Poster Design of Korean Films ② - In the 1970s

Korean Films of the 1970s Seen through Posters

By Korean Film Archive

Choe Jee-Woong [Movie Poster Designer (Propaganda)]

Ieoh Island Poster (1977) by Kim Ki-youngKorean Film Archive

Korean films of the 1970s did not succeed in inheriting the reputation of the 1960s. However, as works by Kim Ki-young, who is synonymous with Korean ‘cult films,’ were released one after another, the cult sensibility was infused in the movie poster of the time. The continuation of the collage method, in which several photos are arranged, which was popular in the 1960s, is evident here, while a bold design style employing colorful typography also appeared.

Ieoh Island Poster (1977) by Kim Ki-youngKorean Film Archive

Ieoh Island (Kim Ki-young, 1977)

A man gazes off in the distance with his lips tightly closed, and a woman at his feet glares up at him. The poster explains the nature of the film with a single still of bizarre composition. The green title contrasting with the red border outside the still stimulates the uneasy feelings of the audience.

Red and green are the colors most often seen in this film, and the color concept of the film is consistently revealed in the poster.

Ieoh Island Lobby Card, Kim Ki-young, 1977, From the collection of: Korean Film Archive
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Ieoh Island Lobby Card, Kim Ki-young, 1977, From the collection of: Korean Film Archive
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A Lobby Card of Ieoh Island

Woman of Fire Poster (1970) by Kim Ki-youngKorean Film Archive

Woman of Fire (Kim Ki-young, 1970)

The silhouettes of the two actors are grotesquely connected, conveying Kim Ki-young's unique feeling. Jeon Gye-hyun's expression tells she gave up on everything, while Youn Yuh-jung's innocent expression says, "I don't know anything." The title in Chinese characters also exudes an erotic atmosphere, as if two bodies were connected as one. It is an excellent poster representing the 1970s, where composition, color, and title design are all well harmonized.

Yeong-Ja’s Heydays Poster (1975) by Kim Ho-sunKorean Film Archive

Yeong-ja's Heydays (Kim Ho-sun, 1975)

Until the 1970s, Korean movie posters often employed the form of a collage of multiple photos. This poster showed outstanding design quality using with just one image and large, colorful typography that takes up more than half of the poster. This design contributed to raising the quality of Korean movie poster design. This style can also be seen in Whale Hunting (Bae Chang-ho, 1984), which is assumed to have been influenced to some extent by this poster.

Whale Hunting Poster, Bae Chang-ho, 1984, From the collection of: Korean Film Archive
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Chang-Su's Heydays Poster, Kim Sa-gyeom, 1975, From the collection of: Korean Film Archive
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A poster of Whale Hunting (Bae Chang-ho, 1984) and Chang-su's Heydays (Kim Sa-gyeom, 1975), a follow-up to Young-Ja’s Heyday, borrowed the same design format.

Lovers’ Classroom Poster (1971) by Shin Seong-ilKorean Film Archive

Lovers' Classroom (Shin Seong-il, 1971)

The poster’s layout emphasizes the main roles, Sin Yeong-il and Na O-mi, and places text on the top, bottom and sides. It looks sophisticated even by today's standards. This film was the directorial debut of actor Shin Seong-il, and I think it is the first instance in which a director appeared on the movie poster. Other such posters on where the director appears are Whale Hunting 2 (Bae Chang-ho, 1985) and Hnaji (Im Kwon-taek, 2010).

Whale Hunting 2 Promo Card, Bae Chang-ho, 1984, From the collection of: Korean Film Archive
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Hanji Poster, Im Kwon-taek, 2010, From the collection of: Korean Film Archive
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A movie card of Whale Hunting 2 and a poster of Hanji

Oh! My Love Poster (1970) by Jeong In-yeobKorean Film Archive

Oh! My Love (Jeong In-yeob, 1970)

Maybe because there are circular shaped vowels in the title Oh! My Love, the circular pattern occupies half of the poster, which is expressed quite sensibly. Kim Jung-hoon who was the best-known child actor at the time, occupied the center of the poster, beating Shin Seong-il, Yoon Jeong-hee, and Heo Chang-kang, who were top actors at the time.

Zip Up Poster (1972) by Park Nou-sikKorean Film Archive

Zip Up (Park Nou-sik, 1972)

The film was directed by actor Park Nou-sik. This poster is faithful to the meaning of the title. Without any special head copies, only the phrase ‘Park’s 4th directorial work’ is highlighted, which shows how influential his very name was at the time. The two actors who seem to be in a crisis are separated by the zipper centered on their faces, and the actress stands boastfully on top of them, which arouse the curiosity about the film.

A Black Woman Poster (1973) by Jung So-youngKorean Film Archive

A Black Woman (Jung So-young, 1973)

It is a sensuous poster designed in only three colors: blue, red, and black. It reminds us of a poster of contemporary European art-house films. The typography of the title seems to have been influenced by the title of Insect Woman (Kim Ki-young, 1972), a hit at the time. The typography of the Chinese character ‘女’ in this poster, which means “woman,” is intentionally similar to the same character in Insect Woman.

Insect Woman Newspaper Ad. (1972) by Kim Ki-youngKorean Film Archive

A newspaper ad for Insect Woman (Kim Ki-young, 1972)

Credits: Story

Planning and Production by Korean Film Archive 
Curation by Choi Jee-Woong [Movie Poster Designer (Propaganda)] 
Production Arranged by Lee Ji-youn·Song Eun-ji 
Edit Configuration by Agnes Park·Ko Sang-sok 
Translation by Hwang Miyojo

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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