Bulgasari

Bulgasari[lower-alpha 1] is a lost 1962 South Korean kaiju film[6] directed and edited by Kim Myeong-je. Produced by Kwang Seong Films Co., Ltd.,[1] it was the first monster film to be made in South Korea,[7] as well as the first Korean film to use special effects.[8] The film stars Choi Moo-ryong as Nam Hyeong / Bulgasari alongside Um Aing-ran, Gang Mi-ae, Kim Dong-won, and Lee Up-dong. In the film, a skilled martial artist is resurrected as an iron-eating monster in order to exact revenge on those who murdered him.

This article is about the South Korean film. For the creature, see Pulgasari (creature). For the North Korean film, see Pulgasari. For other uses, see Bulgasari (disambiguation).
Bulgasari
The film's poster, which features the main characters, a village ablaze, and the titular monster.
Theatrical release poster
Hanja
불가사리
Revised RomanizationBulgasali
Directed byKim Myeong-je
Screenplay byWoo Beom
Adaptation byYun Beom
Produced byCho Yong-jin
Starring
CinematographyKim Yeong-sun
Edited byKim Myeong-je
Music byKim Yong-hwan
Production
companies
Kwang Seong Films Co., Ltd.[1]
Release date
  • December 1, 1962 (1962-12-01)[2]
Running time
110 minutes[2]
CountrySouth Korea[3]
LanguageKorean
Budget₩3.5 million[4]

Bulgasari was reported to have begun production on November 26, 1961. It was inspired by the legendary Korean monster of the same name and heavily influenced by Godzilla (1954). On an approximately ₩3.5 million budget,[4] Bulgasari began principal photography on February 28, 1962, and wrapped on March 24.

Bulgasari premiered at the Myungbo Theater in Seoul on December 1, 1962. The film received negative reviews from critics, especially because of its unconvincing special effects, direction, and acting. Believed to have disappeared shortly after its release, the film is considered a significant feature in the history of South Korean cinema and one of the most sought-after lost kaiju films. Shin Sang-ok directed a 1985 remake of the film after he was abducted into North Korea.

Plot

As Bulgasari is considered a lost film, this synopsis is derived from the review featured in the December 7, 1962 issue of The Chosun Ilbo and a summary at the Korean Movie Database.[2][1] A longer synopsis is featured in the April 1962 issue of Cinefan (p. 130), a pdf of which is also available on the Korean Movie Database.[9]

In feudal Korea, during the late Goryeo Dynasty, an experienced martial artist named Nam Hyeong is slaughtered by traitors. His hatred makes him resurrected as the iron-eating monster, known as Bulgasari, to seek revenge.

Cast
  • Choi Moo-ryong as Nam Hyeong / Bulgasari
  • Um Aing-ran as Nam Lee
  • Gang Mi-ae as Eunjeon Lee
  • Kim Dong-won as the Castellan
  • Lee Up-dong as Seonhye
  • Jo Hang as the division director
  • Choe Seong-ho as Do-Cheol
  • Ji Bang-yeol as the ambassador of Dohwa
  • Park Sun-bong as a gatekeeper
  • No Gang as a gatekeeper
  • Park Il as a strange man
  • Park Kwang-jin as a strange man
  • Park Gyeong-ju as Jeong Seung
  • Sin Dong-hun
  • Jeon Ye-chool
  • Gang Cheol

Cast taken from the Korean Movie Database.[1]

Crew
  • Kim Myeong-je – director, editor
  • Gang Sin-tak – planner
  • Yang Jeong-chun – lighting
  • Won Je-rae – art director
  • Lee Seung-tae – costume designer
  • Lee Kyeong-sun – sound recording
  • Kwon Jinkyu – miniature artist

Personnel taken from the Korean Movie Database.[1][5]

Production

Development

Bulgasari was reported to have begun production on November 26, 1961.[10] The film was inspired by the legendary Korean monster of the same name and heavily influenced by the 1954 kaiju film Godzilla.[3]

Filming

Principal photography began on February 28, 1962, and wrapped on March 24,[11][3] on a budget of roughly ₩3.5 million.[4]

Special effects

Bulgasari was the first South Korean film to use special effects.[8] Two noteworthy special effects sequences caught viewers' attention: a witchcraft performance by the "White Lady" and her ascension into heaven.[3]

Release

Marketing

Bulgasari was promoted as Korea's first film to use special effects in its "40 year history".[12]

Theatrical

Bulgasari premiered at the Myungbo Theater in Seoul on December 1, 1962.[2] The Korean Movie Database indicates the Korean Film Archive owns a document printed on March 26, 1963, suggesting a print of the film was made for North Korean screenings, but it is unclear whether it was ever used.[13]

Critical response

Bulgasari was widely panned upon its release due to ineffective special effects and antiquated direction by Kim Myeong-je.[7] At the time, historical films were the only spectacles worth watching in Korea, and this film was dubbed "third-rate entertainment".[7]

A reviewer for The Chosun Ilbo felt its directing method was outdated, and stated Choi Moo-ryong and Um Aing-ran's acting was "not very good", adding: "it adds boredom to the chorus of breathing in every line through the first part." The reviewer also noted that they could see "the strings hanging from the dragon's head" in one scene.[2]

Preservation

Screenplay

While the film itself is considered lost, the original screenplay is preserved at the Korean Film Archive.[14] However, the screenplay is not accessible by the public.[13]

Remake
Main article: Pulgasari

Kim Jong-il assigned South Korean filmmaker Shin Sang-ok to direct a remake of the film in 1985, titled Pulgasari.[15][16]

Legacy

Bulgasari is currently one of the most sought-after lost films in the kaiju genre, along with Wasei Kingu Kongu, The Great Buddha Arrival, and The King Kong That Appeared in Edo.[17] It was listed No. 4 on GameRant's "8 Lost Films That Need to be Found".[8]

Notes
  1. Korean: 불가사리; RR: Bulgasali; also known as Bulgasari at the End of Songdo (Korean: 松都末年의 불가사리; RR: Songdomalnyeon-ui Bulgasali) and The Iron-eating Monster.[5]

References
  1. "The Iron-eating Monster (Bulgasari)". Korean Movie Database. Korean Film Archive. Archived from the original on October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  2. "통속적(通俗的)인 오락극(娛樂劇) 『불가사리』 (한(韓))" [Popular entertainment drama Bulgasari (Korea)]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). December 7, 1962. p. 8. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  3. Chung Beom, Ham. "1960년대 한국 SF 괴수영화와 동북아시아 영화" [1960s Korean sci-fi monster films and Northeast Asian films] (PDF) (in Korean). Hanyang University. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  4. "The Iron-eating Monster (Bulgasari)". Korean Film Archive. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  5. "불가사리" [Bulgasari]. Korean Movie Database (in Korean). Korean Film Archive. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  6. Bottenberg, Rupert. "Space Monster Wangmagwi". Fantasia International Film Festival. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  7. Yeongjin, Lee (July 29, 2008). "한국 토종 괴수들이 몰려온다" [Native Korean Monsters Are Coming]. Cine21 (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  8. Heath, David (September 27, 2022). "8 Lost Films That Need to be Found". GameRant. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  9. "씨네팬 1962년 4월호". Korean Movie Database. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  10. "61년도 방화 제작 85본 거의가 사극물⋅미개봉도 50여작" [85 productions in 1961, including almost 50 historical dramas and unopened works]. The Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). February 4, 1962. p. 4.
  11. "김명제 감독 󰡔불가사리󰡕" [Director Kim Myung-jae's Bulgasari]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). March 29, 1962. p. 4.
  12. "광고" [Advertisements]. The Kyunghyang Shinmun. November 30, 1962. p. 8.
  13. "불가사리 - 문헌자료" [Bulgasari - Literature Data]. Korean Movie Database (in Korean). Korean Film Archive. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  14. "불가사리" [Bulgasari] (in Korean). Korean Film Archive. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  15. Do-yeon, Lee (April 29, 2019). "무주산골영화제 개막작은 북한 영화 '불가사리'" [The North Korean film Pulgasari is the opening film of the Muju Mountain Film Festival]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  16. Wiggins, Brent (October 13, 2022). "Pulgasari: A Look at the North Korean Kaiju Movie". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  17. Mack, Andrew (June 2, 2022). "SPACE MONSTER WANGMAGWI: Long Lost Korean Monster Movie Acquired by SRS Cinema". Screen Anarchy. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
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