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- [MOVIE POP]Gisaeng in Korean Cinema
- by JEONG Han-seok / Apr 26, 2016
"A woman trained as a professional singer, dancer and companion for men at a feast or bar to add to the amusement." It is the lexical meaning of the Korean word "gisaeng" if you look it up in the dictionary.
It was a profession especially in demand in Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Although it belongs to a low stratum in the social hierarchy, gisaeng was not a simple prostitute. A lot of gisaeng were highly trained in poetry, fine art or music, which enabled them to discuss and enjoy literature and art with men in high social position. That is also why some gisaeng are among the most famous artists in Korean traditional culture and literature.
Since they worked with noble men, a truthful love story surpassing their social boundary often took place. As a lot of them lived a dramatic life, it is only natural that they should often be invited to cinema as heroines.
The most famous would be HWANG Jin-yi. She is a historic figure in the mid-Joseon era, beautiful and excellent in literature. It is hard to discuss Joseon literature without mentioning her name. There are two major films featuring HWANG as the lead.BAE Chang-ho, one of the most famous directors in the 1980s Korean cinema, made Hwang-jin-i (1986) when his performance was at the peak. The lead was CHANG Mi-hee, a big star with great box office performance, praised as having the most mysterious charm among the Korean actresses. HWANG’s story was made one more time by director CHANG Yoon-hyun in 2007, featuring top Asian star SONG Hye-kyo. In Hwang Jin Yi, HWANG was often described as very sophisticated and creative woman.
There is another very famous gisaeng, although in a quite different way than HWANG Jin-yi. She is none other than Nongae, who committed suicide by drowning in the river with a Japanese admiral in her arms, during the Japanese invasion in the mid-Joseon era. She is often referred to as a virtuous gisaeng, highly patriotic person, going much further than a girl to be consumed at the drinking table. These days Nongae is not as popular as before but in the past she was made into two films, one is Non-Gae by YOON Bong-chun in 1956 and the other is The Kisaeng by LEE Hyung-pyo in 1972.
Recently a film by the name of LOVE, LIES has been released. Its Korean title "Hae-eo-hwa" is another Korean word for gisaeng, literally meaning a flower which understands human language. In Gyeongseong, the old name of Seoul, under Japanese Occupation in 1943, the gisaeng was the main player of culture production and consumption. Set in the period, LOVE, LIES features two women from a school for training gisaeng, played by HAN Hyo-joo and CHUN Woo-hee. They are both singers and want to get acknowledged by a famous songwriter. They wish to comfort the Joseon people under colonialism by singing a song written by the artist.It certainly has been a while that a gisaeng film has been made. However, one thing is clear. When a Korean film features a gisaeng heroine, the main theme of the movie is to be literature, art, history and love.
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