Arirang (1926)
아리랑
- Author
- Na Un-gyu
- Year
- 1926
- Country
- Korea
- Copyright
- A 1926 silent film. Na Un-gyu died in 1937 and the work is out of copyright. Neither the film nor the script survives, so only the plot and structure are given.
A young man broken by prison kills a landlord's henchman who assaults his sister, and is led away over the Arirang pass.
Why it is a classic
Called the origin point of Korean cinema. Its blend of a mad protagonist, hallucination sequences and a folk-song theme became the template for Korean melodrama and resistance narratives. It survives only in records.
Structure breakdown
- 011 · Return
Yeong-jin, once a student in Seoul, comes home deranged. His sister Yeong-hui, his father and his friend Hyeon-gu care for him.
- 022 · The henchman
Gi-ho, the landlord's henchman, preys on Yeong-hui. Village poverty and exploitation accumulate in everyday scenes.
- 033 · The hallucination
At a village feast Gi-ho attacks Yeong-hui; a desert hallucination overlays Yeong-jin's vision. He swings a sickle in the vision and, in reality, Gi-ho dies.
- 044 · The Arirang pass
Restored to his senses, Yeong-jin is taken by police over the Arirang pass while the villagers sing Arirang.
What to steal for your own script
- Bookend the structure with one song; the song is the emotional frame.
- Say what cannot be said through a detour, such as a madman's hallucination.
- One act of violence, at the climax only. Until then, pile up everyday pressure.
Original excerpt
No excerpt is shown because translation rights may apply. Read the original at the archives below.