A Romantic Papa (Lomanseuppappa) (1960)
Director : Shin Sang-Okk
Production Company : Shin Films Co., Ltd
Date of Theatrical Release : 1960-01-28
Running Time : 131 min.
Opening Theater : Myeong Bo Theater
Genre : Melodrama
Staff :
Writer : Kim Hee-Chang
Screenplay(Adaptation) : Kim Hee-Chang
Producer : Shin Sang-Okk
Executive Producer : Hwang Nam
Director of PhotoGraphy : Jeong Hae-Jun
Gaffer : Lee Kyu-Chang
Music : Kim Seong-Dae
Art Director : Jeong Wu-Taek
Editor : Kim Young-Hee
Sound/Recording : Sohn In-Ho
Cast(Actor/Actress) :
Choi Eun-Hee,Kim Jin-Kyu,Shin Seong-Il,Kim Seung-Ho,Joo Jeung-Nyeo
Synopsis
An employee at an insurance company whom his children like to call "Romantic Papa," the protagonist (Kim Seung-ho) is the head of a happy household that consists of his wife (Joo Jeung-nyeo), two sons, and three daughters. His eldest daughter Eum-jeon (Choi Eun-hee) graduates from college and marries Jeon U-taek (Kim Jin-kyu), who works at a meterological observatory. The eldest son Eo-jin (Nam Koong-won) pretends to his parents that he is attending college, but is in fact working on a film site in order to become a director. The second daughter Gop-dan (Do Kum-bong) is a college student, while the younger son Bareuni (Shin Seong-il) and youngest daughter Ippeuni (Um Aing-ran) are still in high school. Although an insurance salesman's meager salary is barely enough for such a large family to live on, the optimistic father embraces and nurtures his family with his ready smile. However, when his company begins downsizing, the father, who had always been a diligent worker, becomes one of the employees forced into retirement due to his advancing years. Afraid of disappointing his family, he does not tell them that he has lost his job. His children figure out the truth, but pretend to be in the dark as they cast about for a way to comfort their father. On his birthday, the entire family gets together and enjoys a happy celebration.
Notes
 "A film that represents Kim Seung-ho's unique brand of family drama from the 1960s"
A Romantic Papa, a TV drama-like movie that depicts the everyday affairs of a working-class household, is one of the representative examples of the genre of family comedy, which enjoyed great popularity in the 1960s. The head of the household, whose somewhatgoofy personality has earned him the nickname "Romantic Papa," tries harder than anyone to live with a youthful heart. Contrary to his wishes, however, society demands his retirement. The tragedy of undeniable old age, trivial everyday occurrences, and various comedic moments all combine to elicit warm, serene smiles from the audience.
A Romantic Papa also employs amusing formal devices, such as the introduction of conventions used in stage drama and the insert scenes that visualize characters' imaginations. Especially entertaining are the opening sequence, in which the characters introduce themselves to the audience, and the scene in which the whole family reads Eo-jin's lines and the father, mother, and Eo-jin each give them his or her imaginative spin. Bareuni likes to joke that one must "achieve victory in a fight against those who hold supreme power" the film's closing scene, which shows the father (who hold "supreme power" in the family) stepping down and relinquishing his authority to the next generation, prefigures the democratization movement of April 19, 1960. Featuring some of the greatest acting talents of the day, A Romantic Papa boasts the finest ensemble cast for a family drama. It also showcases the outstanding direction and visual composition of Shin Sang-ok, who is entering his heyday as a director.
Afterword:
- A Romantic Papa was adapted for the big screen from a popular radio drama by Kim Hee-chang.
Director Bio: Shin Sang-ok (1926-2006)
Shin Sang-ok, who was an icon of Korean cinema during the 1960s, is one of the most significant producer-directors in Korean film history. After graduating from Gyeongseong Middle School and Tokyo Art School, he worked under director Choi In-kyu as an assistant director and in 1952, made his directorial debut with The Evil Night (Ag-ya). He became recognized as one of the greatest Korean producer-directors of his era with the stunning success of Seong Chun-hyang (Seong Chun-hyang) (1961) and ran Shin Film Studios, once called "Half the Korean Movie Industry." But his close relationship with the political regime which was the basis for the founding and success of Shin Film Studios began to fade, and with the government's cancellation of his license, he lost Shin Film Studios where he produced his movies and which he valued more than his life. In 1978, he was kidnapped to North Korea along with his wife Choi Eun-hui and produced films such as Salt (Sogeum) there. The two dramatically escaped North Korea in 1986 and after residing in the United States, moved to South Korea where director Shin Sang-ok taught students and prepared to undertake Genghis Khan, which he thought would be the pinnacle of his lifetime of film. But he passed away on April 11th, 2006, without being able to bring his plans to fruition. In all, he directed 75 movies and produced 250 movies.
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