By Wait a minute I thought depicting Koreans with oxen was the perpetuating on an unfair stereotype?:
A low-budget documentary depicting the strong bond between an aged farmer and his 40-year-old ox has topped box office charts in South Korea, breathing new life into the movie industry.
After being initially released to only seven screens on January 15, “Old Partner” is now being shown at more than 150 cinemas nationwide, with the number of viewers increasing exponentially.
As of Tuesday the number of viewers hit 1.55 million, said film distributor IndieStory.
“It’s like a miracle for an indie film to attract so many viewers over so short a period,” IndieStory’s marketing director Cho Kye-Young told AFP.
Directed by Lee Chung-Ryoul, “Old Partner” captures the bond between the beast and a humble farmer and his feisty wife, as ox and owners wind down their lives together.
Critics say the mystical bond between humans and nature has struck a chord among South Koreans struggling with a severe economic slump. [News Center]
So while a 007 film launched anti-US protests in Korea even though James Bond is British because of a scene in the movie with a Korean farmer using an oxen. Now Koreans are flooding to see a movie that shows a Korean farmer who is friends with his oxen.
Of course I have already dispelled the myth that Koreans farmers do not use oxen anyway:
By the way has anyone seen the Old Partner movie yet?
12:56 am on February 28th, 2009 1
Good point.
7:14 am on February 28th, 2009 2
You should do a post on the one-eyed ox.
11:35 am on February 28th, 2009 3
I saw Old Partner last week at CGV Yongsan and thought it was fantastic. It is very sentimental, but gives an interesting view of the elderly farming population and the sacrifices they have made to help their children succeed.
The relationship between the farmer and his wife is fascinating to watch, she resents the life she has been forced to lead and takes it out on him as he showers affection onto his ox. A dysfunctional love triangle that did make me shed a tear (then again I'm a sap when it comes to sad stories).
It's definitely running with english subtitles for the next few days, beyond that who knows…. It's worth checking out. I wrote a little about it on my blog here: http://ajosshi.blogspot.com/2009/02/five-reasons-…
2:51 am on March 2nd, 2009 4
I always thought the 007 movie should have shown an RPV, rice paddy assault vehicle affectionately known as the one-eyed dragon. Those tractors are awesome; pull a trailor, pump water, drop fertilizer or just used as POVs.
9:13 pm on April 23rd, 2010 5
1. What's up with the anti 007 protests??? More explanation please?
2. Does the movie involve bestiality?? Then no thanks!