Stephen Cremin`s writing.

[Kang Taewoong]

1.Reading synopses for old Korean films does often give me a sense of 
deja-vu.  For example, how many Kim Ki-Young films - "Koryojang", "Iodo", 
etc - sound just like Imamura Shohei oldies ... although I always tend to 
give the films the benefit of the doubt as there are presumable similar folk 
tales throughout Asia.


--- Kim Ki-Young made "Koryojang" in 1963, Imamara Shohei`s
  "Narayamabushiko" in 1983.


2.Regarding the MBC documentary.  I caught a similar piece on my motel TV in 
Korea by chance late last year.  On a split screen the short documentary 
compared specific scenes from "Farewell My Darling" (Park Chul-Soo) to "The 
Funeral" (Itami), from "(Haru)" (Morita) to "The Contact" (Jang Yoon-Hyun), 
from "Love Letter" (Iwai) to last year's Korean hit "The Letter" 
(forgettable director).  Is this the one?


--- I think that is not what I saw, which was about comparison between 
Korean films and Japanese in 1960`s.


3. Last year over lunch in London, Park Chul-Soo explained to Iwai Shunji 
why he was so famous in Korea: because of the remake of "Love Letter".  All 
the critics drew the comparison and praised Iwai's film.  At which point 
Iwai "earnestly" replied: "Please, Mr Park, remake 'Swallowtail Butterfly' 
and make me more famous in your country!" Well, I've seen "The Letter" and 
its really very different, but I've also heard stories that given its 
success there'll be a Japanese remake of it! Or at least that's what the 
producers are hoping.

--- Iwai Shunji was already famous before `Letter` made.
If Park really said `All the critics drew the comparison and praised Iwai's 
film.`, he made some mistakes. There were no comparison with Iwai`s Love 
Letter in critics as far as I know.  Korean movie `Letter`
Is a differnt one. Iwai is less papular in Korea than what foreigners think.




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