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Plot summary[edit]
The story takes place in Geoje prison camp during the Korean War in 1951. Ro Ki-soo (Do Kyung-soo), a rebellious North Korean soldier, falls in love with tap dancing after meeting Jackson (Jared Grimes), an American officer and former Broadway star who has been tasked with putting together a dance company. Kang Byung-sam (Oh Jung-se) auditions for the company in hopes of finding his wife, alongside Xiao Pang (Kim Min-ho), a Chinese soldier and born dancer who cannot dance for more than a minute due to angina, and Yang Pan-rae (Park Hye-su), who needs money but says there's no money through dancing.[8]
Others[edit]
Cameo[edit]
Production[edit]
Director Kang Hyeong-cheol is known for his hit films Scandal Makers, Sunny, and Swing Kids marks the director's return after three year from directing his hit film Tazza: The Hidden Card. Filming of Swing Kids started on October 18, 2017[1] and ended on February 20, 2018 in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.[10]
Release[edit]
Swing Kids was released in 23 countries including America, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia. The film was released in Hong Kong and Macao in January 2019.[11]
The VIP premiere of Swing Kids was held On December 6.[12][13]
Promotion[edit]
On November 12, 2018, the director and main cast of Swing Kids held a press conference where they discussed the film and answered reporters' questions.[14][15] On the same day, a showcase for the film was held, where Do Kyung-soo, Park Hye-su and Oh Jung-se performed a segment of Tap dancing along with other tap dancing professionals, and later talked about the film along with director Kang Hyeong-cheol.[16] On November 26, the director and the cast attended a movie talk on V Live.[17]
On December 4, the cast and director attended a media distribution preview event for the film.[18] On December 17, The cast and directory attended an event called "Chewing Chat" at Lotte Cinema World Tower, and also held a stage greeting in the same place. On December 18, Do Kyung-soo, Park Hye-su and Oh Jung-se went on the radio show Cultwo Show were the talked about the movie,[19] and later held another stage greeting at CGV Yongsan I-Park Mall.
Reception[edit]Critical response[edit]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 63% based on eight reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10.[20]
The film received mixed reviews from critics. Praise was given to the film's production design and music,[21] with criticisms directing towards the long running time and the structure of the film.[22] Guy Lodge from Variety, wrote about the film: "Too often, it simply feels like two films wrestling in one roomy framework, sometimes overlapping to awkward effect".[23]
Park Boram from Yonhap News Agency , wrote: "The film's booming tapping sounds set against the film's throwback soundtrack -- which includes David Bowie's "Modern Love," Benny Goodman's "Sing Sing Sing," The Beatles' "Free as a Bird," as well as Korean veteran singer Jung Su-ra's popular 1988 song "Joy"—drive colorful vibrancy into the film, making the audience twitch with amusement throughout the film's 133-minute running time.", Park also added that the "musicality and a Christmas scene close to the end make the production a perfect film choice for the holiday season."[21]
The film was ranked No.3 by Pierce Conran from Modern Korean Cinema in Top 15 Korean Films of 2018. Conran wrote: "Swing Kids was without a doubt the best theatrical experience I had all year. Infectiously rhythmic, this Korean War POW camp tap dance extravaganza will have you yearning for old-school Hollywood showmanship and begging for more when the curtain falls."[24]
Box office[edit]
Prior to its release, Swing Kids ranked first in the pre-sales, with 70,256 viewers and 21.6% reservation rate.[25] The film ranked second place on Korean theaters among Korean movies, since its release.[26] On December 25, Swing Kids began its seat sales and ranked first in the box office, surpassing Aquaman and The Drug King by 32% and 56% respectively.[27] On December 27, Swing Kids attracted more than 1 million viewers.[26]
In the United States it made $222,001, South Korea $10,672,098, Australia $17,141, and in New Zealand $2,157.[28]
Soundtrack[edit]
Side ANo.TitleArtistLength1.2.3.4.5.
"Caldonia" | Louis Jordan | 2:40 |
"If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" | Eileen Barton | 2:37 |
"Shout" | The Isley Brothers | 2:15 |
"Hava Nagila" (하바나길라) | Rita Kim | 3:26 |
"Joy" (환희) | Jung Su-ra | 4:43 |
Side BNo.TitleArtistLength1.2.3.4.5.
"Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 846" (평균율 1권 1번 다장조) | Bach | |
"Modern Love" | David Bowie | 3:56 |
"The Christmas Song" | European Jazz Trio | 4:02 |
"Sing Sing Sing" | Benny Goodman | 5:23 |
"Free as a Bird" | The Beatles | 4:58 |
Awards and nominations[edit]
YearAwardCategoryRecipientResultRef.
2018 | 19th Golden Trailer Awards | Best Foreign Holiday Trailer Award | Swing Kids | Won | [30] |
2019 | 55th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Director | Kang Hyeong-cheol | Won | [31] |
Best New Actor | Kim Min-ho | Nominated | |||
Technical Award | Kim Jun-seok (Music) | Nominated | |||
39th Golden Cinema Film Festival | Best New Actress | Park Hye-su | Won | [32] | |
28th Buil Film Awards | Best New Actress | Park Hye-su | Nominated | [33] | |
Popular Star Award | Do Kyungsoo | Won | |||
39th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Soundtrack | Kim Jun-seok | Won | [34] | |
40th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best New Actress | Park Hye-su | Nominated | [35][36] | |
Best Film | Swing Kids | Nominated | |||
Best Director | Kang Hyeong-cheol | Nominated | |||
Best Cinematography-Lighting | Kim Ji-young, Jo Gyu-young | Won | |||
Best Editing | Nam Na-yeong | Won | |||
Best Art Direction | Park Il-hyun | Nominated | |||
Technical Award | Im Seung-hui, Gwon Yu-jin (Costumes) | Nominated | |||
Best Music | Kim Jun-seok | Nominated | |||
2020 | 56th Grand Bell Awards | Best Music | Kim Jun-seok | Nominated | |
Best costume Design | Kwon Yujin | Nominated |
References[edit]
External links[edit]