Scenes of
gore and violence are often found in Park Chan-Wook’s films, does this make him
an auteur?
Films
Item 1- Oldboy
(2003)
I am using this film as part of my research and as the key film of my study because it perfectly displays the conventions of violence throughout film, supporting my question. The film follows Oh Dae-Su through his journey of escapement out of the room he has been held captive in for years. Oh Dae-Su's mental state is clearly portrayed throughout the film and as a subsequence acts violently. For example, the fight scene. Dae-Su ruthlessly and violently attacks and beats several men singlehandedly. Similarly, the tooth torture scene, where Dae-Su physically harms and mentally tortures and taunts his victim showing how Chan-Wook's film are dominated by violence because not only does he include physical violence but also mental cruelty.
Item 2- I’m a Cyborg,
but that’s Okay (2006)
The second film I have chosen for my study is Chan Wook's 'Im a Cyborg, but that's Okay' follows a girl who is convinced that she is a cyborg finds love within a psychiatric hospital. This film helps to show the reoccurring conventions of violence present in many of Chan-Wook's films, simply because this film is classed a romantic comedy yet Chan-Wook still incorporates scenes of mass murder and violence further establishing Chan-Wook's signature styles suggesting he is in fact an auteur. Also, this film is filmed in the classic Chan-Wook style further implying he is in fact an auteur. By "Classic Chan-Wook style" I mean his immaculate framing, his pacing which is slow and competitive and his simplistic visual styles creating symmetry.
Item 3- Thirst (2009)
The final film I will be including in my research is 'Thirst'. This film clearly
demonstrates Park Chan-Wook’s conventions of violence and gore, especially gore. This film shows how Priest Sang-hyeon goes through an internal battle of morality due to the fact that he has committed acts of violence that inevitably disregards his faith. This film perfectly portrays the influence of Chank-Wook's early life and how he incorporates his early experiences into his film enabling him to create a signature style.
Internet-
Item 4 - HorrorBoom Side by side comparison picture (20th February, 2013) http://horrorboom.com/tag/park-chan-wook/
This article strongly argues whether Chan-Wook is an auteur as it shows 2 side by side shots
of both ‘Stoker’ and ‘I’m a cyborg ‘. Both shots are identical, showing both
female protagonists holding a gun. This clearly
shows the influence of violence within Chan-Wook’s films simply because the narratives of both films are vastly different. 'Stoker' follows a murderous family whereas 'I'm a Cyborg' focuses on falling in love. So even though both films belong to contrasting genres, Chan-Wook is still able to extend the boundaries of the expectations of certain genres and incorporate violence in anything which is how he has created a recognisable style, implying he is an auteur.
Item 5- http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/thirst-park-chanwook-133-mins-18br-pontypool-bruce-mcdonald-96-mins-15-1804621.htmlettle audiences.
This online article is helpful as it dissects the reasons why Chan-Wook’s films fall into the horror category even though they aren’t
necessarily horror films. It concentrates on the source of violence through the black humour often found within his film, that can be clearly seen throughout Chan-Wook's films. It also discusses how and why Chan-Wook twists
the traditional conventions of the horror genre ultimately showing how his
films often unsettle audiences. I will use quotes from this source in order to support my statement.
This interview specifically focuses on the violent themes
apparent in all of Chan-Wook’s films. This further supports my question,
and does in fact demonstrate that violence and gore is a reoccurring theme
within his films as he states this himself. This is a crucial source as it allows me to explain why he continues to stick with this genre as he argues that he can’t make any other
type of film or even receive funding.
....
I have chosen to use this interview within this article as it
gives a direct insight to Chan-Wook’s life as he refers closely to childhood memories of attending church classes, witnessing the priest drink wine which ultimately reminded him of how a vampire drinks blood, the clearly shows his
influences for making ‘Thirst’. It also allows an explanation as to why his
films always have a prominent genre, but it is unlike the stereotypical conventions
expected from the genre.
Item 8- Comic book resources - http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2013/03/01/oldboy-director-park-chan-wook-talks-stoker-violence-and-food/
This Magazine article is extremely useful for my question as it doesn't just focus on the evident violence throughout Park Chan-Wook's films e.g, mental torture, physical harm and torture and gore but it also talks about how his directing style highlights the gore and often leaves it to the audiences imagination as Chan-Wook will often cut the scene or pan up just as something is going to happen which ultimately causes audiences to think the worst. This shows that Chan-Wook has a distinct directing style suggesting he is an auteur, because he often applied this technique to his films.
Item 9- Clash Music http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/park-chan-wook
This item closely refers to my third focus film, 'Im a Cyborg but that's Okay". Chan-Wook discusses the way in which he translates the emotions in an unconventional way, as he states he steers away from phrases such as "I love you" because these days they don't necessarily mean what they should. This is obviously usual for the romantic comedy genre, however this is Chan-Wook's style because he constantly rejects genre expectations which is evident within his films, suggesting he is an auteur. Instead he focuses on pain and draws romance from this. This item allows a clearer understanding as to why Chan-Wook's films are often dark, he doesn't wan't to fabricate reality even though this means reality is deemed as harsh.
Interviews-
Item 10 HMVgetcloser
(18th March 2010) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g_8_qx5eI8
This HMV get closer interview is extremely useful because Chan-Wook discusses his influences whilst making his films especially the elements of film noir and why he decided to do
a specific scene within ‘Thirst’ mimicking the film noir style. Film noir itself is notorious
for violence, which allows a clearer understanding as to why violence can be found within Chan-Wook's films. This makes Chan-Wook's use of violence distinct because it is his most recognisable quality within his films.
Item 11- Park
Chan-Wook: A conversation with the audience about OLDBOY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiNt_TKf6LQ
I have used this interview as it focuses specifically on the
element of violence and more importantly why he uses the element so often. He
speaks of childhood instances, such as the way in which is constantly suppressed his hatred and anger, allowing an insight to the reason why. This item offers some very useful quotes regarding his own personal instances with violence for example, he only ever had one fist fight, and actually informs us as to why he consciously chooses to add themes of violence throughout his films. Within this interview Chan-wook also comments on his personal influences, Franz Kafka'. Upon research it becomes evident that Franz Kafka was worried that people would find him mentally repulsive, which could suggest Chan-wook admired this quality and adopted it within his work.
.....
Item 12- The Oral History of Hollywood, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82NaXtzBKcg
This interview is again extremely supportive of my question. Instantly the interviewer makes a joke on how Chan-Wook now writes romantic comedies, which further illustrates how his films are anything but that which also suggests that Chan-Wook's film are very distinct as a result of the dominant genre his films display and his reoccurring themes of violence.
Item 13- CNN http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/09/travel/park-chan-wook-seoul-movie/
This item is extremely useful as it closely adresses Chan-wook's attitudes whilst making films and why, more often than not, his films don't seem hopeful but instead posses a dark tone which is his signature. This item also touched upon my third focus film 'I'm a Cyborg but thats Okay" with Chan-Wook stating how he never wishes to create a false sense of hope, but instead how he only ever wants to portray reality in truth often why his films depict the harshness of reality.
.....
Books:
Item 14- The Auteur
theory
This helps to answer my question as if defines what an auteur
exactly is, meaning I am able to use the characteristics of an auteur to compare
with Park Chan-Wook in order to hopefully prove and verify that Chan-Wook
is in fact an auteur. With this information on what an auteur is and my research on Chan Wook, I will be able to utilise the information i have attained and successfully provide evidence adequately answering my question.
Rejected
Items-
Film:
Stoker
I chose this film as I thought it was a good comparison with some
of his earlier films, however upon reflection, the elements of violence - although evident- are not as prominent in comparison to his other films simply because the film focused more on the psychological aspect and didn't show clear scene of violence unlike 'Oldboy', showing numerous scenes of torture and brutality and 'I'm a Cyborg' showing scenes of mass murder.
Interview:
This interview proved to be not very helpful as it is purely
a discussion on Stoker, which is my rejected film. Also, rather than discussing
themes and genre choices, it purely focuses on the technicality and filming
process of Stoker.
Website:
This website doesn’t really provide any reviews or reasons
why Park Chan Wook’s films are the way they are, in simple terms it's useless... a very poor and unreliable source.
This website focusing on Oldboy, only really discusses the
plot, cast and details on production of the film rather than insight to the
film itself therefore wouldn't provide any evidence as to why Chan-Wook is an auteur as a result of all the elements within his films such as his visual style, pacing, framing etc.