Great Expectations : Taehung Pictures 1984-2004

Publication Remark
Preface _ In Memory of the Late Lee Tae-won | Shim Jae Myung |

PART 1 Path of Taehung Pictures
A Brief History of Taehung Pictures: A Prestigious Production Company in Chungmuro | Kim Hyung-seok | 019

PART 2 Legacy of Taehung Pictures
Korean Films Produced by Taehung Pictures
A Spectacular History of Korean Cinema Drawn by a Filmmaker’s Perseverance | Cho Junhyoung |

Foreign Films Imported or Distributed by Taehung Pictures
An Adventurer to Make Winning Move at the Chaotic Korean Film Scene | Yi Sooyeon |

Canceled Film Projects of Taehung Pictures
Another Piece of Puzzles Completing the History of Taehung Pictures | Park Jin-hee |

Taehung Pictures’ Films Seen from Its Brochures
from <Between the Knees> to <Low Life> | Park Jin-hee |

PART 3 The Age of Taehung and Lee Tae-won

In memory of filming scenes of CHIHWASEON
The record of Taehung Pictures, the winter in 2001 or the last classical production mode in Korean film history | Jung Sung-il |

Film industry colleagues talk about Lee Tae-won and Taehung Pictures
“Lee Tae-won himself is a special legacy of the Korean film industry” | Huh Nam-Woong |

Reprint of an interview with Lee Tae-won conducted during his lifetime
“The Film Industry Is a Playground for the Genius!”| Oh Dongjin · Lee Jihoon |

Appendix
Taehung Pictures's Chronology
Filmography of Taehung Pictures
List of Imported and Distributed Films by Taehung Pictures

References
Index
About the author

In his last interview in 2012, he said, “Now, my time has passed. I have no intention of making a film again. The one who wins is the one who does it with a do-or-die attitude. You have to make a film with all your heart and without lies.” This seems to be his lifelong clear mindset and attitude toward film. Perhaps this might had been his will that just arrived too quickly. - Shim Jae Myung, <Preface: In Memory of the Late Lee Tae-won>

<Bhiksuni>, which ended up being Taehung Pictures’ “canceled foundingwork,” was originally planned by actress Kim Ji-mee. Director Im Kwontaek was supposed to direct the film; as the production schedule continued to be delayed, however, Im Kwon-taek recommended Lee Tae-won to take over the project. Lee Tae-won took over the project after paying for the pre-production cost. <Bhiksuni>, written by Song Gil-han, was the story of a bhuksuni (Buddhist nun) who converted herself to Buddhism to reach nirvana. - Kim Hyung-seok, <A Brief History of Taehung Pictures: A Prestigious Production Company in Chungmuro>

As such, Taehung Pictures raised necessary funding in the way of old Chungmuro to produce a film. However, Chungmuro’s topography changed rapidly with the influx of large companies and financial capital in the 1990s. In fact, Samsung Entertainment Group once offered Taehung Pictures 10 billion won worth of production budget, but he refused the proposal, thinking “the know-how is with me even if large companies rushed in” - Kim Hyung-seok, <A Brief History of Taehung Pictures: A Prestigious Production Company in Chungmuro>