Test Video

TO THE STARRY ISLAND discussion questions

Hello everyone,

Please prepare TWO questions of your own about TO THE STARRY ISLAND to ask Director Park Kwang-su. We will begin tomorrow’s discussion with a round-table discussion before opening to questions from you. Please note that there may not be time for everyone to ask a question, so with that in mind, I’d also like receive copies of your questions before class tomorrow. So please send to hguest@fas.harvard.edu

See you tomorrow!

TO THE STARRY ISLAND on-line discussion

TO THE STARRY ISLAND on-line discussion

In preparation for tomorrow's visit from and discussion with Park Kwang-su, please post a thoughtful answer of at least two paragraphs to ONE of the following questions about TO THE STARRY ISLAND:

1.     At the time of its release TO THE STARRY ISLAND was considered path-breaking for depicting events surrounding the Korean War, long considered a taboo subject for South Korean cinema. What seems special or even unusual in the film’s representation of Korea during this extraordinarily tumultuous and traumatic period of its history? And what sort of argument does the film seem to make about the war and its aftermath? Please engage specific examples from the film.

2.     Please discuss the evocative presence in TO THE STARRY ISLAND of traditional Korean culture and beliefs such as folk music, shamanism and patriarchal village hierarchy. What role do these cultural forms- and their pointed depiction within the film- play in TO THE STARRY ISLAND’s complex intertwining of past (both personal and historical) and present?