Feature film
Pulgasari
불가사리
Shin Sang-ok · 1985
Synopsis
In Korea in the Goryeo period, a tyrannical king confiscates the peasants' iron tools to prevent a revolt. A blacksmith thrown into prison fashions from rice the figurine of a monster, Pulgasari. On contact with the blood of his daughter Ami, the figurine comes to life and becomes a giant that feeds on iron. The monster sides with the peasants in revolt against the king, but its hunger never stops growing.
Context
Produced in 1985 by the Korean Film Art Studio with Shin Films, Toho and the Beijing studio, the film credits only Chong Gon-jo as director. Fifteen Toho special-effects technicians worked on it, including Kenpachiro Satsuma, who wears the monster's costume. Released in February 1986, it was withdrawn after Shin's escape, then discovered in Japan in 1998 and by the South Korean public in 2000.
Who it is for
A monster film of an hour and thirty-five minutes, in Korean; fans of the genre recognise in it the manner of the Japanese studios.
Prizes and reception
A cult film, it is the North Korean film most seen abroad, praised by Japanese critics.