[HanCinema's Film Review] "When Acacias Bloom" + Full Movie

The 60s in Korean cinema are filled with movies that could be easily described as crowd-pleasers (at least in retrospective) with all the audience favorites of melodrama, romance, action, road movie and anti-Japanese sentiment elements being present in the majority of the productions of the time. Very few movies, though, managed to include them all, with "When Acacias Bloom" being one of the most iconic.

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The story begins in Shenyang, China, in 1942, when the Japanese forces were expanding all over China. The particular area, nestled in the upstream part of the Yangtze River was a melting pot, bustling with people of all kinds of origins, who would not, though, reveal their actual nationalities. In this setting, Korean freedom fighter Wang-seok, finds himself on the run from the military police, with the movie starting with an agonizing action scene, right from the get go. Eventually, Wang-seok finds himself in a random house, where the owner turns out to be a sympathizer, and allows him to hide there. A bit later, the young man stumbles upon Hwa-sim, a beautiful young woman who lodges in the same house, whose knack for manipulating men is revealed immediately, as she manages to protect Wang-seok from the MP that have stormed the house, by using her evident sex appeal and connections in the Japanese army. Furthermore, she convinces her "protege" to take her with him for a 720km "trip" to Chongqing. In their path through the mountains, they have to face Japanese forces, Chinese guerillas, while, eventually, they are joined by a Chinese girl who has obvious feelings for Wang-seok, putting even more tension in the reluctant romance that has already begun between him and Hwa-sim.

The first thing one will notice, even though the quality of the film is not particularly good and some scenes are missing, is the impressive production. Starting with the initial scene with the chasing and the shooting through the streets, to the stage play premises of the house sequences, to the ones in the mountains, the forests, the inn and the desert, the prowess and the big budget are quite evident here. This aspect benefits the most from the excellent cinematography by Kim Yeon-wook, who has captured all the aforementioned settings and locations in the best fashion. Furthermore, the action choreography is equally accomplished, with the plethora of scenes being rather different in style but impressive to the same degree, even if a bit hyperbolic on occasion.

Another rather captivating element is the relationship of the two protagonists, whose evident appeal for each hits various reefs, mostly deriving from Wang-seok's effort to convince himself he does not like Hwa-sim, due to the ways she exploited him, and her, wishing to use him for her purposes first and then explore her feelings about him. The way the Chinese girl functions as a catalyst, both in their relationship and their adventure actually, adds even more to the whole concept, with Hwa-sim's evident jealousy essentially forcing both to face their feelings for each other. Expectedly, the result, a bit later on, is rather melodramatic, although not to a point to become annoying. In that regard, Shin Young-kyun as the courageous, brave but somewhat brutish and uncultivated Wang-seok, and Kim Hye-jung-III as the manipulative, femme fatale that also gets her share of punishment Hwa-sim are equally great in their parts, highlighting their antithetical symmetry in the best fashion. Her cheeky smile and his nerves are among the most memorable aspects of the movie.

Kim Hee-su's editing is also excellent, with the frequent cuts inducing the film with a very fitting fast pace, while the succession of scenes can be described as ideal, even though the parts missing make this assumption somewhat uncertain.

"When Acacias Bloom" includes almost every crowd-pleasing element in the book, but Jo Keung-ha's direction brings them all together nicely, resulting in a movie that is rather easy to watch, due to its production level and the constant entertainment it offers.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"When Acacias Bloom" is directed by Jo Keung-ha, and features Shin Young-kyun, Kim Hye-jung-III, Kim Seung-ho-I, Park Nou-sik, Jang Dong-hwi, Gang Mi-ae. Release date in Korea: 1962/06/06.