Sopyonje
Director : Im Kwon-Taek
Starring : Oh Jeong-hae, Kim Myeong-kon, Kim Kyu-cheol
Location Sites : Cheongsan Island, Wando-gun, South Jeolla Province
Film Information
This film expresses Korean "han" (an emotion peculiar to Korea) relying on Korea's traditional epic narrative-singing art, "pansori." Based on Lee Cheongjun's novel, it tells the story of the tragic lives of a family of pansori singers. As the 93rd work of director Im Gwontaek, one of Korea's greatest filmmakers, it attracted more than a million people, a record number of filmgoers for the first time in Korea when it was released, and came to be dubbed as a "national film." In addition, such elements as the cinematography by Jeong Ilseong which fully displayed the beauties of Korea's four seasons, the great performances by the actors, the music by Kim Sucheol, who opened a new page in Korean film music history, were outstanding enough to make the film one of Korea's representative films.
<Sopyonje> was well received at the 46th Cannes Film Festival and the 50th Venice Film Festival and was awarded at many domestic and international film festivals including Best Director at the 1st Shanghai International Film Festival and Best Film at the 31st Daejong Film Festival.
Synopsis
In the beginning of the 1960s, a man in his 30s named Dongho arrives at a tavern in a village deep in the mountains. He reflects on his past as the barmaid sings pansori. In his childhood, a wandering singer named Yubong with his daughter Songhwa arrived at his town. He fell in love with Dongho's mother and left the village. The four members live together but Dongho's mother dies while giving birth to a child. Yubong teaches Songhwa how to sing pansori and Dongho how to accompany her on the traditional Korean drum. War breaks out and their lives become worse. Dongho quarrels with Yubong and runs away from home. After Dongho leaves, Songhwa refuses to learn "sori" (Korean traditional singing) from her father. Obsessed to achieving the perfection of sori, Yubong blinds Songhwa so that she will convey "han," or "sorrow," in her singing.
Location of Shooting
 Of the filom's most impressive scenes is the famous long take of the three characters walking down a rural road singing Jindo Arirang. This scene is called the most famous long take shot in Korea and serves a key role in the movie, implying the family singers' compromise and loneliness and their hard lives. The background is Dangri Village in Cheongsan-myeon, Wando-gun, South Jeolla Province. Dangri Village preserves a traditional rural look and many other works by director Im also portray rural towns which have almost identical elements with Dangri Village. Old straw-roofed house, stonewalls, vegetable patches attached to houses, and farmlands should remain intact in order to be a venue for director Im filming. Dangri Village also has all these elements. The village in the film shows a barley field enclosed by stonewalls and yellow muddy roads, and even human characters seem to be part of the scenery. A few years ago, its unpaved roads were covered in concrete in the process of a village-wide renovation, but many film fans of <Soponje> protested and the Wando-gun government removed the pavement.
General Information
Cheongsan Island is 45-minutes away from Wando by ship and is located in the Dadohae area (archipelago) 19.2 km south of Wando and consisting of five inhabited and nine uninhabited islands, including Cheongsan Island, Yeoseo Island, Daemo Island, Somo Island, and Jang Island. 'Cheongsan' means both its seas and mountains are blue. It has been said that 'Chengsanyeosu' means 'green mountain and beautiful water' due to its excellent natural beauty and is being preserved against development and pollution as part of Dadohae Maritime National Park.
Directions
Take No.13 National Highway leading to Naju and Haenam at Gwangsan IC on Honam Highway. After passing Wando Bridge and arriving at Wando-eup, you can find Wando Port. Ferries run three or four times a day to Cheongsan Island. A 40-minute ride will take you to the island, and a sign for Dangri Village stands there.
Nearby Attractions
There are a plenty of tourist attractions on Cheongsan Island. Anglers enjoy visiting the entire seashore. Jiri Beach boasts a wide, white sandy field, and Sinheungri Beach has clean water and unique sand. Jinsanri gravelly field is also worth visiting.
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