The Red Muffler
Korean Cinema’s Golden Decade: The 1960s
September 1 - 17, 2023
Featuring exciting battles in the air, and heartbreaking romance on the ground, this precursor to Top Gun is a blockbusting, rousing, and romanticized tribute to South Korea’s jet-fighter pilots.
Shin Sang-ok, a pivotal figure in the South Korean film industry—as a prolific director, producer, and a studio mogul running Shin Films—had a soaring box-office hit on his hands with The Red Muffler. Taking place near the end of the Korean War, the story is centered around a tough but kindhearted air force major, his mentorship of a rookie pilot, and his relationship with a hostess working at a local bar (star Choi Eun-hee and director Shin’s wife) with whom he has a history. Featuring exciting battles in the air (the first-ever application of aerial cinematography in Korean cinema), heartbreaking romance on the ground, and even a musical number, this precursor to Top Gun is a blockbusting, rousing, and romanticized tribute to South Korea’s jet-fighter pilots, and a perfectly packaged piece of popular entertainment of its time. Restored in 2012 by the Korean Film Archive.
For $30, receive one ticket to this film and a select menu item at Café Paradiso, located in FLC’s Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center. Learn more about our Dinner + Movie combo here.
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