• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.5 no.6
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• pp.193-208
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to look into Korean film criticism that started during Japanese occupation. It's specifically attempted to shed light on the development and significance of Joseon film criticism and on film movement theory as part of the history of Korean early modern film criticism. When kino-drama that could be called the start of Joseon movies was popular, enlightenment-based view of movie was rampant due to the inflow of western civilization and modernistic consciousness. Afterwards, the nature of movie itself drew a lot of attention from contemporary people in the silent picture days, and there appeared a critical trend in pursuit of artistry. Diverse criteria of criticism about reality and representation were presented, and a lot of disputes were eventually stirred up. Thus, criticism started to make a progress. A proletarian film movement theory, the so-called KAPF film campaign that was prevalent from the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s, was one of leading contemporary movie theories and took the lead in critic community. That had a great impact on the entire Joseon film circles. That took a proletarian view of movie, which was based on Bolshevik theory of Popularization and dialectic historical materialism. their criticism made a contribution to providing information on foreign movies and theories and to presenting main principles and multiple alternatives toward film organization and playing.