Crossroads of Youth (청춘의 십자로):Introduction to Korean Cultural History

Crossroads of Youth (청춘의 십자로):Introduction to Korean Cultural History

Monday, October 5, 2009 - 12:00pm to 1:30pm
Auditorium, Whitney Humanities Center See map
53 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 6510

Crossroads of Youth (청춘의 십자로)
Directed by Ahn Jong-hwa (1934, 70min, 35mm)

The Korea Society,The Council on East Asian Studies, The Film Studies Program, The Yale Film Society and Korean American Students of Yale are pleased to present Korea’s oldest surviving silent film, Crossroads of Youth (Cheonchun’s Sipjaro), at a special screening accompanied by live musicians and narrators (byeonsa) of the type found in Korean theaters of the 1930s. Released in 1934 and recently digitally restored, Crossroads of Youth is a wrenching family tragedy set against the backdrop of Korea’s jarring modernization. In a throwback to the time when silent films were presented with live music, the screening will be accompanied by musicians playing period and contemporary music before, during, and after the film. Byeonsa-live, dramatic narrators who recap the plot and give voice to the characters’ silent expressions-will provide a uniquely Korean twist.

Directed by Ahn Jong-hwa and featuring Shin Il-seon -star of the legendary, now-lost 1926 silent film Arirang-Crossroads of Youth tells the story of Young-bok, a man who leaves his village to try his luck in Seoul in hopes of earning enough to support his family back home.

For More Information

The Korea Society,The Council on East Asian Studies, The Film Studies Program, The Yale Film Society and Korean American Students of Yale
Region: 
Korea