Hong Kil Dong: The Ironic and the Indestructible

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HKDAt a recent Melbourne International Film Festival screening of North Korea’s little seen gem, Hong Kil Dong (1986), one attendee enthusiastically declared to the entire cinema that it was the best film he’d ever seen. His statement was not delivered without irony, but he still meant it.

The story, so far as it goes, is that of Hong Gildong, a Korean folk hero not dissimilar from Robin Hood, whose adventures were first published in the late 16th to early 17th centuries. The bastard son of a significant political figure, Gildong is ostracized and becomes a great warrior, eventually returning to his kingdom where he fights poverty, injustice and Japanese occupation. And he plays a flute. Those watching through a historical lens will see significant (and not particularly subtle) sub-textual allusions to the film’s respective contemporary political environment – this is definitely government approved cinema.

Story aside, there was something quite enamoring about walking into a cinema, having the lights go down, and sitting through a heavily damaged 4:3 (possibly VHS) print of a film so confusedly loaded with touches of genius and incompetence that one might initially presume it was some kind of Tarantinoesque parody. I can honestly say that few comedies I’ve seen have achieved the kind of hysterical audience laughter achieved here. Hong Kil Dong, like so many older martial arts films, is now most easily viewed with tongue firmly in cheek.

Seen from this angle, the experience was infallible. The wire-fighting was probably some of the best I’ve ever seen, the choreography and editing of action sequences were outstanding, and the dialogue was so appallingly subtitled that all narrative continuity was thoroughly lost. Each character’s verbiage seemed so absurdly inappropriate in the context of the film that it’s hard to believe it wasn’t a deliberate coup to target the cult-film market.

Of course, there is a sadder side to such a cinematic experience.  When Kil-in Kim directed Hong Kil Dong, his intentions were earnest. An epic film about a Korean legend and his struggle for human rights – untranslated and picture-perfect – this really was meant for an audience with a deeply ingrained understanding of its cultural context. A truth seemingly proven by the perhaps surprising revelation that, this time without irony, Hong Kil Dong was selected by a group of DPRK defectors as the number one North Korean film of all time”.

Another belated review from the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Comments

11 responses to “Hong Kil Dong: The Ironic and the Indestructible”

  1. Naomi Avatar

    Hmm never seen a film from the DPRK before.. 😉 Why was it screened at the MIFF? Was it a part of a special program or someting?

    1. James Curnow Avatar

      Good question. Yeah, I think they screened a handful of North Korean films.

  2. beetleypete Avatar

    Sounds as if it is worth watching for historical value alone, and the dodgy dubbing must be fun as well. Regards from England. Pete.

  3. sonya solomonovich Avatar

    I remember seeing this film when I was something like five years old, living in Russia at the time. I see the clip is also in Russian, which is interesting. This was probably the first martial arts film I ever saw, and so it was very memorable. Thanks a lot for posting!

    1. James Curnow Avatar

      Very cool! Yes – apparently it was very popular in that part of the world for a while.

  4. conniecockrell Avatar

    I’m not familiar with this particular movie genre. Thanks for sharing. And thanks for following my blog. I certainly appreciate it.

    1. James Curnow Avatar

      No probs.

      Cats in space – how could I not follow?

      😉

  5. Vetti Avatar

    I’m even sorrier now that I couldn’t see this at MIFF…

  6. ksbeth Avatar

    how wild and what an incredible backstory –

    1. James Curnow Avatar

      It’s lots of fun. Worth watching if you can find it.

      1. ksbeth Avatar

        oh i will most definitely seek this out ) beth