''Viva Freedom!'' (자유만세, ''Jayu Manse'', aka ''Hurrah! For Freedom'') is a 1946

Korean film The term "Cinema of Korea" (or "Korean cinema") encompasses the motion picture industries of North and South Korea. As with all aspects of Korean life during the past century, the film industry has often been at the mercy of political events, ...

directed by Choi In-kyu. It was the first film made in the country after achieving independence from

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. During the colonial period, Choi was only allowed to make certain films, but the plot of ''Viva Freedom!'' is distinctly different, telling the story of a Korean patriotic resistance fighter in 1945. Jayu manse poster 2

Plot

Protagonist Choi Han-Jung, who was imprisoned for his independence activism, succeeds in breaking out of prison. Upon escaping, he stays with a comrade in the cause for independence, Park Jin-beom. He meets his other political comrades in a basement under a house built in a western-style and persuades them to continue their resistance to the Japanese

Kenpeitai The , also known as Kempeitai, was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945 that also served as a secret police force. In addition, in Japanese-occupied territories, the Kenpeitai arrested or killed those suspecte ...

in the 1940s when the fall of the Japanese empire was imminent. However, a member of the movement gets caught by the Japanese while moving the dynamite, which leads to Choi striving to save him and ends up surrounded by the Japanese military police. He hides in the residence of Mi-hyang, who is a

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...

of the Japanese police high official Nanbu (南部). A gunfight with the

ensues, which leads to Choi being injured and imprisoned in a university hospital while receiving treatment. With the help of nurse Hye-ja who loved Choi, Han-jung can keep doing his endeavors for independence. With the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Korea gains its independence due to Japan's surrender. While the streets of

Jongno Jongno or Jong-ro ( ko, 종로), literally meaning "Bell Street", is a trunk road and one of the oldest major east–west thoroughfares in Seoul, South Korea. Jongno connects Gwanghwamun Plaza to Dongdaemun. The area surrounding Jongno is a p ...

celebrate the event, Han-jung searches for the tomb of Mi-hyang, who lost her life.

Cast

Choi han jung: Jeon Chang-geun (全昌根) Mihyang: Yu Gye-seon (劉桂仙) Hyeja: Hwang Yeo-heui (黃麗姬)

Reception

The film was well-received by the then audience who was touched by the liberation of Korea.

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

is reported to have written a calligraphic banner that reads "Viva freedom! Viva Korea! (自由萬歲韓國萬歲)" after watching the movie in China.

Literature

『한국영화전사』(이영일, 삼애사, 1969) 『한국시나리오선집』 I(영화진흥공사, 1982)

References

External links

*
Adam Hartzell's review at koreanfilm.org
* 1946 films Pre-1948 Korean films Korean-language films Lost Korean films Korean black-and-white films 1946 drama films {{Korea-film-stub