영화적 경험양식으로서 한국 시네필에 대한 연구 -50년대에서 70년대까지를 중심으로-

Abstract

This study examined the Korean cinephile group from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Cinephile refers to the term used to refer to those with a passionate interest and affection in cinema. Even though they have hardly been studied in the Korean film history, the cinephile group has had considerable influences on the Korean film history. When we look into its meaning deeply, we can see that audience’s emotional responses are significantly regarded. However, it has more complex meanings than that. In that it reflects a group's understanding of movies, attitudes and experience, the cinephile can be also regarded as a mode of historical experience. In particular, in the case of the Korean cinephile group having different aspects from the western one, understanding the historical context is inevitable since the cinephile itself can be considered as a response to the modernization of Korea. In the broadened meaning of the cinephile, it is important to understand that characteristics like enchantment and disenchantment as well as displacement and delayed release interacted at the same time. That is, in the intense emotional responses to western films, a spatial difference shown in western films and a temporal difference caused by a delayed release worked on the group. Also, being enchanted by the visual images of western films, the Korean cinephiles seemed to experience jealousy and envy. With that, the Korean cinephile group stated conceiving the otherness towards western films. The experience of modernization was a prerequisite for the appearance of the Korean cinephile group. In around 1960s, the full-fledged cinephile group could appear as a result of the urbanization, the modernization and drastic westernization. In those days, the films started replacing previous popular culture and leading to the popular culture itself. In this process, especially the foreign movies became a strong medium for audience to be able to experience the modernized world by appreciating the detailed images on screens. In order for the cinephile to emerge, appearance of another group of audience, professional critics consisting of young elite intellectuals, was also necessary. Around the end of the 1950s, new movie magazines started being published, which created the professional group of film critics. With their fresh criticism on movies, the genuine cinephile group could also make an appearance. More importunately, though, the appearance of cinephiles was attributed to the one of young audience, especially university students. With knowledge of the western world and a stronger will to spend money, unlike the previous group, they began to appreciate movies in a different and unique view. They distinguished themselves with their own taste and criticism for movies, which were totally different criticisms. Rather than the story of a movie, the newly emerged cinephile group put greater significance on the visual images giving them new sensuous experience. They were attracted by fast story editing and spectacles in western movies and preferred modernism movies to realism ones. Also, visual beauty in movies rather than literary factors was more highly estimated while literary factors were highly evaluated by the traditional critics. The popularity on the theory of photogénie at that time could be well explained within that context. In short, the filmic experience of the cinephile group in those days did not appear and exist based on a personal taste but a historical factor which was the modernization, the otherness towards the western movies and internal division of Korean ones.