1962 | Korea | B&W | 99′ | DCP Director: Shin Sang-ok Screenwriter: Kim Kang-yun Cinematographer: Jeong Hae-jun Cast: Choi Eun-hee, Shin Young-kyun, Han Eun-jin In Korean with Chinese and English subtitles 1963 Best Film, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Daejong Film Awards, Korea Bound by Chastity Rule is another Asian film about women forced to endure the suffocating morality of feudal orders. Released eight years before the Hong Kong masterpiece The Arch (1970), the film, also titled The Memorial Gate for Virtuous Women, is the poignant story of a young woman forced to marry a much younger husband and when widowed, forced to remain chaste for the rest of her life, especially because her mother-in-law has endured the same fate and has been honoured with the Arch of Chastity. Conflicts develop between the individual, the family and society at large, all the while contending with issues of class and tradition as well as the force of nature, intersecting with the human penchant for love and sexuality. “A man serves not two kings. A woman serves not two husbands.” A sermonising couplet hangs prominently in the house of the husband’s family, calligraphed in orthodox Chinese. It is an emblem of Confucianism corrupted, of idealistic values becoming antiquated and degraded, resulting in human sufferings. But the film is set in the era of transitioning to modernity, when those values are facing contentious challenges. Not unlike the cries of “Demolish the Confucian Shop” during China’s May Fourth Movement, this lyrical melodrama exudes an urgency for Korea to cancel archaic and damaging cultural practices. The film concludes with a happy ending which at once provides hope for the future and reminds us of thousands of cases – perhaps even millions – of unhappiness that date back centuries. Fostered by the husband-and-wife team of director Shin Sang-ok and actress Choi Eun-hee with a stellar cast and crew, the film is a testament to the capacity of popular entertainment to capture the spirit of its time. The quality of the image, sound and Chinese subtitle of the screened version is short of ideal. We appreciate your understanding.

11/10/2025(Sat) 17:30

$75