[Baek Chang-ho 40th Anniversary] Leaving a Thriving Conglomerate to Become Korea's Spielberg... "Cherish Your Life More"

40 Years in Film: Director Bae Chang-ho Interview
Powerful Experience Watching 'Gil' at Age Five, Debuted at 29 with 'Kkobangdongne Saramdeul'
Resigned from Thriving Trading Company... Entered Film Industry as Assistant Director to Director Lee Jang-ho
Lee Jung-jae, Who Debuted on Screen in 'Young Man', Directed Beyond Expectations
40th Anniversary Special Screening Featuring 7 Films Including Opening Work 'Kkobangdongne Saramdeul' Over Two Weeks
Recently Published Interview Collection 'Bae Chang-ho's Film Path', Next Project to Portray Life of Jesus Christ

Director Bae Chang-ho is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 12th. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] “Movies are a means to sustain life. Life should be cherished more than movies.”

Director Bae Chang-ho, who has quietly walked a 40-year path in the film industry, emphasized the preciousness of life before talking about movies. When he debuted at the age of thirty with Kkobang-dong Neighborhood People, he was considered a prodigy in Chungmuro. Following the successive successes of Flower of the Equator, Whale Hunting, That Winter Was Warm, and Deep and Blue Night, he was dubbed the “Spielberg of Korea” and established himself as a box office hitmaker. However, rather than getting carried away, he always kept his feet firmly on the ground, observing both films and the world with detachment. Even now, continuing his creative work and dreaming of new stories, he walks a life like a movie every day. We met Director Bae to hear about his movie-like life.

- How do you feel about reaching your 40th anniversary since debut?

▲ It feels like I just shot my first film, Kkobang-dong Neighborhood People, yesterday, but seeing that 40 years have already passed feels like a jump cut (an editing technique that shows action moving forward in time within a continuous shot). Kkobang-dong Neighborhood People was a story about the wounds and loneliness in people’s hearts, as well as their love and faith, rather than physical poverty. I encountered the vivid lives of tent village residents through the autobiographical novel of writer Lee Dong-cheol, and thought it had planning potential, so I took on directing.

Director Bae Chang-ho, who personally took on the lead role and directing, on the set of the film 'Love Story'. Photo by Korean Film Archive

- I’m curious why you gave up a stable life in a large corporation after studying business administration to become a film director.

▲ When I was five, I went to a theater with my mother, who loved movies, and watched Federico Fellini’s La Strada. Some scenes were so intense that I still remember them vividly, and since then I dreamed of becoming a film director. I entered the business administration department partly due to my father’s suggestion?he was a banker?but I thought I could become a director even without attending a film school. While participating in the university theater club, I met writer Choi In-ho, and through that connection, I was able to meet Director Lee Jang-ho. After graduating, I joined Hyundai Corporation, but my dream of making films grew stronger, so I bought an 8mm camera and directed a 16-minute short film myself.

- You also achieved great success as the branch manager in Kenya during your time at the corporation.

▲ The vast nature of Africa was beautiful, but I couldn’t shake off thoughts about movies. There were many theaters in Nairobi at the time, so I watched masterpieces like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, while filming with my 8mm camera whenever I had time to soothe my passion for film. Soon after, I received news from Director Lee Jang-ho about resuming activities, and I immediately sent my resignation letter to Korea by telex. The company advised me to reconsider, but I boarded a plane to Korea right away.

Director Bae Chang-ho is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 12th. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

- Your successive box office hits after debut seem to owe as much to your solid scripts as to your directing skills.

▲ I loved movies, but I valued life even more. When preparing my debut work, I thought that if I made this film and wasn’t recognized for my directing skills, I should quit quickly and find another job. Fortunately, it was well received by audiences at the time, and I was able to direct a total of 18 films afterward. A director must have a clear personal value system about movies. Otherwise, one inevitably becomes a tool of commercialism. Even I considered Whale Hunting 2, which I directed during a period of overconfidence from consecutive hits, a failure for a long time. Although its box office performance was not bad, I had too little time to contemplate the work. Because my judgment was hasty, many overlooked parts became apparent later. Films made easily inevitably reveal that process.

- It seems you managed film sets with a business mindset.

▲ Film sets are places where personnel management, production management, and marketing are combined. Even now, I had to make films within limited budgets on set. My experience with systematic organizational management at a trading company was very helpful. Besides commercial films, I was able to start independent films early because of that experience managing film sets, and I operated production costs with a frugal spirit ingrained in me (laughs).

- Actor Lee Jung-jae, who debuted on screen with Young Man, recently made his directorial debut with Hunt.

▲ I saw it at a preview and he directed better than expected. Acting and directing simultaneously is a very difficult task (I myself have acted and directed in my films Love Story and Jeong), and seeing him do it well, I thought he had gained a lot of experience. Young Man was planned as a story about young people called Generation X at the time. Investors suggested established famous actors, but I cast Lee Jung-jae because of his fresh, natural impression and sophisticated style as a newcomer, and that intention made the film successful.

- What does your recently published book Bae Chang-ho’s Path of Cinema contain, and what kind of work are you preparing next?

▲ It is a collection of interviews conducted as part of junior director Ahn Jae-seok’s thesis preparation. It was published to correct misunderstandings about me and to cover changes in the Korean film industry and directors’ consciousness from the 1970s to the present. In an era when the meaning of film is becoming broader, I hope readers will expand their understanding of cinema through this book. For my next project, I plan to produce a film depicting the life of Jesus Christ. I completed the first draft of the screenplay seven years ago. Now, as the global content market is paying attention to Korea and the Korean film industry’s capabilities have grown, I am preparing to proceed with a co-production with foreign partners.