Spring In My Hometown / 아름다운 시절
A reevaluation of Spring In My Hometown (아름다운 시절), Lee Kwang-mo’s poignant exploration of childhood in wartime
Description
The inaugural volume of the Cinemas of Asia series, this book offers a fresh perspective on South Korean director Lee Kwang-mo’s 1998 film Spring in My Hometown (아름다운 시절). Written and directed by Lee, the intensely personal film tells the story of his grandfather’s relationship with his ten-year-old father during the Korean War. This volume examines the industrial context in which Lee attempted to bring his film into production, the cinematic cycle from which it emerged, the unique style that captivated festival juries and audiences, and the critical reception that challenged and inspired critics but divided audiences. Jackson’s book offers a rare, historical insight into an important Asian cinematic industry on the verge of commercial transformation at the end of the last century.
Cinemas of Asia is the first series dedicated to the cinemas of South, Southeast, East, Central Asia, and global Asian diasporas. Each volume provides a critical analysis and interpretation of a notable film from Asian cinema and consists of thematic chapters, accessible writing, and screenshots and illustrations. Authors analyze each film from a variety of angles, including film, literary, historical, gender, post-/decolonial studies, and each volume is accessibly written, informative, and appeals to academics, students, cinephiles, and non-experts alike.
Andrew (Andy) David Jackson is Professor of Korean Studies and Director of Monash University Korean Studies Research Hub (MUKSRH) at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
Reviews
“Andrew David Jackson's remarkably comprehensive and probing book does more than reevaluating an undeservingly forgotten masterpiece of Korean cinema. Jackson showcases how significant Lee Kwang-mo's film Spring in My Hometown is in both its aesthetics innovations and unique exploration of cultural themes departing from historical and contemporary films about the Korean War.”
- Hye Seung Chung, Colorado State University
“In this short yet hugely informative book, Andrew David Jackson provides an introduction to the world of Korean cinema in the 1990s, an era that created systems of production and structures of artistic engagement which would make possible the remarkable success of Korean film in our time. The author achieves this while focusing on the undeservedly little-known film Spring in My Hometown (1998), ‘a lyrical and poetic exploration of one of the most destructive conflicts of the twentieth century.’”
- Mark Robert Morris, Trinity College, Cambridge University
“In this insightful study, Andrew Jackson examines the production, aesthetics, and significance of Lee Kwang-mo’s 1998 masterpiece, Spring in My Hometown. The film challenges Korean War cinema conventions by focusing on children in conflict and trauma. Jackson situates this work within the cinephilia and political transformations of 1990s South Korea.”
- Hyunseon Lee, SOAS University of London