초록 열기/닫기 버튼
This paper aims to study Byung-hun Lee’s character in Korean melodrama movies from the 1990s to the 2000s. The subjects of the study are eight melodrama movies, i.e. Who Makes Me Crazy (1995), The Harmonium In My Memory (1999), Bungee Jumping Of Their Own (2000), Addiction (2002), Everybody Has Secrets (2004), A Bittersweet Life (2005), Once In A Summer (2006) and A single rider (2016). The research methodology analyzes the axis of protagonist, the axis of communication, and the axis of desire, focusing on the main character played by Byung-hun Lee. First, protagonist's axis shows the isolation and deviation of 'a self thrown into the world' through the relationship between protagonist, antagonist and helper. Conformal protagonist is placed in a society with no exit due to many antagonists and no helper. The protagonist deviates from the community feeling helpless and traumatized because of the crisis in the public society, violent experiences, and irreversible events. The window shows the barrier in reality, the mirror shows the inner division. Byung-hun Lee expresses 'the self thrown into the world' by portraying the protagonist’s repression, helplessness, and cracks as double acting, identity change, and delicate emotional expression. Second, the axis of desire shows the secret and camouflage of 'a man dreaming of forbidden desires' through the relationship between the subject and the object of desire. The protagonist crosses the dichotomy of gender with the coexistence of masculinity and femininity, and seeks the idealization of romantic love by assuming the heroine and reality as pure. The protagonist pursues sexuality outside the marriage system and forbidden desires, so reveals the desire for homosexuality and a crack in sexuality. Secret duality, peeking, and doubling express forbidden desires, camouflage of desire, and fascinating moments of romantic love. Byung-hun Lee expresses the idealization of romantic love and the camouflage of desire with restrained acting, which makes the audience empathize with 'the man dreaming of forbidden desires'. Third, the axis of communication shows the romance of sad frustration of 'a self-blaming human' through the relationship between sender, the object and receiver. The protagonist’s love becomes a sad romance of frustration due to the unfulfilled trauma, the illusion of romantic love, and the failure of forbidden desires. The protagonist dreams of meeting the wishes with assumptions in the context of reconstructing oppression, absence of a happy ending, and tragic ending. The angle shows a gaze transcending reality, and the cross-editing shows an allusion to a tragic ending. Byung-hun Lee’s tearful acting expresses 'the self-blaming human' through the deepening tragedy, the outpouring of emotions, and the tears of sobbing. The protagonist’s Byung-hun Lee expresses 'a wounded soul' through his isolation, pursuit of forbidden desires, and lack of communication.
