Thisbe

Chunhyang: When Narration Works

December 9, 2009 at 11:01 am (Asian cinema, foreign, period drama)

“Like the sun and the moon, my love will never change.”

It probably seems that I will like any film as long as Asian people are in it. I do wonder at times if there is some truth to that. But I would like to argue that I have an affinity for movies from this part of the world because Asian directors do certain things really well. In particular, Asian filmmakers seem to be especially skilled at taking traditional art forms and weaving them into the narrative structure. One example would be the South Korean film, Chunhyang.

Chunhyang is a visually and aurally poetic film about the forbidden love between a young noble and a courtesan’s daughter. Defying social mores which dictate that people from different classes cannot marry, the teenage lovers wed in secret and spend one blissful year together. They are forced to separate when the young scholar is ordered by his father to leave for the capital city to pursue his studies, but he promises to return for his love after he passes his government exams.

The lovers’ tale is told through p’ansori, Korean traditional music that is part speech, part song. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, p’ansori is “a genre of narrative song of Korea, typically performed dramatically by a vocalist, accompanied by a puk (double-headed barrel drum)” (“P’ansori”).

Using this traditional art form, the film depicts the hardships that the young bride must endure– first heartbreak then a fight to maintain her loyalty to her husband.

The film alternates between scenes of the p’ansori performer belting out his tune to a twentieth century audience and scenes of ancient Korea. Much of the story emerges from this ancient form of storytelling. Though I have, in the past, pointed out that narration can hurt the flow of a film or make it less meaningful, I do not find this narration objectionable in any way.

This elegant narrative style works well because its energy matches the lovers’ youth and vitality. P’ansori compliments the story; it does not feel disruptive. The singing figuratively and literally describes what is happening in an intriguing, commanding way. There are also breaks in narration, which makes it less overwhelming.

Chunhyang is essentially a film that celebrates the oral tradition and its ability to preserve important aspects of culture, such as this enduring tale of devotion and true love.

I have provided two clips below. One clip is of a p’ansori performance. The other clip is a trailer for Chunhyang. Unfortunately, the subtitles are in French.

Le Chant de la fidele Chunhyang – Bande annonce Vost FR
Uploaded by _Caprice_. – Watch feature films and entire TV shows.