Considering the success of the first film, "Prince Yeonsan", and the appeal to the audience of movies focusing on the particular character, it is no surprise that the next year, 1962, Shin Sang-ok decided to shoot a sequel, where this time, Yeonsan is already a king, and along with his infamous concubine Jang Nok-su, continues indulging in the most appalling brutalities, Prince Yeonsan, Tyrant Yeonsan, Choi Eun-hee, Do Kum-bong, Kim Hee-kap, Kim Hye-jung-III, Kim Jin-kyu, Lee Ye-chun, Shin Sang-ok, Shin Young-kyun
Shot in the aftermath of the April 19th revolution against the Syngman Rhee government, "A Petty Middle Manager" offered to Lee Bong-rae the opportunity to break completely free from the melodramatic chains that held the majority of the productions of the time to similarity, and present something completely different, at least within the mainstream frame. Let us see if he succeeded, A Petty Middle Manager, Bang Su-il, Do Kum-bong, Hwang Jung-soon, Kim Hee-kap, Kim Seung-ho-I, Lee Bong-rae, Park Seong-dae, Shin Sang-ok
Based on a 1935 novel written by Shim Hun, "Evergreen Tree" premiered in 1962 at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and despite the mostly negative reviews it received from American film critics, it was quite a success in S. Korea, netting awards for Best Actor and Actress the first Daejong Film Award, and Supporting Actor at the 9th Asian Film Festival, Evergreen Tree, Choi Eun-hee, Do Kum-bong, Heo Jang-kang, Kang-Shin Sung-il, Shin Sang-ok, Shin Young-kyun, Yoon Il-bong
As I have mentioned before, the "Chunhyangjeon" is one of Korea s most iconic epic stories, and has been adapted more than a dozen times on cinema. Shin Sang-ok s version was one of the first films in color cinemascope in Korean cinema, along with Hong Seong-ki s version of the same story, which also screened the same year, Seong Chun-hyang, Choi Eun-hee, Do Kum-bong, Han Eun-jin, Heo Jang-kang, Hong Seong-ki, Kim Jin-kyu, Lee Hyung-pyo, Lee Ye-chun, Shin Sang-ok
Yu Hyun-mok will be forever remembered for a film that is considered among the all-time best of Korean cinema, The Aimless Bullet . Before reaching the apogee of his career, however, he had to start somewhere, and Forever With You , his earliest surviving film, is a production much different from the aforementioned, mostly following the melodramatic rules of the era, although with a few cinematic innovations that actually make it stand out, to a point at least.