[HanCinema's Film Review] "A Petty Middle Manager" + Full Movie

Shot in the aftermath of the April 19th revolution against the Syngman Rhee government, "A Petty Middle Manager" offered to Lee Bong-rae the opportunity to break completely free from the melodramatic chains that held the majority of the productions of the time to similarity, and present something completely different, at least within the mainstream frame. Let us see if he succeeded.

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Goo, a branch manager of a transport company, is a rather divisive man, since he is quite bossy in his house with his children, Yeong-woo, a university student who has just found an older girlfriend, and Yeong-hee, who has just been hired as a secretary in his company, and quite subservient in his working environment. When executive director Song asks him to turn the second floor of his branch to a dancing school that will be run by his mistress, Myeong-ok, but introduce her as his own acquaintance and not even tell his wife the truth, Goo finds himself having his two worlds collide. Even more so, since his daughter, who is eventually revealed as a chatterbox, happens to see Kwon Oh-cheol, a young man from the welfare division (which Goo was eventually promoted to run), talking to Myeong-ok, misunderstands the situation, and starts spreading rumors about the two of them. As the lies and rumors spread even more, while Song is desperately trying to keep his affair hidden, Goo finds even his relationship in jeopardy.

To answer the question posed in the prologue, I would say that the answer is positive, since Lee managed to avoid presenting another family melodrama, by making his narrative follow a mostly comedic approach. On the other hand, if one looks closer, he would see that the melodramatic aspects are still here but essentially toned down or even disguised, while the episodic style Shin Sang-ok implemented in his movies (which were the standard of the era) is still quite evident here, as much as the rather excessive happy ending, at least considering the way the story unfolded up to a point.

Nevertheless, this episodic approach allowed Lee Bong-rae to make a number of sociopolitical comments, either in rather evident or subtler fashion. The differences of the way an individual's character actually is and the way he has to adapt in order to thrive in the corporate world is one of the most evident, with Goo being strict at home but essentially servile at work. The way the higher ups tend to exploit their subordinates, occasionally for personal gain is mirrored in director Song, who is presented as a liar, a coward, and essentially a despicable man, although Kim takes care of giving him a comedic hypostasis, thus making him at least partially likeable. Kim Hee-kap in the role is excellent, in one of the best performances in the movie.

The way modernity and westernized values have given more freedom to women is also evident, although, in subtler fashion, Kim also comments that in reality, men were the ones still holding the reins, particularly since women were essentially forced to find a husband in order to "survive". Yeong-hee highlights this comment rather eloquently, as she appears almost rebellious, only to be revealed that her attitude, particularly towards Oh-cheol, was rooted in her feelings for him. Do Kum-bong is also quite good in the part, with her feistiness flooding the screen every time she appears on it.

Subtler messages derive from the way Goo's parents can understand very little of the ways of the young, and the scene when Goo's wife is facing the men asking her to pay the electric bill and the family taxes, in an episode that is mocking both the State and the people for their attitude towards their bills.

Considering the episodic nature of the movie, Kim Hee-su's editing emerges as one of the most significant aspects of the production, and thankfully, he has done a great job, both in the ways he connects the plethora of them and in the way he does not allow any to lag. Subsequently, at 105 minutes, the film definitely does not overstay its welcome, in a trait that was not particularly common in the era. Lee Byeong-sam's cinematography is also quite good, with the presentation of the many settings, both interior and exterior being rather realistic, without any exaltation .

Lastly, this review would not be complete if I did not mention the great performance of Kim Seung-ho-I in the protagonist role, with him presenting his multileveled hypostasis deriving from the class of duty towards one's work and one's family, in a style that is both nuanced and measured.

"A Petty Middle Manager" is not radically different from the general mainstream style of the era, but is different enough to be quite interesting, in a very entertaining and, in a mysterious way considering its cliched basis, quite satisfying movie.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"A Petty Middle Manager" is directed by Lee Bong-rae, and features Kim Seung-ho-I, Do Kum-bong, Hwang Jung-soon, Kim Hee-kap, Bang Su-il, Park Seong-dae. Release date in Korea: 1961/05/04.