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The Road to Sampo
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - South Korea - Korean Film Archive/Blue Kino Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (29th January 2022). |
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The Film
 "The Road to Sampo" <三浦가는길> (1975) Young-dal (played by Baek Il-sob) is a young drifter who takes up odd jobs from town to town without a set future in sight. One day in a snowy field, he meets Mr. Jeong (played by Kim Jin-kyu) an older man who was in prison for ten years and recently released. Jeong is from the seaside town of Sampo, and is hoping to travel back there, so Young-dal decides to travel with him to find food, water, and shelter along the way. While at a restaurant, they are asked by the madam to search for a runaway waitress wearing a red coat who stole her bag, and they would be rewarded 10,000 Won and a place to stay for the night. The girl, Baek-hwa (played by Moon Sook) convinces the two men not to take her back, and instead the three of them journey together towards Sampo in search of something better. Based on the novel of the same name by Hwang Sok-yong published in 1973, the film adaptation from 1975 was directed by Lee Man-hee, becoming one of the director's biggest hits but sadly also his final feature film. The story is a fairly simple one, of a trio on a road trip, getting into awkward situations within the places they go to and the changes in the relationships between each of them as the audience learns more about them. But this would not be a simple production, as the locations would be set in many outdoor locations shot in the middle of winter in extremely cold conditions, with the cast and crew having to endure the environment. While the location visuals of the rural areas covered in snow are a visual showcase, the heart of "The Road to Sampo" comes from the characters that inhabit it. "The Road to Sampo" holds the attention through the awkward encounters and the odd charms, with each of the three main characters having their differences and similarities. All three are searching for a place to go, but they are not quite certain as to where. Even Jeong, whose intention it is to go to Sampo, hears from others that Sampo is not at all like it was a decade ago, and even if he were to return, it would not be the same. His wife and child would be unrecognizable and they may not even want to see him when he arrives. Going there would not be any different than going to another town and starting over from scratch. But opportunities are few and far between for an ex-con. Young-dal is always on the brink of getting in trouble and is not one that envisions a place to go or a place to be, seeing only easy access to money or food for the day as his daily grinds. There is a great scene in which the three find a funeral taking place, so he cries and pretends to be a family friend, so the three could get free food and drink, eventually causing a ruckus with too much alcohol being consumed. Baek-hwa is a manic-pixie-dreamgirl, who can easily take the hearts of men with her beautiful looks and cunning ways, though being at a slightly unattainable level. She is ready to argue and fend off anyone who gets in her way, with a strong sense of self. Yet she is not one to have a strong sense of others, instead being a bit on the childish and selfish side with her attitude. The three characters don't have a very strong dynamic together, and even the love interest that develops between Baek-hwa and Young-dal is not particularly on the believable side. It's the odd happenings during the course of the road movie, from the drunken brawls, the arguments, separations, and conversations about their different pasts that hold things together. "The Road to Sampo" feels like a series of vignettes with the characters at times rather than a straightforward story with a true narrative. It doesn't matter where they are going, but it is about them finding themselves through the journey, and that is what a road film is all about. Interestingly at this time in South Korean cinema, there was no such thing as a road movie. It would become more commonplace over the years, with works like "Whale Hunting" (1984) or "Road Movie" (2002), owing quite a lot to the film including the base of two men and one woman. Director Lee Man-hee was born on October 6th, 1931 and started working in motion pictures in 1956 as an assistant director. His directorial debut was in 1961 with the melodrama "Kaleidoscope", but his career would showcase that he was a capable director in a multitude of genres. "The Marines Who Never Returned" (1963) was an excellent Korean War film, that even had touches of comedy in some scenes. "The Devil's Stairway" was a great thriller with horror elements. "Black Hair" (1964) was a memorable film noir. While he received three Best Director awards during this period from various places, his 1965 film "Seven Female POWs" caused controversy from the government censors, and is arrested for violating Article 4 of the National Security Law, with the film depicting a sensitive view towards North Korean soldiers who plan to defect to the South. With severe cuts by the censors, the film is released, but it caused issues with Lee and the censors from thereon out. He was able to maintain a steady career throughout the rest of the 1960s, with twenty-seven films directed over the next five years, along with acclaim. "Legend of Saligol" (1967) won the Grand Prize and Best Director from the Korean Theater and Film Awards. "Homebound" (1967) won Best Film at the Grand Bell Awards. "Full Autumn" (1966) is considered one of the greatest South Korean films ever made and has been remade a few times including "The Rendezvous" (1972), the first time a Korean film was remade in Japan. Unfortunately it is also a lost film, as no film prints seem to exist. The 1970s was a struggle for the director. The declining film industry led to fewer films being financed, and his personal life was falling apart with his split from longtime partner and actress Moon Jong-suk, who starred in more than twenty of the director's films. It came as a surprise to many that after their break-up, the 42 year old married the 20 year old Moon Sook, who became his new cinematic muse by starring in "A Girl Who Looks Like the Sun" (1974) and "A Triangular Trap" (1974). But the marriage would unfortunately be cut short, as during the editing process of their third film together, "The Road to Sampo", Lee collapsed and was hospitalized. Lee died on April 13th, 1975 from cirrhosis of the liver, at the age of 43. Kim Jin-kyu who played Jeong was a veteran actor debuting in the 1955 film ”Piagol”. He also appeared in films such as ”The Money” (1958), ”Dongshimcho” (1959), ”The Housemaid” (1960), ”Drifting Island” (1960), ”Goryeojang (1963), ”Confession of an Actress” (1967), ”Homebound” (1967), and hundreds more. He died on June 18th, 1998 at the age of 76. Baek Il-sob who played Young-dal has had a steady career as an actor since his debut in 1966 in "Sunae". He's also appeared in "The General's Mustache" (1968), "Heavenly Homecoming to the Stars" (1974), "Wangsimni" (1976), "My Brilliant Life" (2015) and many more on both film and television. Moon Sook's career in film didn't last very long after the sudden death of Lee. She appeared in one more film, "Where Is Miss Young?" in 1976. The following year, she moved to the United States. Thirty-eight years later, she suddenly returned to the cinema screens in "The Beauty Inside" (2015), and has continued to act in television and films in her native country, as well as in the last year starting her own YouTube channel, under Daily Moon Sook, which has cooking videos and more. "The Road to Sampo" opened on May 23rd, 1975, a month after the director's passing. The film received four major awards at the 14th Grand Bell Awards, with Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Kim Jin-kyu, and Best New Actress for Moon Sook. Overseas, the Faro Island Film Festival awarded a Jury Prize Special Mention for Moon Sook and was nominated for Best Film. It quickly became one of Lee's most popular and acclaimed works in years, and was a sad reminder the preciousness of life and having it being cut short so suddenly. The film has its strengths with its characters and the nonchalant nature, though it may seem quite empty with the happenings being few in comparison to other road films. But it also should be looked as a groundbreaking achievement for its country's cinematic works with its simplistic take on drama and comedy. Note this is a region ALL Blu-ray
Video
The Korean Film Archive/Blue Kino presents the film in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. The transfer comes from a 4K restoration completed in 2021. The original 35mm film negative and the 17.5mm sound negative were acquired by KOFA in 1982. The negative was scanned at 4K resolution and restored digitally at Image Power Station, balancing colors, fixing warped frames and telecine wobble, as well as removing damage marks such as stains, scratches, and speckles. The image here looks quite fantastic, with the beautiful whites in the snow covered landscape being crisp and clean, the colors of the wardrobe including Baek-hwa's red coat standing out. Damage has mostly been removed, but there are gate hairs that sometimes remain, which was an aesthetic choice by KOFA to not remove in the restoration. The top portion of the widescreen frame does have an odd blurry portion, but it is just a sliver at the top and should not get in the way of viewing pleasure. Detail is excellent, film grain is minimal but intact, and there is no trace of digital artifacts or other serious issues. Unfortunately, the film negative had two sequences totaling 15 seconds missing from the final reel. The next best available element that had the scenes intact was a German subtitled 35mm film print. For the restoration, the missing portions were taken from the German element, color corrected and restored to match the restored negative, and digital removal of the burned-in German subtitles were undertaken. KOFA has experienced this task with their restorations of films such as "The Housemaid" and "Aimless Bullet", but this seems to be the first example for a color film, and as it stands they did an excellent job here. If one didn't know about the restoration process, they probably would not be able to pinpoint where the missing fifteen seconds were. In addition, the original negative did not have the opening company logo in the credits, so that was also added to this restoration from the German subtitled print. Another excellent job from KOFA with this restoration. The film's runtime including the restoration credits at the start is 100:32.
Audio
Korean LPCM 1.0 The original mono track is presented uncompressed. The sound negative did not have as much trouble in comparison to the 35mm film negative, but it still meant that sound restoration had to take place. As with all South Korean films of the period, there was no on set sound recording so all dialogue and effects were dubbed in post production in studio. Voices sound clear though there are times that the mouths don't synch completely, though that is true how the film was shot and shown. The balance of dialogue, music and effects are very good, with restoration tools removing crackle, pops, hiss, and other unwanted noise while still keeping the sound as clear as possible. There are some fidelity issues and the sound being a bit flat, but that again should be expected for a film from this era. There are optional English, Japanese, Korean subtitles in a white font for the feature. They are easy to read, well timed, and free of errors.
Extras
Audio commentary by film critic and filmmaker Chung Sung-il A newly recorded audio commentary for the film, unfortunately without subtitles. in Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Moon Sook Interview (25:31) A newly filmed interview with the actress by the Korean Film Archive, which also features some stills and clips from the film. Unfortunately, this interview is also not subtitled for English speakers. The interview clips are in 1.78:1, while the film clips are in 2.35:1. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1 / 2.35:1, in Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 with optional Korean subtitles "Digital Restoration: Before/After" featurette (3:39) A silent montage of side by side clips of before and after restoration. The colors seem to be already restored, as the featurette focuses on the damage removal mostly. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4 Image Gallery A series of nine black and white behind the scenes stills plus the original theatrical poster is presented in a manual gallery. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4 Booklet A 48 page booklet in Korean and English is included. First are a cast and crew list, a synopsis, an awards list, and a biography and filmography of Lee as well as his awards. Notes on the restoration is next, followed by the lengthy essay "The Road to Sampo: The Wandering Eye" by Namhee Han, assistant professor at Queens College in New York. KOFA originally released "The Road to Sampo" on DVD back in 2009, which only had the image gallery as the sole on disc extra, along with a booklet. The Blu-ray is a clear upgrade in terms of extras, but it is again unfortunate that they are continuing the trend of not including English subtitles for the extras as they had on many of their previous releases. The Moon Sook interview was one I was heavily looking forward to, as her thoughts on the film, on her late husband and her lengthy retirement and recent comeback would be interesting to hear and in this case, understand.
Packaging
The disc is packaged in a clear keep case which is housed in an outer slipcase, as spine #24 in the Korean Film Archive Blu-ray series. The booklet is also housed in the slipcase. Also included are three still photo postcards in the keep case. 
Overall
"The Road to Sampo" is a free-spirited and light comedy drama that was unfortunately director Lee Man-hee's final film. The Korean Film Archive's 4K restoration looks excellent as is the transfer here, though the extras again not including English subtitles is a recent trend that I hope they will one day remedy. Still comes as highly recommended. Note the film is available to watch for free on the Korean Film Archive YouTube channel, with English subtitles, though note this is not the new 4K restoration version,
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