Pulgasari is a 1986 monster film directed and produced by Shin Sang-ok during his North Korean abduction. A co-production between North Korea, Japan, and China, it is supposedly a remake of Bulgasari, a 1962 South Korean film that also depicts Bulgasari/Pulgasari, a creature from Korean folklore. The ensemble cast includes Chang Sŏnhŭi, Ham Kisŏp, Ri Chongguk, Ri Ingwŏn, and Yu Kyŏngae, with Kenpachiro Satsuma in the title role. Set during the Goryeo dynasty, Pulgasari follows a blacksmith's daughter who brings to life a metal-eating monster her late father created to defeat the monarchy.
Shin and his wife, Choi Eun-hee, were kidnapped in 1978 by agents of Kim Jong Il and held captive in North Korea. Pulgasari was put forward in February 1985 to capitalize on the success of The Return of Godzilla (1984) and became Shin's last film made under Kim Jong Il's orders. Kim Seryun and Ri Chun-gu collaborated on the screenplay. Principal photography took place in Pyongyang from June to August 1985 on an estimated () budget, making it one of the most expensive films produced in North Korea to that time. Some sources suggest that North Korean filmmaker Chong Gon-jo, who was given sole director credit, completed filming on behalf of Shin. A team of 15 Toho employees, including Teruyoshi Nakano, handled special effects photography from September to December.
Pulgasari premiered in North Korea on February 28, 1986, with plans for subsequent international release later that year. However, the film was banned in March after Shin and Choi escaped North Korean supervision and fled to the United States, where Shin later worked on a remake. Pulgasari eventually debuted on VHS in Japan on January 21, 1995, and had its official premiere in Tokyo on July 4, 1998, to commercial success. Critical reception in Japan was positive, with many favorable comparisons to Godzilla (1998). It has since become the most-widely-seen North Korean film internationally, and a cult classic.
Plot
In feudal Korea, toward the end of the Goryeo dynasty, a king strictly controls the land, subjecting the peasantry to misery and starvation. Takse, the finest blacksmith in the land, is imprisoned and starved to death for defending his people. Shortly before he dies, Takse makes a tiny rice figurine of a monster and asks the gods to make his creation into a living creature that protects the rebels and the oppressed. The blacksmith's daughter Ami soon receives the figurine, which springs to life upon contact with her blood after she accidentally wounds herself while sewing. The figurine becomes a metal-eating monster Ami dubs Pulgasari, which is the name of the mythical beast her father used to mention as an eater of iron and steel. Pulgasari shares a special bond with Ami. After eating a farmer's tools, it turns into a powerful figure.
The peasants become fed up with their poverty and suffering, and form an army intent on overthrowing the monarchy with the aid of Pulgasari, which has now become gigantic. Imperial generals kidnap Ami and threaten to kill her if Pulgasari does not enter a large cage they have created. The monster lets itself be trapped to save Ami and is set ablaze, but is unharmed. The rebels later storm the palace of the region's Governor and kill him. Soon after, the king becomes aware that a rebellion is being planned in the country and intends to crush it. The king runs into Pulgasari, who wins many battles against his army because it devours their metal weapons.
Eventually, the royal army seemingly kills the creature by burying it under the ground, captures and executes InDe (the rebellion's leader to whom Ami is betrothed), and threatens to kill Ami if she and the rebels do not surrender. After escaping, Ami revives Pulgasari by pouring some of her blood on the burial site. The creature again grows strong and attacks the king's palace, destroying it and killing the king.
After defeating the king, Pulgasari starts eating the rebels' weapons and farmers' tools, given to the creature without objection because the peasants still believe it is a benign savior. Ami realizes Pulgasari's hunger will never be sated and that the monster is inadvertently oppressing the people it fought for. She sacrifices herself by hiding inside a large bell that Pulgasari finds and quickly eats. The monster yells in anguish as Ami's presence in its body causes it to turn to stone and crumble into pieces, killing both of them but saving the people.
Cast
Chang Sŏnhŭi () as Ami, the blacksmith's daughter Ham Kisŏp () as InDe, Ami's boyfriend Ri Chongguk () as Ana, Ami's brother Ri Ingwŏn () as Takse, the blacksmith Pak Yŏnghak () as the King Ri Ryongun () as General Hwang, the King's disciplinary Pak Pongik () as the Governor Yu Kyŏngae () as InDe's mother Ro Hyech'ŏl () as InDe's brother Tae Sanghun () as a member of the rebellion Kim Kich'ŏn () as a member of the rebellion Ri Ŏnchŏl () as a member of the rebellion Kenpachiro Satsuma as Pulgasari (uncredited) as the infant Pulgasari (uncredited)
Production Crew
Shin Sang-ok – director and producer (uncredited) Chong Gon-jo () – director – producer and compositor (uncredited) Kim Jong Il – executive producer Ro Tongch'ŏn () – lighting Ri Inpŏm () – lighting Ri Toik () – art director Teruyoshi Nakano – special effects director (uncredited) Pak Ch'ŏnggil () – special effects art director – special effects art director (uncredited) Kim Tŭkho () – special effects cinematographer – special effects cinematographer (uncredited) Kohei Mikami – special effects lighting (uncredited) – Pulgasari suit modeler (uncredited)
Development
Kim Jong Il, the heir apparent to his father Kim Il Sung, the ruler of North Korea, was an admirer of cinema and of South Korean filmmaker Shin Sang-ok. Kim was reported to have a collection of around 15,000 to 20,000 film titles in his possession. Major new releases from around the globe were typically added to his collection shortly after opening in theaters. In 1978, Kim arranged the kidnapping of Shin and his wife, famed actress Choi Eun-hee, intending for them to make propaganda films to gain North Korean cinema external recognition. Shin was imprisoned for attempting to flee North Korea; he was released from jail in 1983 but forced to work in the country's film industry until he and Choi escaped in 1986. Pulgasari was Shin's seventh directorial effort supported by Kim, his fifth of 1985 (following Love, Love, My Love, Salt, The Tale of Shim Chong, and Breakwater), and his last North Korean production.
The script of Pulgasari was written by Kim Seryun () in collaboration with Ri Chun-gu (); the duo were regarded as the best screenwriters in North Korea at the time. The film's story is based around Bulgasari or Pulgasari, a creature from Korean folklore. Furthermore, according to retrospective sources, Pulgasari is a remake of Kim Myeong-je's 1962 South Korean film Bulgasari. The 1962 film—which is now considered lost—was the first-ever Korean film in the kaiju (giant monster) genre, predating Space Monster Wangmagwi and Yongary, Monster from the Deep by five years.
Pulgasari would become a collaboration between the Korean Art Film Studio and Shin Films of North Korea, Toho of Japan, and of China. Special-effects art director Yoshio Suzuki flew to North Korea on April 20, 1985, to attend the first meeting between the film's Japanese and North Korean crews, with the help of an interpreter. The meeting was held at a studio near the Taedong River that produced films about Kim Il Sung and his family. The studio had been set up as a temporary office for Shin's production team while a larger studio was constructed for the film. The Japanese crew developed the Pulgasari suit at Toho from April 28 to late May, with Nobuyuki Yasumaru in charge of modeling it.
Conception and pre-production The suit actor Kenpachiro Satsuma stated that Pulgasari was put forward in mid-February 1985, and location scouting started in Pyongyang and Beijing that April. The planning of Pulgasari was credited to Shin, but according to author Paul Fischer, Shin showed no interest in the Japanese kaiju genre and never said who originally conceived the project. Kim Jong Il is said to have been a fan of Toho's Godzilla franchise and saw its 1984 reboot The Return of Godzilla because it was the first in the series to receive a Korean-dubbed release. He reportedly loved the reboot and sought to capitalize on its significant commercial success in Japan by hiring employees from Toho's tokusatsu (Japanese special effects) department to work on North Korea's own monster movie. Shin recalled Kim's suggestion that the monster should resemble a bull.
Twenty-one-year-old Chang Sŏnhŭi, who had previously starred in Love, Love, My Love, played the lead in Pulgasari. Chang was a trainee flight attendant who met Shin at Pyongyang International Airport, and was immediately asked to become a full-time employee at Shin Films. Through his Japanese office, Shin invited 15 of Toho's special-effects-sector staff, including Satsuma and Nakano, to work on the film. Kim had reportedly praised Satsuma's portrayal of Godzilla in The Return of Godzilla and demanded he play Pulgasari. Satsuma accepted an invitation to work on the film in April 1985, having been deceived into believing it would be a Hollywood production. Satsuma believed that he became the first foreigner to appear in a North Korean film. Many Chinese special effects specialists were hired to collaborate with the Japanese crew to shoot a scene at the Beijing Film Studio.
Filming Principal photography took place in Pyongyang from June to August 1985 while special-effects photography was done from September to December. Cho Myŏnghyŏn () and Pak Sŭngho () served as the film's main cinematographers. Satsuma later said the film had a budget of (equivalent to ), making it one of the largest and most-expensive North Korean productions to date. Some sources described its production budget as "unlimited", that it was supported by the Korean People's Army, and featured 13,000 extras. In regards to the extras and military, Satsuma commented:
According to Shin, Kim Jong Il was "very supportive" of Pulgasari production despite never being present during filming. For Shin to create the film, Kim ordered the construction of Munsu Studio, an immense complex described by Satsuma as a "state of the art film studio". The facility featured a four-story building covering approximately 20,000 pyeong (), four studios, six screening rooms, six recording studios, and around 300 waiting rooms and other spaces to store art equipment. Munsu Studio was still under construction when it was used for special effects photography.
During an interview with author Johannes Schönherr, Satsuma said Shin did not indicate that he had been kidnapped and was "extremely busy and ... often absent". Furthermore, Fischer claimed that Satsuma only spoke to Shin once during production and asked him whether he would ever return to South Korea, to which Shin replied: "It would be too complicated, politically, to go back". According to Satsuma and some South Korean reports, Chong Gon-jo substituted for Shin towards the end of filming.
Special effects