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Pulgasari

  • 19851985
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
5.2/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
Pulgasari (1985)
ActionDramaFantasy
In feudal Korea, the evil King becomes aware that there is a peasant rebellion being planned in the country. He steals all the iron farming tools and cooking pots from the people so that he ... Read allIn feudal Korea, the evil King becomes aware that there is a peasant rebellion being planned in the country. He steals all the iron farming tools and cooking pots from the people so that he may make weapons to fend off the peasant army. After he returns the property to the people... Read allIn feudal Korea, the evil King becomes aware that there is a peasant rebellion being planned in the country. He steals all the iron farming tools and cooking pots from the people so that he may make weapons to fend off the peasant army. After he returns the property to the people, an old blacksmith is imprisoned and starved to death. His last creation is a tiny figuri... Read all
IMDb RATING
5.2/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
    • Shin Sang-ok
    • Se Ryun Kim(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Son Hui Chang
    • Ham Gi Sop
    • Jong-uk Ri
    • Shin Sang-ok
    • Se Ryun Kim(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Son Hui Chang
    • Ham Gi Sop
    • Jong-uk Ri
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 18User reviews
    • 39Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos71

    Pulgasari (1985)
    Son Hui Chang in Pulgasari (1985)
    Son Hui Chang in Pulgasari (1985)
    Pulgasari (1985)
    Son Hui Chang in Pulgasari (1985)
    Pulgasari (1985)
    Ham Gi Sop in Pulgasari (1985)
    Pulgasari (1985)
    Pulgasari (1985)
    Ham Gi Sop in Pulgasari (1985)
    Son Hui Chang and Ham Gi Sop in Pulgasari (1985)
    Pong-ilk Pak in Pulgasari (1985)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Son Hui Chang
    • Ami
    Ham Gi Sop
    • Inde
    Jong-uk Ri
    • Ana
    Gwon Ri
    • Takse (Ami's Father)
    Gyong-ae Yu
    • Inde's Mother
    Hye-chol Ro
    • Inde's Brother
    Sang-hun Tae
    • Rebel Forces
    Gi-chon Kim
    • Rebel Forces
    In-chol Ri
    • Rebel Forces
    Riyonun Ri
    • General Fuan
    Yong-hok Pak
    • The King
    Pong-ilk Pak
    • The Governor
    Kenpachirô Satsuma
    Kenpachirô Satsuma
    • Pulgasary (suit actor)
    'Little Man' Machan
    • Baby Pulgasari
      • Shin Sang-ok
      • Se Ryun Kim(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Although the film is a North Korean production, director Shin Sang-ok is South Korean. North Korean dictator Jong-Il Kim was a huge fan of Shin's. At the time this film was made, North and South Korea were at war (which eventually ended in 2018 thanks to the Panmunjom Declaration). Thus, Kim had him kidnapped. Shin eventually escaped back to South Korea, but not before he had been forced to make this movie for the erratic North Korean leader.
    • Connections
      Featured in Great Man and Cinema (2009)

    User reviews18

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    A movie from behind the DMZ!
    Since I began living in South Korea several years ago, I have always been curious about what life and art would be like in the isolated North. The educational channel in South Korea (EBS) has a weekly show that gives us clips of North Korean newscasts, movies, music, dramas and animation.

    When South Korean president, Kim Dae-jung visited North Korea last year in the first step toward normalizing relations and possible (albeit future) unification, we learned that the North Korean supreme leader is something of a movie fanatic. He has been secretly receiving western movies and monitoring South Korean tv dramas. It is not surprising to learn that he apparently ordered Pulgasari be made. Like every other artform from the North it can only be broadcast or shown if it matches the philosophy of the state. Pulgasari is a metaphor. The evil king represents the feudal government of the Chosun Dynasty which ended at the beginning of the 1900's. The monster, Pulgasari represents capitalism. It arrives apparently to help the people, but soon grows out of control. The heroes in the movie are the peasantry, the common people who must fix everything that people with power have wrought.

    Nobody can claim that Pulgasari is state-of-the-art. Even by rubber monster standards, this movies special effects are poor. It does help to consider that the budget for this movie was probably around what we spend on lunch in a year. But for me, the true fascination of a movie like this is the chance to see how another culture, living under a completely different philosophy, sees the world.
    helpful•40
    3
    • giammarcoken
    • Sep 22, 2001

    Details

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    • Release date
      • 1985 (North Korea)
      • North Korea
      • Japanese distributor for Pulgasari (Japanese text only)
      • Official South Korean Homepage
      • Korean
    • Also known as
    • Production companies
      • Korean Film
      • Shin Film Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 35 minutes
      • Color

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