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Snow Piercer: Korea’s Biggest Transnational Co-production Yet
Korean films have taken a new leap forward with BONG Joon-ho’s
. The film stands out beginning with the way it was
produced -- as a transnational project. Local production companies did
the legwork with support from investors in countries including France,
Japan, and the United States. It is a different situation from that of
PARK Chan-wook’s and KIM Jee-woon’s , which were made squarely within the borders of Hollywood.
An Award-winning French Comic Is Coming to the Big Screen
The
film’s subject matter is quite unique for a Korean film. is based on a French graphic novel, , which took top prize at the French Angoulême
International Comic Festival in 1985. It is set in the post-apocalyptic
future, after a devastating cold spell engulfs the Earth due to abnormal
climate changes, killing many. The last survivors now travel on a train
with food, water and other supplies. The film depicts the ensuing chaos
on board. BONG fell in love with the original graphic novel in 2005
after accidentally encountering it in a bookstore where he was browsing
through new comics. He bought the publication rights immediately. After
his third feature, , became Korea’s biggest box-office
hit in 2006, BONG declared his next project.
But the unexpected happened. KIM Haeja, an acclaimed veteran
actress in Korea with whom BONG had always wanted to work, suddenly told
him that she wished to star in one of his films. To work with her, BONG
shifted his attention to filming (2009) instead. Only
after he completed , which debuted in the 2009 Cannes Film
Festival’s Un Certain Regard section, did the Korean director re-focus
on .
Korea’s Biggest Transnational Co-production Project
began filming in April and its budget is said to be near
USD $42 million, the largest budget ever for any film with Korean
investors. About 90% of the entire film will be shot on set. The scenes
have to be filmed inside a 90-meter-long train, so the use of a very
large set is unavoidable. The director’s original wish was to shoot the
film in Korea, but a studio large enough to accommodate a set of such
scale was difficult to find. Thus it was Barrandov Studio in Prague,
Czech Republic, that became the place of shooting instead.
The cast are from diverse origins: to name a few, Octavia Spencer,
Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress in (2011),
Korea’s own SONG Kang-ho, who starred in (2007)
and (2009), as well as British stars John Hurt and Tilda
Swinton. More than 80% of the cast consider English their mother tongue,
and most of the dialogue is in English. The staff consists of
professionals from a variety of countries as well. Alex HONG, one of
Korea’s top cinematographers, is in charge of cinematography, working
shoulder-to-shoulder with an American computer graphic supervisor and a
Czech production designer.
PARK Chan-wook, director of
(2003) and
, also came on board as a producer. PARK had already
helped BONG produce . BONG said, “I like to concentrate
purely on directing, and I feel comfortable working with PARK because we
understand each other.” Moho Film, the domestic production company of
the film, was founded by PARK. And the co-production company, OPUS
Pictures, is owned by PARK’s brother-in-law, LEE Tae-hun.
A Variety of Factors Inspiring Promising Results
Not
many multinational projects have succeeded in Korea. Most of these have
been co-productions between Korea and other Asian countries, mainly
China, Japan and Hong Kong. Cultural differences between the countries
are often blamed for poor box office results. Lack of unity among the
staff also blocks a productive synergy from happening. But with , expectations are high within the Korean film industry. The
participation of countries that are believed to have more structured
collaboration systems, the US and France among them, is inspiring higher
expectations for the film. Belief in BONG’s directorial skills is also
enlivening public anticipation. BONG is one of the few directors in
Korea respected for making films that are both popular and artistically
revered.
Overseas responses to BONG’s films thus far have been great.
According to Box Office Mojo, grossed USD $87.22
million overseas. also earned USD $16.56 in foreign
markets. International stars have shown a favorable interest in BONG’s
work. Hollywood actress Sigourney Weaver, who visited Korea in 2010, is a
perfect example. She praised BONG’s work when she said, “ is an amazing film that stimulates one’s imagination. It’s
scary and intriguing all at once.”
About the Wonders and Brutality of Modern Technology
will not stay entirely true to the original graphic novel.
Only the basic setting remains the same -- the story of humankind
continuing its survival by depending on a fast-moving train after the
Earth is hit by a sudden ice-age. Apparently, PARK and BONG also worked
on conceptualizing a very special part of the film. But the film’s
progress and its contents are being shrouded in secrecy. In January BONG
said, “the Korean production company requested us not to say anything
about the film.”
We can expect to juxtapose the wonders and
brutality of modern technology by using the symbolism of the train. In
an interview, BONG said, “the fact that all is gone but ‘mankind’s
natural assets’ is what excited me.” He dropped a hint by saying, “a
train is a monstrous lump of metal and a symbol of industrialization.
But the outside world you see through the train window can feel
romantic.” Based on a western original, the film is expected to arouse
universal sentiments of savageness and lyricism. is
due to be released in the summer of 2013 and CJ E&M will be in
charge of its domestic distribution.
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