When a Woman Breaks Her Jewel Box () is a 1971 South Korean film directed by Kim Soo-yong. It was awarded Best Film at the Blue Dragon Film Awards ceremony.
Name The title of the film is a reference to the anointment of Jesus Christ at Bethany in Matthew 14:3-9, during which a woman poured perfume in her alabaster jar. The title was chosen because the protagonist lets go of the past and makes a new start.
Synopsis Bo-yeong, young woman living with her father Hyongsik and aunt Yeseon, believes that her mother was killed during the Korean War. She discovers that her mother is still not dead, but, after having been raped by an American soldier, has dedicated her life to taking care of orphans.
Cast Yoon Jeong-hee – Bo-yeong Yoon. Hong Se-mi – Younghee the secretary at the orphanage Nam Kung Won – Hyong-sik, the father of Bo-yeong – Ye-seon, Bo-yeong's aunt Yoon Yang-ha – Hyosup, the fiancee of Bo-yeong Chai Jung-hoon – Kyong-il, detective who is formerly an orphan Lee Hoon - Kwak Chang su, formerly an orphan Park Am - Doctor, who is a friend of Hyong-sik Jeon Young-ju - Mother of Kyong-ae Ko Seol-bong- Senior inspector Kim Hye-ri Kim Ki-bum
Legacy The film is significant for its earliest examples of negative portrayal of American forces stationed in South Korea in South Korean cinema.The film addresses the issue of sexual assault by Americans, a topic that has been ignored in south korean popular media until the 1960s.
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Korean
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