Abstract

In 1943, one film that had been commented as a total failure as a propaganda film achieved a box office success in Chosun, surpassing the previous propaganda films' records. This film <Straits of Chosun> had been fiercely criticized because of its obsolete story line-with a volunteer soldier who escaped from the matter of marriage obstacle and a girl who waited for his return-which was far apart from the state of affairs in 1943in Chosun. Nevertheless, the film made one million of people in Keijyo have tears on them. In this essay, I focus on following two matters. First, why the film still deal with the story of a volunteer solider? I am asking this on the ground that enforcing a conscription was already decided in 1943 when the film was made. Selective service was made not only because of a great cause for the Imperial but also because of private reason such as marriage obstacle. Second, the success of the film was associated with the birth of a 'female star' in Chosun. This was a long-cherished desire for Chosun's film industry to increase the stakes of the film market in Chosun. What is more important here is the fact that the female star represented a character of 'waiting girl'. In other words, although it is sure that <Straits of Chosun> is a story of Chonghu Buin(統後婦人), more important thing is that the image of 'waiting girl' was created through the film. Considering the principals of nation state, which were conscription,compulsory education, and suffrage, the scene of conscription in the film made new born 'people' of a modern nation face those principals. However, the principals of modern nation could never be naturalized because Chosun was a colony. Therefore, the colonized should prove their spontaneities when it comes to conscription. As doing so, conscription for the colonized reminded them the principals of modern nation repeatedly. In this continual reproduction, the cause of conscription 'save the country by blood' turned into 'conscious conduct'. In 1943, the film <Straits of Chosun> showed this contradiction emerging among conscription, a nation-state, and a colony. Meanwhile, women should take a certain part in this modern nation's project that is based on conscription; she became one of subjects by performing a role of 'waiting girl'.