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The Devil‘s Stairway

10th(2005) Korean Cinema Retrospective: Lee Man-hee, the Poet of Night

Crime/Violence · Love/Romance · Revenge  

  • CountryKorea
  • Production Year1964
  • Running Time104min
  • Format 35mm
  • ColorB&W
Program Note
Dealing with the desire of advancing one′s social status within the plot of wicked revenge and the structure of horror, this film prides itself being closest to the mainstream. A doctor, Kwang-ho murdered his lover Jin-sook and dumped the body into the pond, in order to marry the daughter of the hospital director. The body was found a few days later, but the case was filed as suicide. A year after he got married as planned, the notes from his ex-girl friend who was supposed to be dead arrived. As a test bed for the specific genre structure, Lee used the formula of horror film built within suspense narratives which aim for a shock method for maximum tension. Also noteworthy is an incredible transformation of its principal cast that strengthens its dramatic persuasion: actor Kim Jin-gyu who was mostly known for the performance of a serious intellectual turned himself to an elite with no repentance; veteran actress Moon Jung-sook who often took the role of a self-sacrificial woman introduced herself a merciless femme. Eclectic music score done with the strings that can hardly be found in most of Lee′s works and the distorted camera angle are also a must-see. (Cho Young-jung)
Director
Director
LEE Man-hee
Born in 1931, director Lee Man-hee graduated from Kyungshin High School and served as a communications soldier during the Korean War. He worked as assistant to director Ahn Jong-hwa in 1956 and entered the film industry. At the recommendation of actor Kim Seung-ho, he debuted as a director with The Guiding Light in 1961 and began to receive recognition with Dial 112, a noire style thriller, in 1962. He achieved both artistic and commercial success with war films or thrillers such as The Marines Who Didn′t Come Home, Soldiers Without a Serial Number, and The Devil′s Stairway, and dramas like Late Autumn and A Road to Return. The filmmaking conditions worsened after the 70s, but Lee Man-hee was obsessed with making films, which gradually wore down his health. On April 3, 1975, he lost consciousness in the editing room while working on The Way to Sampo and fought for his life for ten days before passing away on April 13 at the age of 45.
Photo
Credit
  • Director LEE Man-hee 이만희
  • Producer Wu Ki-dong
  • Cast Kim Jin-kyu, Moon Jung-sook, Bang Sung-ja, Jung Ae-ran
  • Screenplay Lee Jong-taek
  • Cinematography Seo Jung-min
  • Production Design Hong Sung-chil
  • Editor Kim Hee-soo
  • Sound Han Yang
  • Music Han Sang-gi