This film captures the nightmarish anxieties of life as a modern woman, where not even social stature can stave off festering hostility or fear of reprisal, and “civilized society” is but an illusion.
While its bitterly ironic title, “Splendid Outing,” suggests a bright, wholesome film, director Kim Soo-Yong’s 1978 endeavor is anything but. It begins by following successful businesswoman Gong Do-hee (Yoon Jeong-Hee) over the course of a day as she attends meetings, gives speeches, and makes television appearances. She is a successful and respected businessperson despite the rigid, patriarchal society in which she operates. However, as she goes to sleep that night in her spacious and well-manicured house, Gong Do-hee dreams of her deceased twin sister.
The dream itself isn’t particularly ominous, but it leads her to drive to the seaside. There, she’s kidnapped and “returned” to an undisclosed island to live with a man, Yong Dal-ho (Lee Dae-Keun), who insists Gong Do-hee is his runaway wife. Yong Dal-ho is a drunkard and an abusive man, promptly asserting control over Gong Do-hee and attempting to force her into his version of reality.
Kim Soo-Yong’s film is a feminist nightmare. A fever-dream of a movie where everything a woman says is taken with a grain of salt, and the words of a slovenly, incoherent man are innately true. Soo-Yong sets things up fantastically in the first half of this film, creating a compelling, yet horrifying, narrative as Gong Do-hee’s life is turned upside down. Unfortunately, this narrative tightness gives way in the film’s second half, where events begin to grow repetitive. While this underscores the gravity of her situation, it results in a stagnant stretch of runtime, especially when paired with the film’s essentially inert, flat score. All of this leads to an open-to-interpretation ending that might feel like a cop-out for some viewers.
This limited edition disc is a world Blu-ray premiere from Radiance Films. The film “was digitally scanned and colour graded in 4K by the Korean Film Archive.” The results are generally pleasing. There are some vertical scratches apparent throughout the film, but they aren’t distracting. The audio can be somewhat harsh, but it remains intelligible throughout.
Extra features include an audio commentary by Ariel Schudson, two interviews, and a visual essay. Additionally, the limited edition includes a booklet with writing about the film. The two interviews are talking-head interviews: one with Lee Chang-Dong, an appreciation of actress Yoon Jeong-hee, and the other with Chung Ji-Young, who chronicles his time working as an assistant director for Kim Soo-Yong. The visual essay by Pierce Conran explores South Korea’s “women-on-an-island” films and is the most intriguing extra on this disc.
Radiance Films continues their trend of releasing under-seen and under-appreciated works from under-seen and under-appreciated filmmakers. While “Splendid Outing” didn’t totally work for me, its striking first half and thematically uncompromising perspective make it a film worth seeking out.
Now available on Limited Edition Blu-ray™ from RADIANCE FILMS
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