Taksae, a skilled
smith was ordered to make weapons from the farm tools
looted
by the government. But
conscientious Taksae secretly gave back all the tools to farmers,
and was arrested and tortured harshly. At the last moment of his
life, he made a little doll with rice his daughter Ami had brought
to him, and named the doll "Pulgasari" after a legendary monster
which was believed to help people in hard times.
After his death, Ami
and her younger brother brought the doll to their home as a memento
of their father. One day, when a drop of Ami's blood happened to
fall upon the two-inch-tall Pulgasari, it was suddenly given life,
and grew bigger as he ate iron. On the day of the public execution
of Ami's lover Indae, who was arrested because he was one of the
leaders of a riot, "Pulgasari" suddenly appeared and saved his
life.
As the monster sided
with the peasants as their guardian, the people won battles against
the soldiers from the military regime and advanced towards the
king's palace. The military regime fiercely fought
against the peasants, but giant Pulgasari, as his name "immortal"
means, was overwhelmingly stronger and there was no ways for the
authorities to stop the uprising.
Then, a cunning
general who captured Pulgasari by taking Ami as a hostage, tried to
burn to death Pulgasari when was confined in a huge cage, but the
monster was still immortal and saved Ami. In the decisive battle, Pulgasari
destroyed the King's palace and routed the enemies.
As the legend goes, Pulgasari
helped people and brought peace to Koryo. But his insatiable appetite for
iron ironically became another menace to the life of peasants who
had to give their farm tools to the monster. Ami, who wished for the happiness
of people, decided to take the life of Pulgasari by sacrificing
herself. Ami hid herself in side of a big bell in a temple, and
Pulgasari, who did not know that Ami was inside the bell, ate it.
Ami told Pulgasari to sleep calmly from the belly of Pulgasari.
Then, suddenly Pulgasari fell down and the two passed away
peacefully.
My Rating : 
My Review : This is one rare movie from North
Korea. The origin of this movie making itself outweigh the
actual story. Under the instruction of Kim Jong il, North Korea
send her spies in 1978 to kidnap a South Korean actress and
her director husband to force them to produce this movie. 12
years later, the South Korean husband and wife escaped from North
Korea and seek alysum in the US. This movie was finally completed
and released in 1985 in DPKR but the movie was banned until after
some 10 years later.
It is somewhat interesting to know that they fought to get rid
of the corrupted government who confiscated their metal farming
tools only to feed the tools to their guidance
monster Pulgasari after the liberation.
