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It Happened in Office (Online Screenings): Seoul Office Flicks in and around 1961

2021-09-10 ~ 2021-10-04
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It Happened in Office (Online Screenings): Seoul Office Flicks in and around 1961
The office is not just a place where someone makes a living. For some, it is a living place that allows them to experience almost all kinds of joy and sorrow during a certain period of their life. It is also a miniature society in which the individuals gathered in such a manner form a community in solidarity for a specific purpose.
Few people would have predicted that such a space would be reduced to a space with a high risk of spreading mass infection in the era of epidemics. In the era of Coronavirus, the space called 'office' is undergoing a rapid change in terms of its status. Just as children's inability to go to school is expected to have a huge impact on children's community experience, office workers are experiencing and processing changes in their community experience as work patterns such as telecommuting, flexible work arrangements, staggered hours schemes, and shorter working hours.
This month’s special screenings focus on the "office" that has been undergoing a drastic change in status in the era of Coronavirus. In order to recall what kind of space an office was for us, we bring out 12 Korean movies based on office and office workers and present them online and offline. Although it is a bit difficult to conclude that those movies belong to the category of "office flicks" that has become a genre today, these are movies in which the space of a company or office appears in the main characters' lives and major events in which they are involved.
The special screenings introduce Korean films made centered on office space from the 1950s to the 1990s. The selection showcases films made in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when modern Western culture began to be transplanted into a full-fledged lifestyle, and films made in the 1970s featuring 'Samil Building,' one of the representative office buildings in Seoul completed in 1970, as the main locations. Also included are the films produced between the late 1980s and the early-mid 1990s, during the economic boom just before the arrival of the 1997 financial crisis and International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout financing.
Among 12 films we chose, 6 films, made in and around 1961, including A Female Boss, A Petty Middle Manager, and A Salaryman, are presented online. We hope that it will be a time to appreciate the kind of movies that were set in office space in and around '1961,'.  ‘1961’ is also the keyword of the Korean Film Archive this year.

For offline special screenings of the program “It Happened in Office,” please see the link below:
https://eng.koreafilm.or.kr/cinematheque/programs/PI_01361


Films
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    01. A Female Boss (Yeosajang) Han Hyeong-mo, 1959
    Yoanna and Yong-ho, who started off on the wrong foot with their first unpleasant encounter in front of Midopa Department Store in Myeong-dong, meet again as a new employee and his female boss at a publishing company which publishes a women's magazine called New Woman. The pair continue an uncomfortable relationship. However, unexpected feelings arise between the two of them. A Female Boss is a joyful romantic comedy set in a publishing company named “Shinyeoseongsa” (New Woman Company). The magazine New Woman in the film is believed to have been modeled after Yeowon, a leading women's magazine that had a high sales record at the time. The famous show at Walkerhill Hotel is also noteworthy and the well-suited use of pop songs such as Peggy Lee's "Johnny Guitar" (sung by a then rookie singer Lee Geum-hee). Xavier Cugat's "Cha Cha Cha" is another point to appreciate.
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    02. To be a Millionaire (Baegmanjangjaga doeyeon) Jeong Il-taek, 1959
    Chang-jin, a cargo truck driver of Hanil Transport, takes over a cargo truck with the money he has saved so far, which finally makes him an "owner operator." While trying to attain a happy future with his fiancee Jung-sook, Chang-jin is killed in an unexpected car accident and his soul goes to the underworld. However, his death was caused by a mistake made by a staff member of the netherworld, and it was Lee In-geun, president of Hanil Transport, who was supposed to come to the netherworld. After a series of twists and turns, Chang-jin borrows Lee In-geun's body to come back to life. As Chang-jin's soul enters, Lee In-geun, who was mean and stingy, turns into a warm, caring and humane boss, surprising the people around him. It is interesting to see Koo Bong-seo (who stars in the role of Lee In-geun), one of the representative comic actors at the time, play a gentle and chaste character in an orthodox performance style.
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    03. An Upstart ( Gu Bong-seo-ui Byeorakbuja ) Kim Soo-yong, 1961
    The film opens with the payday of the protagonist Maeng Soon-jin, who naively answers his boss for being late by saying “Well, it is a sort of my hobby...” Although he is paid a salary, he is soon to be robbed by debtors and just about to be kicked out of his boardinghouse. Then, a huge fortune rolls in for him. The widow of a U.S. soldier who Maeng Soon-jin saved during the Korean War pays a visit to Maeng with a large inheritance. However, there is one condition for this inheritance; Maeng should not give it to anyone, and only spend every penny of the inheritance for a year of fun. Thus, Maeng Soon-jin's happy troubles begin.
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    04. A Petty Middle Manager ( Samdeung Gwajang ) Lee Bong-rae, 1961
    Gu Jun-taek, who serves as the director of an eastern branch of Samchully Transport, is the head of a large family at home. But, at work, he is just an office worker who is stuck in front of his boss. His life at work begins to take a big turn as his daughter, Young-hee, joins the same company, and the executive director Song Dal-soon makes an unreasonable request to set up a dance school on the second floor of the eastern branch for his mistress, Myeong-ok. The executive director, Song Dal-soon, played by Kim Hee-kap, is the epitome of ‘Gapjil’ (a heavy-handed abuse of authority) according to today’s standards. Song not only claims that the opening of a dance school, which is far from the field of business of a transportation company, is Gu's idea, but also puts the false blame on Gu for having Myeong-ok as his mistress when their relationship is about to be exposed. The performance of this ‘Gapjil’ is another point not to be missed.
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    05. What Happens in an Alley ( Golmogan Punggyeong ) Park Jong-ho, 1962
    ‘Seoul’s population reached 2.44 million in 1960. What a case of amazing human inflation this is! Now, people are on the verge of being trampled on by other people.' The film begins by conveying such information through narration. At the time, no one would have expected that the population of Seoul would reach 10 million in just 26 years. The protagonist, Go, is a tax official at Seongbuk-gu Office. He takes care of nine children, an elderly mother, and an aspiring novelist younger brother. His office is filled with his worries over money and sighs. As the characters are all in difficult situations, there are many harsh words that cannot be tolerated by these days’ sensitivity. But, it may be rather understandable to see those harsh words as a portrait of those who had been experiencing the rapidly expanding urban population with their bodies.
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    06. A Salaryman ( Wolgeubjaeng-i ) Lee Bong-rae, 1962
    Park Jung-dal, who works as the section head of Dongshin Industrial's accounting division, has been working honestly and diligently for 10 years without any accidents. That was until the sales manager and the accounting manager lay their evil hands on him. While the president is on a business trip to the United States, the sales manager and the accounting manager conspire to make a big score, and try to get Park involved in their conspiracy. However, after much deliberation, Park refuses to get involved in his bosses’ conspiracy and quits the company. From then on, the film shifts to the tearful re-employment diary of Park Joong-dal, who suddenly becomes a job-hunting applicant at the age when others retire. It's also fun to watch young Ahn Sung-ki appearing as a young, cheeky elementary school student who spits 'damn' at the end of every sentence.
    * The sound is not heard for about 11 minutes due to the damage on the soundtracks of the original film from the 30 minutes 52 seconds on.
List

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