Western Modernity and Postwar Korea: Analysis of Mise-en-Scene in the Film The Housemaid (1960) Anonymous College

For years filmmaking has served as a medium for social commentary. This is true in the case of the psychological thriller, The Housemaid, which depicts the struggles that South Koreans underwent during the transitional period of the 1960s following the end of the Korean War. Written and directed by Kim Ki-young, The Housemaid (1960) is a classic Korean film that features a troubled Korean family as it struggles to keep up with the demands of traditional family values and modernization. Using the different elements of mise-en-scene (setting, costumes, and props) in the home scene at 50.12-55.46, The Housemaid (1960) depicts the overwhelming influence of modernity and Western values on postwar Korea and the resulting consequences of such influence.

The scene at 50.12-55.46 is set in a Westernized, modern two-story home. During the 1960s, the type of home in which an individual lived symbolized their level of economic success. Those who were poor lived in makeshift, low-cost cocoon-like accommodations known as ‘gosiwon’. Rich people, on the other hand, because of their financial power, lived in usually big, lavish homes. Dong-sik’s family lives in a two-story abode, with a staircase which signifies the family’s ascent to power...