Chong (film) explained

Director:Lee Sang-il
Starring:
  • Yang Tesong
  • Cho Hyun
Cinematography:Shin Hayasaka
Runtime:54 min
Country:Japan
Language:Japanese

Chong is a 2000 Japanese medium-length film (54 min)[1] directed by Lee Sang-il. It premiered in 2000 at the Pia Festival in Tokyo, but was only released on April 21, 2001 for Pia production. A comedy drama, it depicts the life of a high school student attending a Korean school in Japan,[2] especially focusing on the school baseball team.[3]

It was produced in 1999[4] as a graduation piece at the Japan Film School[5] [6] and won four awards including the Grand Prix at the Pia Film Festival (PFF) 2000. It is Lee Sang-il's directorial debut, before his first feature film two years later. It is also the debut work of cinematographer Shin Hayasaka.[7] [8]

Cast

Title

The title character, 青, means blue in Japanese (read "ao"), and reads "chong" (which also means blue) in Korean. The sign was chosen as the title because, in Japan, the word Chong is a derogatory term for Koreans in the country. The film is therefore sometimes referred to as Ao - Chong or Blue - Chong.[9] [10]

Awards

Screenings

DVD

A DVD version was released by Geneon on April 7, 2006.[15]

Reception

The film "skillfully manages to approach the difficult subject of the Korean minority in Japan through a charming and very involving story about a man between two nationalities", according to Nippon Connection.

Chong was also said to be a "groundbreaking (production) in the way (it) expressed (its) the self-approach of Korean-Japanese or zainichi Koreans with rich humour. This subject matter, which in the past could only be expressed in a dark and serious way, was here skillfully expressed in a light-hearted and funny way".[16] [17]

The film alludes to elements in the life of the director.[18]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nippon Connection . 2024-07-10 . nipponconnection.com . en.
  2. Web site: Palmer . Stephen . 2014-02-27 . Lee Sang-il interview - director of Unforgiven, Hula Girls, Villain easternkicks.com . 2024-07-10 . www.easternkicks.com . en-GB.
  3. Book: 日外アソシエーツ . 映画基本書目大正・昭和・平成 . 2009 . 日外アソシエーツ . 978-4-8169-2194-0 . ja.
  4. Book: ぴあシネマクラブ: 日本映画編 . 2004 . ぴあ株式会社 . 978-4-8356-0617-0 . ja.
  5. Web site: Midnight Eye interview: Lee Sang-il . 2024-07-10 . www.midnighteye.com.
  6. Web site: Sang-il Lee . 2024-07-10 . D'A . en-US.
  7. Book: Ko, Mika . Japanese Cinema and Otherness: Nationalism, Multiculturalism and the Problem of Japaneseness . 2013-05-13 . Routledge . 978-1-135-23886-5 . en.
  8. Web site: 2022-10-06 . Wandering director Lee Sang-il’s movies ranked, from good to great . 2024-07-10 . South China Morning Post . en.
  9. Book: Sharp, Jasper . Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema . 2011-10-13 . Scarecrow Press . 978-0-8108-7541-8 . en.
  10. Book: Ko, Mika . Japanese Cinema and Otherness: Nationalism, Multiculturalism and the Problem of Japaneseness . 2013-05-13 . Routledge . 978-1-135-23886-5 . en.
  11. Book: Novielli, Maria Roberta . Storia del cinema giapponese nel nuovo millennio . 2022-11-04 . Marsilio Editori spa . 978-88-297-1790-3 . it.
  12. Book: 新訂現代日本人名錄 2002 . 2002 . 日外アソシエーツ . ja.
  13. Book: 佐藤忠男 . 日本の映画人: 日本映画の創造者たち . 2007 . 日外アソシエーツ . 978-4-8169-2035-6 . ja.
  14. Web site: Blue Chong . 2024-07-10 . IFFR EN . en-GB.
  15. Book: キネマ旬報 . 2007 . 日本映畫出版會社 . 282 . ja.
  16. Book: キネマ旬報 . 2007 . 日本映畫出版會社 . 1537 . 73 . ja.
  17. Book: 平野共余子 . マンハッタンのKUROSAWA: 英語の字幕版はありますか? . 2006-11-10 . 清流出版 . 978-4-86029-183-9 . ja.
  18. Book: 佐藤忠男 . 映画に魅せられて . 2002 . 現代書館 . 978-4-7684-7684-0 . ja.

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