When a Woman Breaks Her Jewel Box

1971 South Korean film

When a Woman Breaks Her Jewel Box


Hangul	옥합을 깨뜨릴 때
Hanja	玉盒을 깨뜨릴 때
Revised Romanization	Okhabeul Ggaeddeuril ddae
McCune–Reischauer	Okhapŭl kkaettŭril ttae

Directed by	Kim Soo-yong^[1]
Written by	Kim Gang-yun Yoo Han-cheol
Produced by	Kim Tai-soo
Starring	Hong Se-mi
Cinematography	Hong Dong-hyuk
Edited by	Yu Jae-won
Music by	Choi Chang-kwon
Distributed by	Tae Chang Enterprises Co., Ltd.
Release date	March 13, 1971 (1971-03-13)
Running time	83 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean

When a Woman Breaks Her Jewel Box (Korean: 옥합을 깨뜨릴 때; RR: Okhabeul ggaedeuril dae) is a 1971 South Korean film directed by Kim Soo-yong. It was awarded Best Film at the Blue Dragon Film Awards ceremony.^[2]^[3]

Name

The title of the film is a reference to anointment of jesus christ at bethany in matthew 14:3-9, where a woman poured perfume in her alabaster jar. The title was chosen as the protagonist let go of the past and make a new start.^[4]

Synopsis

Bo-yeong, young woman living with her father Hyongsik and aunt Yeseon, believes that her mother was killed during the Korean War. She discovers that her mother is still not dead, but, after having been raped by an American soldier, has dedicated her life to taking care of orphans.^[5]

Cast

Yoon Jeong-hee-plays the role of Bo-yeong Yoon.
Hong Se-mi-role of Younghee the secretary at the orphanage^[5]
Nam Kung Won-Hyong-sik, the father of Bo-yeong
Sa Mi-ja- Role of Ye-seon,Bo-yeong's aunt
Yoon Yang-ha-plays Hyosup, the fiancee of Bo-yeong
Chai Jung-hoon-Kyong-il, Detective who is formerly an orphan
Lee Hoon -Kwak Chang su,formerly an orphan
Park Am-Doctor, who is a friend of Hyong-sik
Jeon Young-ju - Mother of Kyong-ae
Ko Seol-bong- Senior inspector
Kim Hye-ri
Kim Ki-bum

Legacy

The film is significant for its earliest examples of negative portrayal of American forces stationed in South Korea in South Korean cinema.The film addresses the issue of sexual assault by Americans, a topic that has been ignored in south korean popular media until the 1960s.^[4]

Bibliography

English

Okhabeul ggaedeuril dae (1971) at IMDb
"When the Jewel Box is Broken (Oghab-eul kkaetteuli...(1971)". Korean Movie Database (KMDb). Retrieved 2009-07-21.

Korean

옥합을 깨뜨릴 때 (in Korean). [www.cine21.com]. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
옥합을 깨뜨릴 때 (1971) (in Korean). Korean Movie Database (KMDb). Retrieved 2009-07-21.

Notes

^ Infobox data from "When the Jewel Box is Broken (Oghab-eul kkaetteuli...(1971)". Korean Movie Database (KMDb). Retrieved 2009-07-21. and Okhabeul ggaedeuril dae (1971) at IMDb
^ "Blue Dragon Film Awards, South Korea". Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on 2009-02-21. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
^ 옥합을 깨뜨릴 때 (1971) (in Korean). Korean Movie Database (KMDb). Retrieved 2009-06-25.
^ ^a ^b Oh, Young Suk (2015). "전쟁기억과 죄책감: 냉전기 남한영화의 미국표상과 대중감정 옥합을 깨뜨릴 때 김수용, 1971 를 중심으로 War Memory and Sense of Guilt Collective Emotions and Censored Representation of American in South Korean Films during the Cold War : Focusing on When the Jewel Box is Broken 1971". Film Studies (63): 195–224. doi:10.17947/kfa..63.201503.007. Archived from the original on 2023-01-06. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
^ ^a ^b "When the Jewel Box is Broken (Oghab-eul kkaetteuli...(1971)". Korean Movie Database (KMDb). Archived from the original on 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2009-07-21.