It looks as if a relaxed veteran is at work, that is how steady in style and accurate A Great Actor is in its investigation of creative processes and spiritual growth. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Two years ago, Shin Yeon-Shick made his first film for 300 dollars. This film - his second - cost 10 times as much. Which still is nothing for a feature film lasting about three hours, but there is no sign of the limited budget in A Great Actor. It doesn't look as if any corners were cut - unless it was on heating costs for the theatre where the film is largely set. A Great Actor, shot on black & white digital video, is filled with satire and irony, yet shows understanding of the doubts and naive narcissism that can cling to serious actors. The protagonist is Soo-Young, a young man preparing for a national exam, who suddenly decides he wants to become an actor. He joins a theatre company working on an experimental play. Soo-Young has little experience and feels insecure. Mi-Ran, leader of the company, decides to take on the actor Ji-Hwan, despite internal resistance. Ji-Hwan is known as a great actor and is holed up far away in the mountains of Kang-wong-do. Soo-Young offers to go and fetch the great actor, in the hope that he can learn from him how he too can become great. But Ji-Hwan turns out not to be the man he hoped for. The better Soo-Young gets to know him, the more confused he becomes and the less there seems to be any method... (GT)
- Director
- Shin Yeon-Shick
- Premiere
- International première
- Country of production
- South Korea
- Year
- 2005
- Festival Edition
- IFFR 2006
- Length
- 175'
- Medium
- DV cam NTSC
- Original title
- Joeun baewoo
- Language
- Korean
- Producer
- Shin Yeon-Shick
- Sales
- Shin Yeon-Shick
- Screenplay
- Shin Yeon-Shick
- Cinematography
- Choi Yong-Jin
- Editor
- Choi Yong-Jin
- Production Design
- Kim Yee-Hyun
- Cast
- Lee Hyun-Ho, Lee Jong-Soo