This amateur film was shot in Korea and Japan by G.A Gow and contains scenes of rural and traditional life at the time. The year of this footage is unclear but the clothing, dancing and the presence of an American baseball team place it in either the 1920’s or 1930’s which was the period of Japanese colonial rule in Korea.
B&W: WS European people seated with [Japanese - Korean] people in audience. GV [Japanese - Korean] women performing traditional dances on stage with knives - Men playing drums, Janggu, flutes and haegeum at side of stage, International flags hang from bunting above stage. WS [Korean] men playing traditional game. WS [Korean] Woman performing traditional dance on stage. GV [Korean] Man walking, jumping and performing tricks on tightrope in front of large crowd - Hills and ridges in BG. WS GV [Korean ] Man and woman performing western style dance on stage - waltz, jitterbug. GV [Korean] Women in formal dress walking past crowd of men. [Korean] Women pulling on rope in tug of war competition. GV [Korean - ] Men in athletics outfits forming into column and marching behind flag with SIGN “Mill” - 1 Man wears enormous dunce cap. GV [Korean] Children wearing Sunday best marching in circle to music - large crowd watching from nearby. WS [Korean] men in athletics outfits participating in race by using sticks to knock bottles along track. [Korean] Men in athletics uniforms seated besides dirt race track clapping - Man wearing enormous dunce hat dances in front of them. MS Person writing [Korean] calligraphy with ink and brush on paper scroll on ground. GV [Korean] Men performing somersaults, rotations and dismounts from parallel bars - large crowds in BG.
MS [Korean] Women standing on ploughed field. GV [Korean] Agricultural workers raking at ploughed field with small hoes.
HS Overlooking [Korean] Women walking up steep hillside track - rural village in BG. GV MS [Korean] Women in formal dress wearing make up walking towards camera - rural village in BG. MS Group og [Korean] Women in formal dress standing atop hill looking at camera - rural village in BG.
WS Group of [Korean] children posing for camera. GV Group of [Korean] people in gully striking drums and watching person in robes dancing [shamanistic ritual]. [Korean] Young girls standing watching.
PAN R Across rice paddies to agricultural workers harvesting by hand. GV [Korean] Agricultural workers harvesting in rice paddy and maintaining low embankments.
Elderly [Korean] man in traditional robes and fedora hat talking with others beneath umbrella. Elderly [Korean] men descending stone stairs beneath umbrella then adjusting robes. WS Elderly [Korean] Man descending flight of stones steps accompanied by woman holding umbrella.
PAN R Across [Korean and European] / American baseball team standing on pitch.
PAN R From person leading water buffalo along road in rural village to small dam ad weir. GV Young [Korean] girl holding infant on back in rural village and smiling for camera. GV Very mangy looking dog and puppies standing about on dirt road.
GV Large rounded rocks and stones in wide languidly flowing river - steep vegetation covered hills in BG. GV Reflection of clouds in slowly flowing rippling river. GV Single tree on hillside overlooking agricultural valley. HS Overlooking rice paddies and fields in river valley. GV Water flowing through watermill and powering trip hammer mill mechanism. LS Simple wooden bridge crossing shallow river - tree in FG. GV [Korean] Agricultural workers planting rice in rice paddies. LS Large bird silhouetted against sky flying past large tree. WS [Korean] Children swinging on large swing. GV [Korean] Children swinging on large swing constructed of logs and rope - children stand watching.