Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageThe Taebaek Mountains (1994)
Director: Im Kwon-Taek
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Im's masterly epic opens up the shadowiest period in Korea's modern history: the months in 1948/9 when a region in the deep south went communist and the state fought dirty to bring it back under control in what was effectively a dress rehearsal for the coming Korean War. The core issues are ideological, of course, but Im carefully relates them to family rivalries and other down-to-earth factors: the fascistic leader of the anti-communist guerillas, for instance, is the brother of the idealist who tries to promote communist values. The whole thing is seen through the neutral eyes of a local schoolteacher (Ahn, working with Im for the first time in ten years), who finally seeks solace in the rituals of a shaman. Kim Soo-Chul contributes a truly memorable score.Author: TR
Cast & crew
Director: Im Kwon-Taek
Cast: Ahn Song-Gi, Kim Gap-Soo, Kim Myung-Kon, Oh Jung-Hae, Shin Hyun-Joon
Genre(s): Epics
Duration: 168 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now