{{Infobox film , name = Swing Kids , image = Swing Kids (2018).jpg , caption = Theatrical release poster , native_name = {{Infobox Korean film name , hangul = {{linktext, 스윙, 키즈 , hanja = , rr = Seuwing kijeu , mr = Sŭwing k'ijŭ , lk = , director =

Kang Hyeong-cheol Kang Hyeong-cheol is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. His first two films '' Scandal Makers'' (2008) and '' Sunny'' (2011) have been the highest grossing Korean films of their respective years, and are both among the highest gro ...

, producer = Lee An-na
Yoo Sung-kweon , screenplay = Kang Hyeong-cheol , based_on = {{based on, ''Rho Ki-soo'' (musical), Jang Woo-sung , starring = Doh Kyung-soo

Park Hye-su Park Hye-su (; born November 24, 1994), also spelled as Park Hye-soo, is a South Korean actress and singer. She participated in ''K-pop Star 4'' as a contestant. Park rose to fame for her role in ''Hello, My Twenties!''. She took on her first le ...

Jared Grimes

Oh Jung-se Oh Jung-se (born February 26, 1977) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series ''Missing 9'' (2017), '' When the Camellia Blooms'' (2019), ''Hot Stove League'' (2019), and ''It's Okay to Not Be Okay'' (2020) ...

Kim Min-ho , music = Kim Jun-seok , cinematography = Kim Ji-yong , editing =

Nam Na-yeong Nam Na-yeong (; born 1970) is a South Korean film editor and negative cutter. She has edited films with directors Ryoo Seung-wan (''Arahan'', ''The City of Violence'', and ''Crying Fist''), Kim Jee-woon (''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' and ''I ...

, studio = Annapurna Films , distributor =

Next Entertainment World Next Entertainment World (Korean: 넥스트엔터테인먼트월드, Acronym: NEW) is a South Korean media content production and distribution company. The film investment and distribution business was founded in 2008 by former Showbox presid ...

, released = {{film date, 2018, 12, 19 , runtime = 133 minutes , country = South Korea , language = Korean
English , budget =

₩ The won sign , is a currency symbol. It represents the South Korean won, the North Korean won and, unofficially, the old Korean won. Appearance Its appearance is "W" (the first letter of "Won") with a horizontal strike going through the cent ...

15 billion{{Cite news, url=http://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=108&aid=0002613052&lfrom=twitter, script-title=ko:강형철 감독 "도경수, 아이돌 인지도 몰랐다..운명 같다"(직격 인터뷰), access-date=2018-02-28, language=ko
{{{USD, 13.3 million) , gross = {{USD, 10.9 million ''Swing Kids'' ({{ko-hhrm, hangul=스윙키즈, hanja=, mr=, rr=Seuwingkijeu) is a 2018 South Korean

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

and based on the Korean musical ''Roh Ki-soo''. The film stars Doh Kyung-soo,

, Jared Grimes,

and Kim Min-ho. The film was released on December 19, 2018. ''Swing Kids'' was screened at The 2019 1st PyeongChang International Peace Film Festival on August 18, 2019.

Plot summary

The story takes place in Geoje prison camp during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

in 1951. Ro Ki-soo (

Do Kyung-soo Doh Kyung-soo (; born January 12, 1993), also known by his stage name D.O. (), is a South Korean singer and actor, best known as a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo. Apart from his group's activities, D.O. has starred in various t ...

), a rebellious North Korean soldier, falls in love with

tap dancing Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...

after meeting Jackson (Jared Grimes), an American officer and former

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

star who has been tasked with putting together a dance company. Kang Byung-sam (

) auditions for the company in hopes of finding his wife, alongside Xiao Pang (Kim Min-ho), a Chinese soldier and born dancer who cannot dance for more than a minute due to

angina Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by ischemia, insufficient blood flow to the Cardiac muscle, heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina is typical ...

, and Yang Pan-rae (

), who needs money but says there's no money through dancing.

Cast

Main

* Doh Kyung-soo as Roh Ki-soo *

as Yang Pan-rae * Jared Grimes as Jackson *

as Kang Byung-sam * {{ill, Kim Min-ho (actor), lt=Kim Min-ho, ko, 김민호 (1990년) as Xiao Pang

Others

{{Div col, colwidth=15em * Ross Kettle as Brigadier General Roberts * A.J. Simmons as Jamie * Song Jae-ryong as Sam Sik * Lee Gyoo-seong as Man-cheol *

Lee David Lee David (born March 3, 1994) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in ''Poetry'', '' The Front Line'', and Itaewon Class. He has also had starring roles in '' Romance Joe'' and ''Pluto Pluto (minor-plane ...

as Kwang-gook *

Joo Hae-eun Joo Hae-eun (born 17 January 1994) is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for her main role in ''Just Dance (South Korean TV series), Just Dance'' as Yang Na-young. She also appeared in movies such as ''Swing Kids (2018 film), Sw ...

as Mae-hwa * Lee Yool-rim as Hwang Ki-dong * Kim Dong-geon as Ro Gi-jin *

Park Jin-joo Park Jin-joo (born December 24, 1988) is a South Korean actress. She starred in television series such as ''Jealousy Incarnate'' (2016), and ''Something About 1 Percent'' (2016). Filmography Film Television series Web series Television ...

as Linda * Joo Hae-eun as Mae-hwa (Japanese apricot flower) *

Park Hyung-soo Park Hyung-soo is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as ''Arthdal Chronicles'', ''The Devil Judge'', ''Crash Landing on You'' and ''Happiness''. He also appeared in movies '' Confidential Assignment'', '' The Chase'', ...

as Interpreter * Lee Dong-yong as Black marketeer * Choi Eun-kyung as Nancy * Lee Rang-seo as Stacy * Lim Seo-yeong as Candy * Kim Eun-joo as Wendy * Park Ji-eun as Barbara * Oh Kyeong-hwa as Julia {{div col end

Cameo

* Kim Min-jae as Ro Gi-jin's voice dub

Production

Director

is known for his hit films ''

Scandal Makers ''Scandal Makers'' () is a 2008 South Korean film written and directed by Kang Hyeong-cheol and starring Cha Tae-hyun, Park Bo-young and Wang Seok-hyeon. This was director Kang's first film and the highest grossing Korean film of the year. The ...

'', '' Sunny'', and ''Swing Kids'' marks the director's return after three year from directing his hit film '' Tazza: The Hidden Card''. Filming of ''Swing Kids'' started on October 18, 2017 and ended on February 20, 2018 in

Anseong Anseong () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, south of Seoul. Its geographical location is . Anseong promotes itself as "The City of Masters". It is known for producing brassware and arts and crafts. From late spring to fall, Anseong h ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Release

''Swing Kids'' was released in 23 countries including America, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia. The film was released in Hong Kong and Macao in January 2019. The VIP premiere of ''Swing Kids'' was held On December 6.

Promotion

On November 12, 2018, the director and main cast of ''Swing Kids'' held a press conference where they discussed the film and answered reporters' questions. On the same day, a showcase for the film was held, where

and

performed a segment of

Tap dancing Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...

along with other tap dancing professionals, and later talked about the film along with director

. On November 26, the director and the cast attended a movie talk on

V Live V Live (stylized as VLIVE), sometimes referred to as V App, is a South Korean live video streaming service that allows celebrities based in the country to broadcast live videos such as live chat sessions with fans, performances, reality shows ...

. On December 4, the cast and director attended a media distribution preview event for the film. On December 17, The cast and directory attended an event called "Chewing Chat" at

Lotte Cinema Lotte Shopping Co., Ltd. (Hangeul: 롯데쇼핑㈜롯데시네마) is a chain of movie theatres in South Korea. Lotte Cinema is multiplex place in South Korea. Lotte Cinema was established in 1999. As of January 2018, 112 facilities in Korea are ...

World Tower, and also held a stage greeting in the same place. On December 18, Do Kyung-soo, Park Hye-su and Oh Jung-se went on the radio show Cultwo Show were the talked about the movie, and later held another stage greeting at CGV Yongsan I-Park Mall.

Reception

Critical response

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film holds an approval rating of {{RT data, score based on {{RT data, count, spell=y reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data, average. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Praise was given to the film's production design and music, with criticisms directing towards the long running time and the structure of the film. Guy Lodge from ''Variety'', wrote about the film: "Too often, it simply feels like two films wrestling in one roomy framework, sometimes overlapping to awkward effect". Park Boram from ''

Yonhap News Agency Yonhap News Agency is a major South Korean news agency. It is based in Seoul, South Korea. Yonhap provides news articles, pictures and other information to newspapers, TV networks and other media in South Korea. History Yonhap (, , translit. ' ...

'' , wrote: "The film's booming tapping sounds set against the film's throwback soundtrack -- which includes David Bowie's "Modern Love," Benny Goodman's "Sing Sing Sing," The Beatles' "Free as a Bird," as well as Korean veteran singer Jung Su-ra's popular 1988 song "Joy"—drive colorful vibrancy into the film, making the audience twitch with amusement throughout the film's 133-minute running time.", Park also added that the "musicality and a Christmas scene close to the end make the production a perfect film choice for the holiday season."{{Cite web, url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20181205009900315, title=(Movie Review) 'Swing Kids' enthrallingly taps into Korean War savagery, last=박보람, date=2018-12-05, website=Yonhap News Agency, language=en, access-date=2018-12-27 The film was ranked No.3 by Pierce Conran from ''Modern Korean Cinema'' in Top 15 Korean Films of 2018. Conran wrote: "''Swing Kids'' was without a doubt the best theatrical experience I had all year. Infectiously rhythmic, this Korean War POW camp tap dance extravaganza will have you yearning for old-school Hollywood showmanship and begging for more when the curtain falls."

Box office

Prior to its release, ''Swing Kids'' ranked first in the pre-sales, with 70,256 viewers and 21.6% reservation rate. The film ranked second place on Korean theaters among Korean movies, since its release.{{Cite web, url=https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=009&aid=0004278764, script-title=ko:‘스윙키즈’ 힘겨운, 그러나 의미 있는 100만 돌파, website=entertain.naver.com, language=ko, access-date=2018-12-27 On December 25, ''Swing Kids'' began its seat sales and ranked first in the box office, surpassing ''Aquaman'' and ''

The Drug King ''The Drug King'' () is a 2018 South Korean crime drama film written and directed by Woo Min-ho. It stars Song Kang-ho as Lee Doo-sam, an ordinary small-time narcotics dealer who becomes an infamous drug lord in Korea during the 1970s. The film a ...

'' by 32% and 56% respectively. On December 27, ''Swing Kids'' attracted more than 1 million viewers. In the United States it made $222,001, South Korea $10,672,098, Australia $17,141, and in New Zealand $2,157.

Soundtrack

{{Tracklist, all_writing=, title1=

Caldonia "Caldonia" is a jump blues song, first recorded in 1945 by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. Although credited to Fleecie Moore, his wife at the time, Jordan is the actual songwriter. The song was a hit for Jordan as well as several other musici ...

, length1=2:40, title2=

If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" is a popular song written by Al Hoffman, Bob Merrill, and Clem Watts and published in 1950. In the U.S, the best known version of the song was recorded by Eileen Barton in January 1950. Joe Lipman ...

, length2=2:37, title3= Shout, length3=2:15, title4=Hava Nagila, length4=3:26, title5=Joy, length5=4:43, title6=, length6=, title7=, length7=, title8=, length8=, title9=, length9=, title10=, length10=, title11=, length11=, title12=, length12=, title13=, length13=, title14=, length14=, title15=, length15=, title16=, length16=, title17=, length17=, title18=, length18=, title19=, length19=, title20=, length20=, total_length=, headline=Side A, extra_column=Artist, extra1=

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as " the King of the Jukebox", he earned his high ...

, extra2=

Eileen Barton Eileen Barton (November 24, 1924 – June 27, 2006) was an American singer best known for her 1950 hit song, "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake." Early years Barton was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her birthdate is often given as 1 ...

, extra3=

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

, extra4=Rita Kim, extra5=Jung Su-ra, note5=환희, note4=하바나길라
{{Tracklisting, all_writing=, title1=

Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 846 The Prelude and Fugue in C major, Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, BWV 846, is a keyboard composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is the first prelude and fugue in the first book of ''The Well-Tempered Clavier'', a series of 48 preludes and ...

, length1=, title2= Modern Love, length2=3:56, title3=The Christmas Song, length3=4:02, title4= Sing Sing Sing, length4=5:23, title5=

Free as a Bird "Free as a Bird" is a single released in December 1995 by the Beatles. The song was originally written and recorded in 1977 as a home demo by John Lennon. In 1995, 25 years after their break-up and 15 years after Lennon's murder, his then s ...

, length5=4:58, title6=, length6=, title7=, length7=, title8=, length8=, title9=, length9=, title10=, length10=, title11=, length11=, title12=, length12=, title13=, length13=, title14=, length14=, title15=, length15=, title16=, length16=, title17=, length17=, title18=, length18=, title19=, length19=, title20=, length20=, total_length=, headline=Side B, extra_column=Artist, extra1=

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

, note1=평균율 1권 1번 다장조, extra3=European Jazz Trio, extra2=

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, extra4=

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

, extra5=

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Awards and nominations

{, class="wikitable" , + !Year !Award !Category !Recipient !Result !Ref. , - , 2018 , 19th Golden Trailer Awards , Best Foreign Holiday Trailer Award , ''Swing Kids'' , {{Won , , - , rowspan="15" , 2019 , rowspan=3, 55th

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

, Best Director ,

, {{won , rowspan=3, , - , Best New Actor , Kim Min-ho , {{Nom , - , Technical Award , Kim Jun-seok (Music) , {{Nom , - , 39th Golden Cinema Film Festival , Best New Actress ,

, {{won , , - , rowspan="2" , 28th Buil Film Awards , Best New Actress ,

, {{Nominated , rowspan=2, , rowspan="2" , , - , Popular Star Award , Do Kyungsoo , {{Won , - , 39th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards , Best Soundtrack , Kim Jun-seok , {{Win , , - , rowspan=8,

40th Blue Dragon Film Awards The 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards () ceremony was held on November 21, 2019 at Paradise City, Incheon. Organized by Sports Chosun (a sister brand of Chosun Ilbo), the annual award show honored the best in Korean language Korean ( South Korea ...

, Best New Actress ,

, {{nom , rowspan=8, {{cite web , url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2019/11/21/2019-blue-dragon-awards-honor-veteran-actors-and-newcomers/#4781b4fc8cc2, title=2019 Blue Dragon Awards Honor Veteran Actors And Newcomers, last=MacDonald , first=Joan , date=November 21, 2019 , work=

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122174021/https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2019/11/21/2019-blue-dragon-awards-honor-veteran-actors-and-newcomers/, archive-date=November 22, 2019 , accessdate=May 18, 2020 , - , Best Film , {{center, ''Swing Kids'' , {{Nom , - , Best Director , {{center, Kang Hyeong-cheol , {{Nom , - , Best Cinematography-Lighting , {{center, Kim Ji-young, Jo Gyu-young , {{Won , - , Best Editing , {{center, Nam Na-yeong , {{Won , - , Best Art Direction , {{center, Park Il-hyun , {{Nom , - , Technical Award , {{center, Im Seung-hui, Gwon Yu-jin (Costumes) , {{Nom , - , Best Music , {{center, Kim Jun-seok , {{Nom , - , rowspan="2" , 2020 , rowspan="2" ,

56th Grand Bell Awards The 56th Grand Bell Awards (), also known as Daejong Film Awards, is determined and presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards were first presented in 1962 and have g ...

, Best Music , Kim Jun-seok , Nominated , rowspan="2" , , - , Best costume Design , Kwon Yujin , Nominated

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

*{{hancinema film, Swing_Kids *{{IMDb title, 7046974 *{{Naver title, 164101 *{{Daum movie, 112060 2018 films 2010s Korean-language films 2010s musical drama films South Korean musical drama films South Korean war drama films Next Entertainment World films Films directed by Kang Hyeong-cheol 2018 war drama films 2018 drama films 2010s South Korean films