<The Night Before Strike (Paupjeonya)> (1990)

Director : Lee Eun, Jang Dong-hong, Chang Youn-hyeon, Lee Jae-koo
Year of Production : 1990
Genre : Drama/Fiction
Format : 16mm/ Color
Running Time : 105 minutes

Crew :
Producer: Lee Yong-bae, Lee Eun
Script: Kong Su-young, Kim Eun-chae, Min Gyeong-cheol
Cinematography: Kim Jae-hong, Oh Cheung-ok, Lee Chang-joon
Lighting: Kim Jeong-ho, Song hoon, Lee Yoon-dong, Lee Chun-hyeong, Lim Tae-hyeong
Editor: Jeong Seong-jin, Jeong Jin-wan
Music: Ahn Chi-hwan, Cho Seong-wook
Documentation: Kim Do-yeon, Hwang Kil-Chae
Production Planning: Shin Jong-kwan, Sohn Eun-young, Lee Jang-kil, Choi Ho

Cast :
Kang Neung-won, Ko Dong-yeob, Kim Dong-bum, Park Jong-chul, Park Hong-kyu, Shin Jong-tae, Eom Kyung-hwan, Hwang Tae-un, Lee Duk-sin, Lee Eun-hee, Im Young-ku, Cho Hyeon-mo, Choi Il-soon, Hong Suk-yeon, Hwang Byung-do, Hwang Jin

Synopsis

There are 200 miserably impoverished people working in the Dongseong Metalworks Factory. Ju Wan-ik is introduced to the forging team as a new member of the team and they all go drinking together to welcome him. Han-su, who is also a member of the forging team, longs to escape the wretched poverty he is in. His dream is to work industriously and save frugally to become rich. To the managers, the laborers are nothing more than machines that break down easily. Mr. Kim, the executive director of the factory, prepares thoroughly for the projected unionization of his workers and Han-su is picked up by a manager to become a laborer on the side of the factory.

Notes

Causing a great stir in society, it is the greatest accomplishment in the world of independent films of the 1980s social reform movement in film. (Although it is also a prime example of the limitation of independent films at the time) (Kang So-won) Without a doubt, a superbly made movie that arouses the laborers. (Kim Dong-won) This is an important work which shows the relationship of the Korean social reform movement in film and its relationship to Korean society in the late 80s and early 90s. Looking at the structural and formal aspects of this movie, it still maintains the traditional schemes that were pervasive in movies of the era. It could be said to be an offshoot of the old style movie that merely deals with a new theme of social reform, and critics have pointed this out. But it is exactly this fact that makes this movie so powerful. The production of this movie, and its repression by the government, as well as the great stir it caused as it was shown on university campuses around the nation, are significant events, not only in the history of Korean independent films but in the history of Korean cinema in general. The Night Before Strike was mainly shown in university campuses around the nation and the government sent riot police in order to prevent the showing of the movie. But the university students formed “battle platoons” in order to allow its showing and in this way, the movie was shown to hundreds of thousands of university students around Korea.

Director Bio : Jang Dong-hong

In 1988, he graduated from the Film Department at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and was one of the most active members of the late 80s independent film collective, Jangsangotmae. He directed Yellow Flag (Noran-gitbal) (1987), Oh! The world of Dreams (1988, Collaborative Director), and The Night Before Strike (1990, Collaborative Director). He made his commercial debut in 1998 with If it Snows on Christmas (Christmasue Nuninerimyeon).

Director Bio : Lee Eun (1961- )

He graduated from the Department of Theater and Film at Chung-ang University. In 1985, he began a workshop at his university, producing The fire light of the factory (Gongjangui-bulbit) and co-founded Jangsangotmae along with Chang Youn-hyun, producing Oh! The world of Dream (1989) and The Night Before Strike (1990). In 1995, He founded MK Pictures and began producing commercial films and The Contact (Jeobsog) (1997), Happy End (Happy end) (1999) and JSA - Joint Security Area (Gongdonggyeongbiguyeok) (2000) are the company’s most well known works. He made his commercial directorial debut in 1998 with the film, If the sun rises in the West (Haega seojjog-eseo tteundamyeon).

Director Bio : Chang Youn-hyun (1967- )

He graduated with a degree in electrical engineering in 1989 from Hanyang University and in 1992, studied at the Hungarian National Film School. He made For the talent (Injaereurwihayeo) during his university years and co-directed Oh! The world of Dream and The Night Before Strike during his time at Jangsangotmae acquiring directing experience outside the mainstream film industry. He made his debut with The Contact (1997), a film about the internet, which was a success on both critical and commercial levels. With his second film, Tell Me Something(Tell me something), he introduced hard gore movies to Korean cinema. In 2004, he directed the action thriller, Some (Sseom).

Jangsangotmae

In July of 1987, at a preview held by the University Film Association at Sung Kyun Kwan University, the production Staff of For the Talent and If the day comes agreed upon collaborating on the production of Oh! The world of Dream and they began producing the film in the summer of 1988. Jangsangotmae was a name that this group of people took just before the subtitles were added to the film. The members of Jangsangotmae who participated in this production were Hong Gi-seon, Nam Hee-sub, Lee Jae-koo, Kong Su-chang, Hong Gi-seon, Lee Eun, Jang Dong-hong, Chang Youn-hyun, Kim Hyeon-chul, Park Dae-young, Oh Cheng-ok, Jeong Yoo-sik, Kang Heon and Cho Ik-hwan. The public prosecutor’s office filed to have the film confiscated and also filed for a search warrant but were denied by the courts. With accusations from the Ministry of Culture, Hong Gi-seon, who was the head of Jangsangotmae, and Yoo In-taek, who was the head of Hanmadang, were both indicted and fined, but their lawyers appealed the decision saying that film law article 12 was unconstitutional.