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Subject: Re: Filem Korea Utara (Filem Propaganda Kim Jong-il Terbaik) Sun Feb 28, 2010 7:23 pm
Unsung Heroes Part 1 - Part 20 (1978 - 1981)
Unsung Heroes, also known as Unknown Heroes or more literally as Nameless Heroes, is a North Korean film series about a spy in Seoul during the Korean War. Over twenty hours long, it was filmed and released in multiple parts between 1978 and 1981.It was the recipient of the Kim Il-sung Medal.
Unsung Heroes received a widespread favourable reception in the domestic market, according to North Korean newspapers. Lead actor Kim Ryong-lin, who played the hero Yu Rim, stated that it was one of his favourite roles in over 20 years of acting; in a 1981 interview, he remarked that people had begun calling him Yu Rim instead of his real name after the series began, which he actually enjoyed because of his admiration for the character. Actress Kim Jung-hwa, who played female lead Kim Soon-hee, initially felt that she was unsuited for the role, as she had no prior military experience, or even experience playing a spy on-screen; her only preparation consisted of reading several books and interviewing real spies. The director Ryu Ho-son stated that his favourite scene was the one from the "Madonna Teahouse" in Part 5, in which former lovers Yu Rim and Kim Soon-hee each learn that the other is a North Korean agent. Unsung Heroes was also responsible for propelling American defectors James Joseph Dresnok and Charles Robert Jenkins to minor celebrity status in North Korea. However, it did not receive public attention in the United States until 1996, when the U.S. Department of Defense obtained a copy of the movie; a report issued by five of their analysts identified Charles Robert Jenkins and one other unnamed American (later discovered to be James Joseph Dresnok) as actors in the movie, providing the first evidence in three decades that Jenkins was still alive.Dresnok's popularity in his role is such that people in North Korea routinely refer to him as "Arthur," the name of the character he played in the film.
Unsung Heroes was released on DVD in China in 2003 by Dalian Audiovisual Publishing House, and was also screened in Japan during the Kitakyushu Biennial 2007.Its theme song " Embrace the Song of Happiness " (Kibbumui Norae Ango Hamkke Karira)composed by Chon Tong-u, remains widely known in North Korea; Grand National Party member Yu Hong-jun, head of South Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration, became the center of controversy in 2005 when he sang the song at an official dinner while visiting North Korea.
The plot of Unsung Heroes is based on some actual historical events, but many names and details were changed. The movie opens with an unidentified spy master giving instructions to protagonist Yu Rim, who is ordered to proceed to Seoul and gather intelligence on the United States Forces Korea. Initially, he only has three contacts in Seoul: Park Mu, the chief press officer for the Republic of Korea Army, Janet O'Neill, the wife of senior American intelligence official Dr. Kelton, and Lee Hong-sik, his handler, through whom he maintains contact with Pyongyang. Once there, Yu also runs into his old lover Kim Soon-hee, who is apparently employed by the United States Counter Intelligence Corps, and is introduced to Colonel Klaus. Yu begins gathering intelligence on a coup plot by South Korean general Sin Jae-sin, which Lee helps him pass back to North Korea using his unwitting friend Kim Su-gyong as a courier; soon after, Lee is betrayed and killed in a shootout with CIC agents, including Kim Soon-hee, leaving Yu unable to pass his crucial intelligence back to his government. Lee's secretary is arrested and tortured by Colonel Klaus, who learns that a man suspected to be Yu was seen contacting Kim.
Yu flees to a Hong Kong safehouse run by a North Korean singer, where he is instructed to return to Seoul and contact an agent code-named White Horse. However, he is suspicious of White Horse, and sets a trap for him, in which he is revealed to be working with Colonel Klaus for the Americans. Yu uses Louise, a British MI5 officer and secret Communist, to relay this information; Louise stages her own kidnapping so that she can disappear to the North for training, and later returns to Seoul. Two months later, Yu receives a coded message on Voice of Korea instructing him to contact an agent named Gold Diamond, who turns out to be his old lover Kim Soon-hee, ostensibly working for the Americans, but really a double agent for North Korean intelligence.
Yu continues to gather intelligence on General Sin's coup attempt, this time passing messages back to Pyongyang by way of a radio operator disguised as a disabled veteran who begs outside hotels. Yu hides messages in cigarette filters, which he then throws on the ground near the beggar. However, he is unaware that he is being followed by the CIC, who are filming his activities. Colonel Klaus hears about a North Korean spy disguised as a veteran, and begins reviewing video tapes to check on Yu's activities. Kim saves the day by cutting the scenes out of the tapes to avoid further suspicion falling on Yu, but the disappearance of the scenes triggers Klaus' suspicion towards Kim herself instead. Klaus stages a test of loyalty for her, in which she is kidnapped and threatened with execution by American agents pretending to be Communists; however, Kim correctly senses this is a trap, and escapes by killing the agents.