Synopsis

Young-dal, a young laborer who works at construction sites, meets Jeong. Jeong is a middle-aged man who has served his term in prison and is heading for his hometown Sampo after a 10 year absence. At a restaurant, they encounter a runaway bar hostess Baek-hwa and the three decide to travel together. For Jeong this trip means going home, for Young-dal it means going south to look for a job, while for Baek-hwa it means heading to Mokpo without any purpose. As the three set out on a journey, they sometimes bicker, but learn about one another and become intimate. Young-dal spends a night together with Baek-hwa upon Jeong’s suggestion that the two try living together. Baek-hwa asks Young-dal to stay together with her but eventually the three must part ways. Jeong finally returns to Sampo but it has been transformed beyond recognition. Adapted from Hwang Seok-young’s same-title novel of 1975, this film is director Lee Man-hee’s final work. As one of the most outstanding road movies of Korean film history, it depicts the protagonists’ journey through life in a composed manner with beautiful winter scenery. Of particular merit is music director Choi Chang-kwon’s traditional score, which is excellently harmonized with the characters’ minds.

감독

• 
  • 이만희
  • 1931년 서울에서 태어난 이만희 감독은 한국전쟁에 참전한 후, 1956년부터 안종화 감독 등의 조감독을 거쳐 1961년 <주마등>으로 데뷔했고 이듬해 <다이알 112를 돌려라>(1962)로 주목 받았다. <돌아오지 않는 해병>(1963)과 <군번 없는 용사>, <마의 계단>(1964)과 같은 전쟁, 스릴러 등의 장르영화와 <만추>(1966)와 <귀로>(1967) 같은 드라마를 통해 대중성과 예술성을 동시에 성취했다. 1975년 4월 3일 <삼포 가는 길>(1975)의 편집실에서 쓰러져 열흘간 병마와 싸우다 4월 13일 45세라는 젊은 나이로 세상을 떠났다.