Pulgasari
1985 film by Shin Sang-ok / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pulgasari[lower-alpha 3] is a 1985 epic kaiju film directed and co-produced by Shin Sang-ok,[lower-alpha 1] with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. A multinational co-production between North Korea, Japan, and China,[14] it is a remake of the 1962 South Korean film also depicting the eponymous creature from Korean folklore. The film stars Chang Son Hui, Ham Gi Sop, Jong-uk Ri, Gwon Ri, and Yong-hok Pak, with Kenpachiro Satsuma in the title role as the monster. Set during the late Goryeo Dynasty, it tells the story of a blacksmith's daughter whose blood brings to life a metal-eating monster envisioned by her father to defeat the monarchy.
Pulgasari | |
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Directed by | Shin Sang-ok[lower-alpha 1] |
Written by | Kim Se Ryun |
Based on | Bulgasari (1962) by Kim Myeong-je |
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Edited by | Kim Ryon Sun |
Music by | So Jong Gon |
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Distributed by | Raging Thunder (Japan) |
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Running time | 95 minutes[10] |
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Language | Korean |
Pulgasari was the last film made by Shin under the orders of Kim Jong Il (then-heir apparent) during the abduction of him and his wife, Choi Eun-hee, by North Korean intelligence. The film was initially put forward in February 1985. Principal photography took place in Pyongyang from June to August 1985, and several Japanese employees from Toho handled special effects photography from September to December.
Upon Shin and his wife escaping authorities in March 1986, the North Korean release of Pulgasari was canceled, and exporting the film was prohibited. Around a decade later, several pirated copies of the film were distributed in Japan. Pulgasari officially debuted at Kineca Ōmori in Tokyo on July 4, 1998, and received additional licensed Japanese releases later that year. It was a critical and commercial success in Japan, with critics comparing it positively to Godzilla (1998). In July 2000, it became the first North Korean film to be released theatrically in South Korea, but was a box-office disappointment. In the subsequent years, the film has been screened throughout the Western world and gained a cult following.