The topography of 1960s Korean youth film: between plagiarism and adaptation

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper compares and contrasts the prototypical Korean youth film The Barefooted Youth (Menbal ui cheongchun, Kim Ki-duk 1964) with the Japanese film, Mud Spattered Purity (Dorodarake no junjō, Nakahira Kō 1963), thereby examining the process of plagiarism and adaptation in Korean youth film production. Youth film was a popular film genre during the 1960s Korean cinema renaissance, and it is no exaggeration to say that The Barefooted Youth was a cultural phenomenon, attracting enthusiastic support from young viewers of the day. However, the film is also accused of plagiarism whenever conversation turns to Korean imitation of Japanese culture. I track two phases of plagiarism and adaptation in the case of The Barefooted Youth at a time when Korean imports of Japanese culture were at their peak; I utilize the two films and their corresponding screenplays, as well as archival materials including the actual censorship document that dealt with the film. I find that the screenplays are very similar, but that genuine adaptation took place during the filming process. I focus on mise-en-scene, the theme song and, above all, the shinpa style adopted for Korean viewers. This analysis offers a starting point for studies of comparative Korean–Japanese film history.