KOREA MOVES 2: Meeting the Seoul men (and women) behind ‘City Of Violence’
A two hour drive from central Seoul takes you to what must surely be one of the city’s most extraordinary suburban developments. It’s a government-sponsored artist’s village consisting of a dozen idiosyncratically designed structures scattered across a patch of countryside. A building at the far end of this green village is named, encouragingly, The Bay Café, but that is not our destination. This charming spot also features art of the martial variety, at the headquarters of the Seoul Action School (yes, folks, it’s the Korean SAS…)
This is the kind of facility everyone thinks we have in Hong Kong. Actually, it’s a facility we should have here! This purpose built structure consists of a central high-ceilinged main training hall, equipped with all manner of wire equipment and matting, with doors leading off it to offices, a conference room and rather spartan sleeping quarters. Korean stuntmen come here to hone their skills, choreographers to train actors and directors to rehearse sequences for upcoming projects. Novices are accepted and trained for free, and can stay on campus.
We are here to interview Seo Ji-oh and Kim Hyo-san, who play two of the four white-suited super fighters seen at the end of City Of Violence (see previous blog). Seo is a wiry fellow with a rather intense stare. What are you so pissed about, I ask him. He shrugs. Everyone asks me that, he mutters. Maybe I should wear glasses. To be fair, despite his grumpy demeanor, he’s actually very affable when interviewed. (I have to say at this point that, when it comes to shooting DVD bonus features; Korean actors tend to be far more accommodating with their time and energies than their Hong Kong counterparts. They appreciate that this is a key element in bringing their films to the widest possible audience. We often hear from Chinese actors and directors that they are ‘too busy’, which seems odd, as Hong Kong cinema is in decline and Korean cinema is not.)
The master of the stunt school, Jung Chang-hyun, is, of course, an industry veteran. (And a dead ringer for Wu Jing, one of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team.) He has designed a spectacular sequence to show off the skills of Kim Hyo-sun, the female fighter from the City Of Violence finale. It starts with her flying 20 feet downwards, on a wire, to land in the centre of the training hall. Then eight other stuntmen make a simultaneous wire descent from the same height. (That alone tells you how much equipment these guys have!) They’re all armed with swords, and, having unhooked the wires, go into a slambang fight that sees Kim lay waste to her foes. She’s pretty, poised and perfectly formed. This girl should be a star.
After her demonstration has been shot from all angles, Kim changes from her form-fitting black outfit to t-shirt and jeans. While she’s getting miked for the interview, I ask about her background. She tells me that she started off in musicals, playing the lead in a Korean stage version of Disney’s The Little Mermaid (I’m not making this up…) Can she sing us something? Without missing a beat, she launches into a sweet four bars worth of the Korean version of Part Of Your World. Unfortunately, given the rights restrictions on Disney tunes, we can’t feature this performance on the DBD. (But, like I said, this woman should be a star…)
As if on cue, the microphone breaks (which in no way reflects Miss Kim’s singing ability), necessitating a replacement being driven out from Seoul. The indefatigable Mina Kang (see previous blog) and I go and explore the artist’s village. The owner of the Bay Café makes a great cappuccino, and his pet parrot sits on my shoulder. As we walk back, I observe that the village reminds me of the one in the classic Patrick McGoohan TV series The Prisoner. You mean Prison Break?, offers Mina, helpfully. Ah, youth…
Back at the SAS, the mike hasn’t arrived, but Park Hyun-jin, a Korean member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, has. I had to check his real name for this article. He seems to be happy with the Chinese name conferred on him by Jackie: ‘Mong Cha Cha’. This is a Cantonese slang term for someone who always walks around in a daze! If this were true, I’m sure Park wouldn’t have lasted on the JC Stunt Team as long as he has. We greet each other warmly. He is en route to start shooting Forbidden Kingdom, the Jackie and Jet project, which is co-produced by TWC.
With the interviews finally in the can, thanks to the arrival of the replacement microphone, our mission at SAS headquarters is complete. You can check out all of the above on the City Of Violence DVD bonus features, and, if you want to get your own SAS-style training, Mr. Jung says he welcomes all comers. You can contact the school at sas0918@hanmail.net.
My friend Choi Ban-ya, who goes by the English name ‘Banyah’, arrives to take me to the airport. She is an actress whose films include the hit Korean historical drama Untold Scandal, and is just about to move to LA. A ride out of town with a pretty movie star. If only real life was like this…
Comments
- I am zainab ahmed, beijimg | 2007-05-28 21:15:17
- The mighty Robin, Norway | 2007-05-17 08:29:58
- pyintsoneang@gmail.com, myanmar in yangon | 2007-06-25 09:12:11
- Shaolin Master, UK | 2007-05-18 12:12:21