Viva Freedom!

Viva Freedom!
Theatrical poster to Viva Freedom! (1946)
Hangul	자유만세
Hanja	自由萬歲
Revised Romanization	Jayu Manse
McCune–Reischauer	Chayu Manse
Directed by	[1]
Written by	Jeon Chang-geun
Produced by	Choi Wan-gyoo
Starring	Jeon Chang-geun Hwang Yeo-heui Yu Gye-seon
Cinematography	Han Hyeong-mo
Music by	Pak T'ae-hyeon Jo Baek-bong
Distributed by	Koryo Film Co. Ltd.
Release date	October 21, 1946 (1946-10-21)
Running time	53 minutes
Country	Korea
Language	Korean

Viva Freedom! (자유만세, Jayu Manse, aka Hurrah! For Freedom) is a 1946 Korean film directed by . It was the first film made in the country after achieving independence from Japan. During the colonial period, Choi was only allowed to make certain films, but the plot of Viva Freedom! is distinctly different, telling the story of a Korean patriotic resistance fighter in 1945.

Alternate poster to Viva Freedom! (1946)

Plot[]

Protagonist Choi Han-Jung, who was imprisoned for his independence activism, succeeds in breaking out of prison. Upon escaping, he stays with a comrade in the cause for independence, Park Jin-beom. He meets his other political comrades in a basement under a house built in a western-style and persuades them to continue their resistance to the Japanese Kenpeitai in the 1940s when the fall of the Japanese empire was imminent. However, a member of the movement gets caught by the Japanese while moving the dynamite, which leads to Choi striving to save him and ends up surrounded by the Japanese military police. He hides in the residence of Mi-hyang, who is a mistress of the Japanese police high official Nanbu (南部). A gunfight with the Kenpeitai ensues, which leads to Choi being injured and imprisoned in a university hospital while receiving treatment. With the help of nurse Hye-ja who loved Choi, Han-jung can keep doing his endeavors for independence. With the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Korea gains its independence due to Japan's surrender. While the streets of Jongno celebrate the event, Han-jung searches for the tomb of Mi-hyang, who lost her life.^[2]

Cast[]

Choi han jung: Jeon Chang-geun (全昌根)

Mihyang: Yu Gye-seon (劉桂仙)

Hyeja: Hwang Yeo-heui (黃麗姬)

Reception[]

The film was well-received by the then audience who was touched by the liberation of Korea.^[3]

Chiang Kai-shek is reported to have written a calligraphic banner that reads "Viva freedom! Viva Korea! (自由萬歲 韓國萬歲)" after watching the movie in China.^[4]

Literature[]

『한국영화전사』(이영일, 삼애사, 1969) 『한국시나리오선집』 I(영화진흥공사, 1982)

References[]

External links[]

• Jayu Manse at IMDb
• Adam Hartzell's review at koreanfilm.org
• "Hurrah for Freedom (Jayumanse)(1946)". KMDb Korean Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-12-27.

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