Synopsis

Heungseon Daewongun orders an old friend Park Hyo-cheon to set out on a nationwide search to find hidden talented singers and gisaengs as a means to collect and preserve folk songs spread out all around the country. While on this mission, Park has an affair with Nam-hong, a famous gisaeng from Jinju. Due to her affair with Park, the love-sick Nam-hong fails to perform at the folksong competition. To honor Park’s contributions, Daewongun promotes him as Chief of Jangakwon, the royal institute of music. However, being a free-spirited man who could not be tied down, Park refuses this position and sets out to be with Nam-hong. Despite his rage against Park’s refusal, Daewongun awards him with money and wishes him luck on his journey. Along the vibrant tunes of Korean folk tunes such as Shingosan Taryeong and various versions of Arirang, Kim Jingyu( playing Park) and Seo Young-chun(playing Park’s servant) lead the film with their perfect combination. A top notch cast including actresses like Kim Ji-mi, Yoon Jeong-hee, Moon Hee, Nam Jeong-yim, Tae Hyun-shil and Jeon Yang-ja served as a major attraction during its time. Last but not least, music director Jeon Jeongkeun’s arrangement of Korean classic music in modern variations should not be missed. (Chun Jin-su)

감독

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  • 김효천
  • 1935년 경상북도 대구 출생으로 한국 해양대를 졸업했다. 대표적인 액션 영화감독인 그의 데뷔작은 <그래도 못 잊어>(1967)라는 멜로드라마이다. 그러나 몇 편의 예외를 제외하고 1969년 이후 연출한 영화의 대부분은 액션 활극물이다. 임권택 감독의 <전쟁과 노인>(1962), 정승문 감독의 <천동>(1963)의 시나리오를 썼으며, (주)동협 영화사의 사장으로서 수십 편의 외화를 수입했고 110여 편의 작품을 제작하기도 했다.