We are all one!

So this film is hardly the best example of looking into the real history of Modern Korea – jokingly inserted anachronistic persona and props, the director seems to have a good time playing/teasing ignorant.

But a film, in general, is not held responsible of misinterpreting history, or even fabricating its own – it is history enlarged, animated and fictionalized. I found the perspective of “The Good, the Bad and the Weird” rather engaging because it seems to take no stance at all – almost as a documentary quality of recording three characters (there were even some intentional shaky follow-ups and camera abuse) Even the bad guy, with little moral principle is shown in a mildly sympathetic light. This applies to the Japanese, the collaborators, the theft and the killer – “all singing, all dancing cLap of the world,” of this farce, borrowed from Tyler Durden.

Indeed, compared to “From Wonso Pond” when presenting class division, social gap and national identity crisis “The Good, the Bad and the Weird” devotes an effort too meager to be taken seriously – but it was not a time of reason, either. (Professor Ward mentions the cleansing mentality through labor and intellectual censorship – ironically, Communism was the leading force of (South) Korean independence back then). I understand and admire Kang Kyong Ae’s passion but I hardly see her work could widely appeal modern readers, Korean or otherwise.

Surely we need both for documentation and reflection, but then when I think of it – remembering in a scene when the cart is filled with blond, black and brother Cath, the question would be: will there be a time that we become unsure of our nationalities again? I am all for Italia.