The movie opens on Kim Jin-gyu walking the streets of Seoul. In this film he plays a once well-recognized actor because people whisper about him as he walks by and others ask questions like "Didn't you used to be...?" However, perhaps more disturbing to him is the fact that most people take no notice of him. He is aging and has not worked in quite awhile. He happens upon a movie being shot and as he watches the young actor and actress at work, his mind retreats to a happier time when he was in their place and deeply in love with his co-star.
He is brought back to the present by the arrival of an old friend, Hwang Jeong-sun. With the introduction of this second character, I realized that keeping track of the character's names was going to be simple. All the actors in this film are playing themselves--or at least using their real names. Ms Hwang will act as our designated expository device and they rehash old times ending their discussion with the tragic death of Kim's true love. However Hwang Jeong-sun is not finished yet and tells Jin-gyu about a daughter that was kept a secret from him.
Kim Jin-gyu is ecstatic and is determined to help the girl in any way he can. He uses his connections to get the girl an audition. She takes the stage name Nam Jeong-im and quickly becomes the most popular new face on the silver screen. After her success is assured, he disappears from her life without revealing their relationship. Nam Jeong-im, however, has discovered who he is and sets out to locate and assist him with plans of a come back.
Kim Jin-gyu gives a good performance-I cannot say I liked his character much, but that has no bearing on whether I appreciated the acting. Mr Kim began acting in 1943 and continued working in films until the early 1980's, but enjoyed the height of his success in the 50's and early 60's.
Nam Jeong-im and Hwang Jeong-sun would have been instantly recognizable to a movie-goer in Korea in the 1960's. Hwang Jeong-sun was by far the more accomplished actress and appeared in over 300 films in the course of her more than 40 years of acting. She had very distinct features that set her apart from most other actresses and her solid figure often landed her roles that were often more interesting than the romantic lead.
Two of the supporting actors who deserve mention are Heo Jang-kang and Han Seong. Mr Heo has appeared in many of the older films that I have seen and always turns out an entertaining performance. In this movie, he plays the president of the production company. While I can easily trace Heo Jang-kang's career, I am more curious about actor Han Seong who gives an adequate performance as Nam Jeong-im's co-star and love interest. His credits seem to be limited to 8 or 9 movies made between 1967 and 1969 when he vanishes from film.
Director Kim Soo-yong, recently honored at the 2002 Pusan Film Festival, has made a total of 109 movies and one several awards for his works in the 60's. I wonder how he could keep track of what he was doing, at times he was directing nearly a movie a month. Perhaps his most famous movie is A Seaside Village (1965).
For me though, the joy of watching this film is not really in the story. It is the posters. A lot of time is spent in the production office and movie theaters. In the backgrounds, we can see a variety of different posters from movies of that era. It only increased my desire to see as many different movies from the Golden Age of Korean cinema