Mulberry (film)
Encyclopedia
Mulberry (1986
) is an award-winning, popular South Korea
n film. Based on a classic story by Na Do-hyang, the film became known for its erotic subject matter, made possible by the government's gradual relaxation of censorship and control over the film industry during the 1980s. It was part of the wave of "Folk erotic" films that had become popular in South Korea at this time.
A sequel Mulberry 2 / Ppong 2 was also released.
. Her husband, Sam-bo, is a traveling gambler who returns home for short periods after months away. During his long absences, An-hyeop earns food, money and other goods by picking mulberry leaves (ppong in Korean) for a neighbor who raises silk-worms, and also by having sex with nearly every male in the village. Angered by Any-heop's influence over their husbands, the village women conspire to drive her away, first by beating her, and then by convincing the village elder expel her. When the elder visits An-hyeop's home to convince her to leave, she instead wins him over to her side by seducing him. The only man An-hyeop refuses to have sex with is Sam-dol, the village servant. Frustrated and infuriated, Sam-dol retaliates by telling An-hyeop's husband about her sexual promiscuity when he returns to the village. Sam-bo, An-hyeop's husband, reacts by beating Sam-dol for his verbal abuse of his wife. As Sam-bo again leaves to gamble, An-hyeop is again left to fend for herself, gathering mulberry leaves. The film closes with a lively, humorous ode to Spring (봄 - bom) and mulberry (뽕 - ppong/bbong).
Mulberry was shot on location at Bossam Village, a small, traditional site in Samdong, Ulsan
, which was also used in director Im Kwon-taek
's Surrogate Womb (씨받이 - Ssibaji) (1986), a film which helped to bring international attention to the South Korean cinema. The Korean cinematic "tough guy" of the era, Lee Dae-geun played the role of the servant, Sam-dol, who is the one man in the village with whom An-hyeop will not have sex. Lee became a sex symbol through his role in the film, which caused the actor some consternation. He states that he had appeared in the film for its literary qualities. Because the erotic elements of the film upstaged the literary aspects in the public eye, he refused to appear in the first sequel, Mulberry 2 (뽕 2 - Ppong 2, 1988
).
DVD
in South Korea
in 2005
with English subtitles. As of December 2007, it is currently still in print.
1986 in film
-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
) is an award-winning, popular South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n film. Based on a classic story by Na Do-hyang, the film became known for its erotic subject matter, made possible by the government's gradual relaxation of censorship and control over the film industry during the 1980s. It was part of the wave of "Folk erotic" films that had become popular in South Korea at this time.
A sequel Mulberry 2 / Ppong 2 was also released.
Synopsis
An-hyeop, a beautiful young woman, lives in a small village in Korea during the Japanese occupationKorea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
. Her husband, Sam-bo, is a traveling gambler who returns home for short periods after months away. During his long absences, An-hyeop earns food, money and other goods by picking mulberry leaves (ppong in Korean) for a neighbor who raises silk-worms, and also by having sex with nearly every male in the village. Angered by Any-heop's influence over their husbands, the village women conspire to drive her away, first by beating her, and then by convincing the village elder expel her. When the elder visits An-hyeop's home to convince her to leave, she instead wins him over to her side by seducing him. The only man An-hyeop refuses to have sex with is Sam-dol, the village servant. Frustrated and infuriated, Sam-dol retaliates by telling An-hyeop's husband about her sexual promiscuity when he returns to the village. Sam-bo, An-hyeop's husband, reacts by beating Sam-dol for his verbal abuse of his wife. As Sam-bo again leaves to gamble, An-hyeop is again left to fend for herself, gathering mulberry leaves. The film closes with a lively, humorous ode to Spring (봄 - bom) and mulberry (뽕 - ppong/bbong).
Background
Essentially a melodramic sex-farce, Lee Young-il, in his History of Korean Cinema (1988) points out that the film "depicts the agony of life under Japanese rule through sexual jests." Min, et al. write that the film symbolically shows that, with the husband gone to work with the Independence Movement, there was not much else going on in small villages during the Japanese Occupation but sex.Mulberry was shot on location at Bossam Village, a small, traditional site in Samdong, Ulsan
Ulsan
Ulsan , officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh largest metropolis with a population of over 1.1 million. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring Busan to the south and facing Gyeongju to the north and the Sea of Japan to the east.Ulsan is the...
, which was also used in director Im Kwon-taek
Im Kwon-taek
Im Kwon-taek is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards as well as considerable box-office success, and helped bring international attention to the Korean film industry.- Early life...
's Surrogate Womb (씨받이 - Ssibaji) (1986), a film which helped to bring international attention to the South Korean cinema. The Korean cinematic "tough guy" of the era, Lee Dae-geun played the role of the servant, Sam-dol, who is the one man in the village with whom An-hyeop will not have sex. Lee became a sex symbol through his role in the film, which caused the actor some consternation. He states that he had appeared in the film for its literary qualities. Because the erotic elements of the film upstaged the literary aspects in the public eye, he refused to appear in the first sequel, Mulberry 2 (뽕 2 - Ppong 2, 1988
1988 in film
-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
).
Awards
- Best Film, Best Actress (Lee Mi-sookLee Mi-sookLee Mi-sook is a South Korean actress. Lee was born in North Chungcheong province, South Korea in 1960. She graduated from Singwang Girls' High School. Lee is referred to as one of "The Troika of the 1980s" along with Won Mi-kyung and Lee Bo-hee who dominated the screen of the time...
), Best Actor (Lee Dae-keun) at 6th Korean Film Critics Association (Yongpyong) Awards - Best Director at 22nd Korea Drama and Film Art Awards
- Best Adaptation at 24th Dae Jong AwardsGrand Bell AwardsThe Grand Bell Awards is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea....
- Best Actress (Lee Mi-sook) at 31st Asian Pacific Film Festival
- Presented at 10th Montreal World Film FestivalMontreal World Film FestivalThe Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
Availability
Mulberry was released on Region 3DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
in 2005
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
with English subtitles. As of December 2007, it is currently still in print.