Synopsis
"Falsely accused as the murderer of my own husband... Oh, the cruel machinations of fate!" A female teacher (Lee Yong-ae) gives shelter to an escaped convict, but her husband, misconstruing her intentions, reacts violently and accidentally stabs himself to death in the process. The teacher is charged with her husband&♯39;s murder, but fortunately the prosecutor on the case is a former student of hers, of whom she had taken painstaking care when she was working at an elementary school. Remembering her kindness to him, the prosecutor uncovers her innocence in court, and she is acquitted of the crime.
Notes
"A silent movie that allows us to examine the narrator-accompanied method of 16mm films" (Chung Jong-wha)
A Public Prosecutor and a Teacher is familiar to us for the performance of Shin Chool, Korea&♯39;s last silent movie narrator (known as "byeonsa"in Korean). Numerous critics have recommended the film, praising it as "a silent movie that allows us to examine the narrator-accompanied method of 16mm films" (Chung Jong-wha), "the work of Korea&♯39;s last silent movie narrator" (Kim Hong-joon), a movie that "reflects the public&♯39;s consciousness and has great historical value" (Lee Seung-hun), and "the archetypal new-school film" (Chung Sung-il). As evidenced by such commentary, A Public Prosecutor and a Teacherenjoys greater recognition for its historical value as the only surviving silent movie in Korea than for its artistic or technical aspects. What is ironic is the fact that this recognition derivesfrom a production and screening method that fell behind the times, as sound films (or "talkies") had already become the norm when the movie was first made. Its inclusion in the list is therefore based on its historical, social context rather than on the film itself.
Afterword:
- Narrated by Shin Chool, who is known as Korea&♯39;s last silent film narrator, A Public Prosecutor and a Teacherhas been screened at several film festivals since the latter half of the 1990s.
