[HanCinema's Film Review] "An Upstart" + Full Movie

The "inheritance from America" seems to have been a world-wide trend during the 60s, with people all around the world fantasizing about a rich distant relative or someone from the past sending them a large sum of money from the "land of opportunity". Kim Soo-yong uses the concept as his base for a situational comedy drama, which also functions as a critique on how money can change people.

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Maeng Soon-jin is an ordinary salaryman, if perhaps somewhat naive (as his name literally signifies), who barely makes ends meet with the meager salary he receives from the company he works for. The fact is presented quite eloquently in the beginning of the film, where Soon-jin is portrayed having various women (one of which is mentioned as a loan-shark) take almost all of his money, including his landlady's daughter, In-sook. Despite his general situation though, both the aforementioned and his boss's daughter, Gwang-hee, seem to like him, occasionally even competing for his not particularly evident virtues. Furthermore, his landlady treats him like a nuisance, with the same applying to his director, Manager Yang. Everything changes, however, when he is visited by an American woman (in her blond-hair glory) who informs him that she is the widow of U.S. Colonel Bacon, whose life he saved during the Korean War. Recently deceased, the veteran has included Soon-jin in his will, leaving him $20 million, an astronomical amount for the era.

Expectedly and immediately, all the people around him change their attitude towards him, essentially trying to get money from him in any way they can, while a bit later, President Kwon, Gwang-hee's father, decides to invest in a Hong Kong company with his help. Furthermore, when the press takes wind of the deed, all types of people start visiting the newly rich man, in the room he lodges. With the help of his friend In-soo, Soon-jin tries to spend as much money as possible, but eventually, a shock comes to everyone who placed their hopes on his inheritance.

Evidently, the main comment here revolves around how money can change people, and particularly those around the people who have them. The radical change of behaviour from everyone that surrounded Soon-jin is rather evident of this message, since those who mistreated him now start to idolize him, with his landlady and the people in his company being the most obvious "samples". At the same time, the way women start swarming towards him in order to marry the millionaire and the people from all aspects of society try to con or force him out of his money, extends this comment to a much broader part of society.

At the same time, this aspect is one of the main sources of comedy here, but also the main element of a subtle, yet pointy critique towards capitalism. That his "suitors" include people who want him to invest overseas, producers who want him to invest in cinema, religious figures who ask him to give money to save the people of Africa, even one who pretends to be his brother, all seem to represent different aspects of the blights of capitalism.

At the same time, the way Soon-jin decides to spend his money, by causing "accidents" to small merchants (spilling the bags of a man who is selling goldfish or trampling the bench of a fruit itinerant for example) and then throwing money to them and laughing along with In-soo, also shows how money have changed him for the worst.

Lastly, a comment about finding out which are the people who really care and which are in just for the money, also emerges through the story.

Apart from the narrative, the movie also highlights Kim Soo-yong's directorial abilities and knack for experimentation, along with the high level of production values. In that regard, the scenes that differ from the general style of the narrative are the ones that stand out. The scene that starts as a frame in a newspaper article before it opens up fully, the war scene and the jokes on bacon, the club scene with the dancing act on "Tequila", and the fantasy about rural life close to the end are the ones that truly stand out technically, also because they differ significantly from the general aesthetics. Choi Gyeong-ok's cinematography, which focuses on realism on the rest of the movie, finds its apogee here, as much as Yu Jae-won's editing, particularly for the way he implemented these sequences in the narrative. Some trimming in the duration and episodes would help though, since at almost two hours, the title somewhat overextends its welcome.

Koo Bong-seo as Maeng Soon-jin is the undisputed star of the movie, and for good reason, since his charisma fills the screen, frequently with laughter, every time he appears. His naivete, his cheerful attitude, his struggle with his newfound fortune and many other aspects of his character are portrayed in the best fashion.

"An Upstart" is a very entertaining, light movie, that benefits the most from its star's persona and from some very interesting cinematic ideas by its director. The result is definitely easy to the eye, to say the least.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"An Upstart" is directed by Kim Soo-yong, and features Koo Bong-seo, Do Kum-bong, Jeon Gye-hyeon, Yang Hun, Flyboy, Nam Mi-ri. Release date in Korea: 1961/07/13.