An Overview of Korean Cinema

When I think about the editing styles, I come think about the recent styles of uses of editing in the modern period. It is going to be like a repetition but being the most significant one of the pieces of the film world for me, I will again mention about the Korean films.

As I read through the piece on the styles of editing.  It was very interesting for me to read about the close-up style of editing at times of dialogue. Since, for instance, Kim-ki Duk rarely uses long periods of dialogues in his movies. I have realized that he has transformed the use of close-up on such shots into close-ups where he uses symbolic objects or facial expressions instead of words. When we observe such scenes in for instance 3-Iron, we can clearly get the continuity of the plot through the observation of the close-up scenes. Personally, I find the use of facial expressions on the close-ups to be rather symbolic as well. It thus also increases the potential of the film in terms of delaying the cinema, the sensation and the feeling of suspense by not clearly revealing all the emotional details of the movie and thus keeping the motives of the characters hidden. I find this strategy quite successful since it not only keeps the attention and intrigue of the audience alive but also performs an example of the close-up editing in a different but stylistic and successful manner.

On the other hand, I want to mention another aspect of the film, The Dolls by Takeshi Kitano or Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter… and Spring by Kim-ki Duk. In both of them the visual imagery of the seasons, famous with the cherry tree and all kinds of different flowers of all colors, stand for different symbolic meanings, while the symbolism of nature in Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter… and Spring could be interpreted as the cyclic flow of one’s life time and experiences of wisdom, the visual imagery of the nature in The Dolls could well be said to stand for strength and resistance of love between two against the erosion of the flow of time. Of course the symbolism and the meaning behind it can be interpreted as different things by many, but it is something definite that they stand as a symbol like many different objects and mise an scenes in the films.

I cannot help, but look for things that carry multiple causes within and I believe that the films that are rich of them, thus, possess a greater potential within them.

Canan Gürel