an influence to this film.
Recently I heard from critics that my film is like a western genre version of films such as Blade Runner or Star Wars, so this film is under the influence of those films too but I also think it’s a new form in itself and probably meaningful in that sense. Even though it is a Western film, you could say it is a new formation of the Western genre.
3. I find it really interesting this idea of Oriental Western. As you know Sergio Leone drew a lot of ideas from the films of Kursowa and therefore I was wondering whether you had any thoughts about this genre travelling from continent to continent and then back again.
I think the western travels in a universal way; there are some elements that are the same even though the formation of the western and the execution is different in the American, Japanese and Korean western. American westerns reflect ideology about the myth of the birth of the continent of America and the pioneering period and Japanese samurai films such as Seven Samurai and Yojimbo also reflect something about myths in Japan. If you look at Yojimbo or another Japanese Western, every country has a way to execute the Western. The element that is common is that Westerns have original patterns of stories about manly victories and constant revenge among men so even though the setting is different we can still make it anywhere in the world. This is a core element. That is why, even though the formation is different, it can travel well in a different way. It’s also possible to transform and mix genres. For example with Seven Samurai, it was remade in Hollywood as The Magnificent Seven and Yojimbo was remade by Sergio Leone as A Fistful of Dollars.
4. What aspects of the film would you say are explicitly Korean?
Westerns usually have a simple construction and slow pace (muted). What makes this film really different is the dynamic of the unique Korean characters. It is probably why a lot of journalists and critics have named the film a ‘Kimchi Western’ because Kimchi has a very hot and powerful feeling – hot and steamy.
5. Given there are two versions: an international version and a domestic one; are there two audiences you have tailored the film for. How does the Korean version differ? I heard that there is more Korean humour.
The Korean version of the film includes more humour and it has an extended ending. The Weird survives after the last fight scene. He takes out an iron plate hidden underneath his jacket and then he finds a diamond in The Bad’s pocket when he tries placing dynamite in it. While he’s happy with the diamond he gets attacked by the Japanese army and they threaten him with guns. He tries to threaten them back with his dynamite and by accident it explodes. That’s the end.
Actually there are 4-5 alternative endings that exist. I prefer the international version as it is the simplest. The Korean version explains more about the character histories.
6. I noticed in the international version, the subtitles seemed to try and translate some of the more hierarchal features of the Korean language and the credits were in English. There seems to be a great effort to translate your film to a global audience – would you agree? Are you trying to reach a global audience?
I think the Western genre is already international anyway – a very global genre. The English ending credits were for the Cannes film festival since the film premiered there and they had the show the international version first.
7. You have tackled a lot of genres during the time as a director: black comedy with the Quiet Family (조용한 가족) ; sports comedy/drama with A Foul King (반칙왕); horror with A Tale of Two Sisters (장화,홍련); film noir with A Bittersweet Life (달콤한인생) and a Western with The Good, The Bad, The Wierd. Do you see yourself as a director that seeks to make films in a wide range of genres and what genre will you embark on next?
I’m always curious about what kinds of films I can make within an unexplored genre. I am inspired by new cinematic energy when I work within a new genre rather than remaining within a genre I am familiar with. Genres I haven’t explored yet are Sci-fi, Melodrama and Thriller. I would like to approach these genres but I would also like to work again with the genres I have done previously, only now with a more mature perspective.
13. I have been following Korean cinema over the last few years or so and as you know, 2008 seems to have been a very difficult year with relatively few domestic hits and the increasing costs involved in production at least compared to recent years. What are you thoughts on this and would you agree that as Hollywod films become ever more popular that Korean films seem to be emulating the Hollywood formula?
The Korean Film industry produces fewer films now and Korean audiences are also watching more foreign films at the moment. Going to the cinema was a very important part of the Korean culture over the last few years but now it’s become scattered. I think the only solution is to keep producing good films and to appeal to the audience.