<Profile>
1967, Born in Jeongseon
Graduated from Seoul National University
Department Religious Studies
1993~2006 The Chosun Ilbo Reporter
2007~ The representative of Lee Dongjin.com
‘Life like a movie,’ it is his blog name. The Sookmyung Times (SMT) met DongJin Lee (LEE), a famous film critic in Korea. How about listening to his story like a movie?
SMT: You had been working at Chosun Ilbo more than 10 years from 1993 to 2006, but quit the job two years ago. Is there any reason?
LEE: To put it shortly, I don’t want to work in the office. I worked there for 14 years. Like any other office workers would think, I had reached my limitation; it was 2 years ago. I wanted to quit my job because it was arduous and painful. At that time, I wanted to do something different. Of course, everybody feel the same with me when they are working in the office. However, it was really hard for me to be patient. That’s why I quit my job and started to work as a free-lancer.
SMT: There are so many parts specialized in journal such as Science and Medical Science. Among them, why did you particularly choose ‘Movie’?
LEE: I have worked related movie almost from the beginning. I joined in The Chosun Ilbo in December 1993. After 6 months as a cup-reporter and another year as an editing reporter, I worked as a movie reporter. Actually, I wanted to be a culture reporter when I was a fresh recruit especially about movie, literature, and publication but I didn’t think ‘I will be a movie writer,’ only. When I was an editing reporter, my book which I wrote in my university days was published. It was about ‘movie.’ In my thought, maybe people think I am an expert about movie so after a year, they gave me an official order to culture part and my higher officer let me write articles about ‘Movie.’ Of course, I like movie so much but I didn’t want to be a movie reporter, only.
SMT: People usually think that movie critics’ job is to write columns after watching films. That’s all. However, you are working in various places more than I expected; you work in film festival, take part in Radio program, appear on Television and publish books. Your job is just columnist, right?
LEE: I’m the closest to columnist, I think. This is not the era that columnist only writes columns in specific magazine and media like before. The age changed so I work in various parts which are on the extension line of my job. I don’t think that only writing can be a way to criticize films. Explaining about movie in television, medicating between movie director and audiences, talking to spectators about film, everything can be the criticism. Even though those things may seem different, they are not so different, basically. Until now, I did something about movie, but I can do different things not related to it if there is anything I am interested in and concerned in later for instance, radio DJ.
SMT: Usually people watch a movie without any feeling and any purpose. They just enjoy it but you might be different because it’s your job. How about your case?
LEE: That’s true because it’s my job and means of living. When I watch a movie, I take a note. If there is the different way in appreciating movie between me and other audiences, this kind of attitudes is different. However, there is no contrast of treating ‘Movie,’ at bottom. Even though I’m a film critic, I don’t think analytically in the theater. I go to see a movie with same mind like any other people would do. After finishing screening, I start to analytically criticize the movie: fun or not, moving or not. It is beginning from the first emotion when you feel something right after finishing movie. For example, I watched Waikiki Brothers and it made me stunned. Then, I think about what made me feel like this. My emotion can be explained with actor’s and actress’s acting or the lines got inserted my heart. Sometimes, it’s created from camera working or a touching scene. When all of them harmonized in one movie, it makes strong impression. I don’t do like this, ‘You wait! I’m a critic and you are a movie!’ but I think them in various angles and complete my column.
SMT: Is there any special way to appreciate movies? Give us useful tips to enjoy movie.
LEE: The best way to enjoy movie is reading movie critiques and listening to commentary in the DVD. Actually, people never feel a sense of inferiority about ‘Movie.’ They just judge it is terrific or terrible. However it’s not an easy question. There are so many layers in the interest. For instance, you studied about wine and manners related to it but you don’t know what taste it is. That’s meaningless. To know about it, you have to drink it and study it more, isn’t it? If you do that about eat and drink, how much more should you do that about movies! You can understand and enjoy some movies, but there are some that you can’t which is difficult. Even if you cannot enjoy that movie, it can be the good movie. However, people never think they are not unaware of movie, but they think that’s not interesting one. There is the famous words, ‘讀書百遍 其義自見’ which means ‘Even though the book is hard to understand, you can understand that if you read 100 times repeatedly.’ Like these words, if you watch same movie several times, or watch more movies than other people do, you can get insight to appreciate movies.
