On the Art of the Cinema

On the Art of the Cinema

Cover page of the English edition of On the Art of the Cinema
Author	Kim Jong Il
Country	North Korea
Language	Korean
Subject	Motion pictures in propaganda, Government policy, Korea (North)[1]
Published	April 11, 1973 (April 11, 1973) in Pyongyang: Workers' Party of Korea Publishing House (Korean ed.)[2]
Published in English	1989 (1989) in Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House[1]
Media type	Print
Pages	410 (Korean ed.)[2] 329 (English ed.)[1]
OCLC	22903260
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl	영화예술론
Hancha	映畵藝術論
Revised Romanization	Yeonghwa yesullon
McCune–Reischauer	Yŏnghwa yesul ron

On the Art of the Cinema^[a] (Korean: 영화예술론; MR: Yŏnghwa yesul ron; lit. Film Art Theory^[6][7]) is a 1973 treatise by the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. It is considered the most authoritative work on North Korean filmmaking.

The book sets forth several original theories, which can be applied to the practices of filmmaking, the arts, and beyond. Of these the theory of literature as "humanics" and the "seed theory" are the most important ones. Humanics centers on the question of a good and worthy life. In art, it emphasizes truly independent individuals who are capable of transforming society. The seed theory has become essential to North Korean film theory. It seeks to direct all artistic creation through a single ideological foundation, or "seed". In an individual work, the seed is the synthesis of its subject matter and idea and the basis of its propaganda message. These ideas complement the themes of nationalistic form and socialist content of films. Many ideas presented in the book are justifications for the creation of propaganda supporting the Workers' Party of Korea's policies.

On the Art of the Cinema had major political implications on Kim Jong Il's succession of Kim Il Sung. Kim Jong Il gained political and cultural influence in North Korean society and government by authoring the book.

The impact of On the Art of the Cinema on North Korean filmmaking is disputed. Films from before and after the publication of the treatise are similar in style and many contemporary films breach various rules laid out in the treatise.

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