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Heavenly Homecoming to Stars AKA Byeoldeului gohyang
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - South Korea - Korean Film Archive/Blue Kino Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (27th December 2015). |
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The Film
 "Heavenly Homecoming to Stars" (1974) At a bar one night, struggling artist Kim Mun-ho (played by Shin Seong-il) sees a young girl he is interested in. Sporting a curly haired wig, heavy make-up and colorful clothes, she says her name is “Mi-young” by trade, but her real name is Oh Gyeong-ah (played by Ah In-suk). One day they go out together to a fortune teller, whose news devastates Gyeong-ah. She is told by the fortune teller that because of her past and how she is living her life, she will never be able to marry and have a good life. Although Mun-ho sees it as a load of crock, Gyeong-ah is heartbroken by what was told. To comfort her, her brings her to his apartment where she glimpses at his room filled with artwork. Paintings and art supplies are cluttered all around, but she does not feel uncomfortable but quite fascinated by Mun-ho and his place. Although Mun-ho is ready to make a move on her, Gyeong-ah is reluctant, pushing him away playing hard to get, and becoming very angry when he opens the door while she is taking a shower. It’s not because of Mun-ho, or because she is young, but as the fortune teller had said, it is her past that is making her feel reluctant about taking a romantic step forward again. Throughout flashbacks shown, the innocent Gyeong-ah first fell in love with Young-seok (played by Ha Yong-soo), a coworker about her age that was playful, fun, and loving. With her lack of sexual experience comes reluctance from courtship, sexually frustrating him. Though she would finally lose her virginity to him, she feels she does it to make him feel better, rather than from her own heart. The second man that she fell in love with was the rich middle aged Man-jun (played by Yoon Il-bong), who was a widower with a young daughter. Gyeong-ah gets married to him and moves into his gorgeous home where all seems grand, but it’s not only her past, but his past that starts to turn their marriage into a mentally anguishing prison life. The third man in her life is Dong-hyeok (played by Baek Il-seob), who saw her as his “property”, using her for selling nude photos of her, and even burning her with cigarettes as punishment. During all times of heartbreak and devastation, Gyeong-ah resulted in drinking heavily, slowing going to path of self-destruction. Will Mun-ho be able to save her from the past trauma, or will her past forever haunt her future? “Heavenly Homecoming to Stars” was first written by young writer Choi In-ho as a serialized story in the newspaper and eventually a novel in 1972, becoming quite a sensation with readers. For a film adaptation, the 28 year old Lee Jang-ho obtained the rights to the book, which came easily as Lee and Choi had known each other since childhood as classmates. But for Lee, who was under the apprenticeship of renowned director Shin Sang-ok, this was to be his directorial debut. At this time it was very unconventional for a director and writer that were only in their 20’s to be able to make a film, but times were changing. South Korean censorship under the rule of President Park Chung-hee was getting stricter and tighter. Television was taking audiences away from movie theaters. It was an immensely tough time for Korean cinema in the 1970’s, in which movie theaters were easy to pack audiences in for foreign titles, but little for Korean titles. Lee was not only heavily influenced by the improvisational nature of Shin Sang-ok’s work, but also by French New Wave cinema, the films of Charles Chaplin, and documentary filmmaking - an all around cinephile. For the shooting of the film, it was decided to shoot the story chronologically, with one minor exception was the ending being shot first, as he was looking to shoot in snow for the ending and it happened to snow early. Though shot chronologically, the film is non-linear in structure. Constant flashbacks are shown, which is a bit confusing at times, as for first time viewers or people unaware of the original story might be confused with the sudden jumps in time, though on a second viewing it is much easier to piece together. Even the opening credits of the film show scenes toward the ending, as subtle clues on what to expect. The film was edited radically, and was also shot radically as well. The cinematography was filled with unusual camera angles, frames filled with colorful psychedelic bright colors, and documentary style shots of Seoul which was not seen in traditional Korean movies prior. In another addition of non-convention, the soundtrack was filled with songs by Lee Jang-hee, creating a psychedelic rock and folk soundtrack very different from the norm in Korean cinema at the time. Eventually the songs were released as a separate album soundtrack, being the first pop music based movie soundtrack album in South Korea. The film was released in 1974 in a single theater in Seoul and was an unprecedented hit. As mentioned prior, 100,000 attendees was considered a hit. “Heavenly Homecoming to Stars” had 465,000 tickets sold in its 3 month plus run at the one theater, becoming the highest attended film in South Korean film history, and keeping the record for 3 years. There were quite a few factors that led to its success: the hit original novel. The female lead protagonist spoke to women audiences. The music soundtrack helped its popularity. A film made by a group of people in their 20’s attracted young people. It looked, sounded, and felt different from any other Korean film up to then. The film spawned a movement of youth-oriented films in the 70’s and continuing to the 80’s, with titles such as “The March of Fools” the following year (also scripted by Choi In-ho) and 1977’s “Winter Woman”, which surpassed “Heavenly Homecoming to Stars” in number of ticket sales by exceeding 500,000. Although many of these films featured leftist themes and sexuality, much of the original intentions were censored by the government but carefully suggested by the filmmakers with subtle techniques. “Heavenly Homecoming to Stars” also spawned 2 sequels, with the sequel "Heavenly Homecoming to Stars 2" coming in 1979 (also becoming one of the top attended films of the 1970’s), and the third film "Heavenly Homecoming to Stars 3" in 1981. The second was not directed by Lee (as he was under house arrest for marijuana charges), but was directed by good friend and “The March of Fools” director Ha Gil-jong. And the third by veteran director Lee Kyeong-tae, who also worked under Shin Sang-ok. The beautiful Ah In-suk who was 22 at the time playing Gyeong-ah, was a child actress that made her film debut at the age of 11 in 1963. She played in films such as “A Swordsman in the Twilight” (1967, Chung Chang-wha), “The Guests of the Last Train” (1967, Yoo Hyeon-mok), and Lee Jang-ho’s immediate second film, “It Rained Yesterday” (1974). Her performance as the innocent yet tortured Gyeong-ah is quite a performance that never goes overboard to the point of theatrical madness, but plays out the dark side subtly and very sadly. Unfortunately, she left the film world in 1974 and has not made another film since. I’ve researched to find out about her post-cinema life and why she left it behind, but could not find any information. EDIT: The Korean Film Archive has notified saying that Ah In-suk retired from the screen in 1975 due to marriage. Shin Seong-il was 41 year old and a big star by the time he took the role of Mun-ho in “Heavenly Homecoming to Stars”. Although over 40, he plays a character that is youthful in his personality and bohemian lifestyle wonderfully. His resume spans from 1960 to the 2010’s starring in over 500 films and also directing 6. He starred in films such as “The Daughters of Kim's Pharmacy” (1963, Yoo Hyeon-mok), “Bloodline” (1963, Kim Soo-yong), “The Barefooted Young” (1964, Kim Kee-duk), “Mist” (1967, Kim Soo-yong), “The General's Mustache” (1968, Lee Seung-gu), “A Day Off” (1968, Lee Man-hee), “Wangsimni” (1976, Im Kwon-taek), “Night Journey” (1977, Kim Soo-yong), and more recently in “Typhoon” (2005) and “Door to the Night” (2013). The 3 actors who played the former loves also have quite impressive resumes. Ha Yong-soo acted only in a handful of films during the 1970’s, but later on went into the fashion business and has an impressive resume as costume designer in the 1980’s. Yoon Il-bong’s character was sincere yet menacingly traumatized underneath, similar to Joseph Cotten’s character in “Rebecca”, was already a veteran at the time of “Heavenly Homecoming to Stars”. He starred in “Rhee Syngman and the Independence Movement” (1959, Shin Sang-ok), “Aimless Bullet” (1961 Yoo Hyeon-mok), “Five Marines” (1961, Kim Kee-duk), and “The March of Fools” (1975, Ha Gil-jong) among hundreds of other films. Baek Il-seob has played a lot of strange characters over the years, but his sinister performance in “Heavenly Homecoming to Stars” was one to be remembered. His credits include “The General’s Mustache” (1968, Lee Seong-gu), “The Road to Sampo” (1975, Lee Man-hee), “Wangsimni” (1976, Im Kwon-taek), and “My Brilliant Life” (2014). Critics were also very kind to the film, winning “Best New Director” at the 13th Daejong Film Awards, and “Best New Director Film” at the Baeksang Art Awards. Note this is a region ALL Blu-ray which can be played back on any Blu-ray player worldwide.
Video
Korean Film Archive presents the film in its 1080p in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio in the AVC MPEG-4 codec. In the liner notes book, KOFA explains that the original production company donated the original negative and 2 theatrical prints to the archive in 1979, in very good condition compared to other films in their archive that were beat up, damaged, and abandoned after companies went bankrupt or theaters closed. Not to say it looked pristine, as the film had its share of damage over the years with scratches, splices, missing frames, color fluctuation, color fading, and audio track problems. With digital restoration, the film is brought back to life in a condition that may look better than the original screenings. Colors look fantastic. The flashy colors of the bar scenes, nightclub scenes, and the paintings by Mun-ho’s character come to vivid life. It’s an incredibly colorful film and the restoration brings out the original colors fully. Elements of color bleeding and fluctuation have been eliminated almost completely. Dust and specs are minimal, splice marks are non-existent, and torn frames and missing frames have been restored completely. Overall it is one of the best looking releases KOFA has released so far. Currently the film is available to watch for free on KOFA’s YouTube channel, but note that the streaming version is the unrestored version, so for owners of the Blu-ray should check and compare how much was done to restore the film. The Blu-ray looks absolutely stellar. The film runs uncut with a runtime of 110:15, including the KOFA restoration credits.
Audio
Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 dual mono The original mono track has also been remastered. No pops, cracks, or errors to report of, which is good, but the music is a bit on the flat side. Lee Jang-hee’s music sounds great, but the flatness of the mono track does not do it justice. Good luck trying to procure a vinyl copy of the original soundtrack! Note that Korean films at the time were almost always post-synchronized and original audio from the set was not used in the final mix. This also meant the actors and actresses voices were not their own but by dubbing artists. The film’s technical weakness comes from the dubbing, with many instances when the mouths don’t sync up very well. This is not the fault of the Blu-ray transfer but how it was originally made. There are optional English, Japanese, Korean subtitles for the main feature in a white font. The English translation is excellent, though there was one instance of a grammar mistake that I could catch. (Gyeong-ha: “If you’re go out today…”)
Extras
Audio commentary by director Lee Jang-ho with filmmaker Kim Hong-joon The director is joined by Kim Hong-joon, a professor in the School of Film, TV & Multimedia at Korea National University of Arts for a great commentary track. Subjects range from the background of how Lee joined the film business, his relationship with Choi In-ho and Lee Jang-hee, the reasoning behind the non-linear structure, and points out cameos by various crew members including himself. in Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 with optional English and Korean subtitles "Film to Digital Restoration: Before/After" featurette (1:32) A short featurette that shows side by side comparisons of the film before and after restoration. Much shorter than restoration featurettes on other KOFA releases of the past, but it still makes an impact on how much was done to restore the film. The text to explain the processes are in Korean and English. in 1080p Image Gallery (8 stills) 7 black and white stills and the theatrical poster is offered. in 1080p 42-page booklet As standard with Korean Film Archive releases comes a bilingual booklet, half in Korean, half in English. The booklet includes cast/crew credits, a synopsis, a director’s biography/filmography, the essay “Artistic Audacity Overcoming the Era: The Cinematic World of Lee Jang-ho” by film critic/professor/festival programmer Kim Yeong-jin, the essay “When a Youth Film Chooses a Female Ordeal” by professor Park Yuhee, and notes on restoring the credit sequence. (Although director Lee comments in the audio commentary, that KOFA got the timing and placement of the credits wrong!) 176-page book "Lee Jang-ho vs. Bae Chang-ho - the Front Line of Korean Cinema" written by film critic Kim Yeong-jin First published in 2007, this paperback is included with the Blu-ray. The book is entirely in Korean. Korean Film Archive’s Blu-ray is not as stacked as say “Housemaid” was, with no lengthy documentary or additional films. It would have been great to have the entire “Heavenly Homecoming to Stars” trilogy in one set, or a documentary on writer Choi In-ho who passed away in 2013, but the extras here are quite informative as it is.
Packaging
Packaged in a clear keep case housed in a slipcase, the 42 page booklet fits inside the slipcase. The 176-page book is separate from the slipcase.
Overall
“Heavenly Homecoming to Stars” is definitely one of the landmarks of South Korean cinema history, starting a movement in youth oriented filmmaking under a strict government regime. The restored film looks amazing, sounds good, and has very informative supplements making this Blu-ray highly recommended.
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