Yu Hyun-mok

Yu Hyun-mok
유현목
Born(1925-07-02)July 2, 1925
DiedJune 28, 2009(2009-06-28) (aged 83)
OccupationDirector
Years active1948–2007
Awards Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit (2009)
Korean name
Hangul
유현목
Hanja
Revised RomanizationYu Hyeon-mok
McCune–ReischauerYu Hyŏnmok

Yu Hyun-mok (July 2, 1925 – June 28, 2009) was a South Korean film director. Born in Sariwon, Hwanghae, Korea (North Korea today), he made his film debut in 1956 with Gyocharo (Crossroads).[1] According to the website koreanfilm.org, his 1961 film Obaltan "has repeatedly been voted the best Korean film of all time in local critics' polls."[1] Yu attended the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1963, where Variety called Obaltan a "remarkable film", and praised Yu's "[b]rilliantly detailed camera" and the film's "probing sympathy and rich characterizations."[2]

His dedication to the intellectual side of film and interest in using film to deal with social and political issues led him to have difficulties both with box-office-oriented producers, and with Korea's military government during the 1960s and 1970s.[1] Korean critics have said his directing style is "in the tradition of the Italian Neorealists," yet "the terms 'modernist' or 'expressionistic' [are] just as applicable to his works."[3]

Besides his directing activities, he has taught film,[1] and made a significant contribution to Korean animation by producing Kim Cheong-gi's 1976 animated film, Robot Taekwon V. A retrospective of Yu's career was held at the 4th Pusan International Film Festival in 1999.[3]

Yu died from a stroke on June 28, 2009.[4]

  1. ^ a b c d "The Yu Hyun-mok Page". www.koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
  2. ^ Judy. (1963-11-13). "The Aimless Bullet". Variety.
  3. ^ a b Paquet, Darcy. "Yu Hyun-mok's School Excursion (1969)". www.koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
  4. ^ Yu, pioneering filmmaker, passes away Korea Herald Retrieved on 2009-06-29.