Synopsis
__QUOTE__Falsely accused as the murderer of my own husband... Oh, the cruel machinations of fate!__QUOTE__ A female teacher (Lee Yong-ae) gives shelter to an escaped convict, but her husband, misconstruing her intentions, reacts violently and accidentally stabs himself to death in the process. The teacher is charged with her husband__APOS__s murder, but fortunately the prosecutor on the case is a former student of hers, of whom she had taken painstaking care when she was working at an elementary school. Remembering her kindness to him, the prosecutor uncovers her innocence in court, and she is acquitted of the crime.
Notes
__QUOTE__A silent movie that allows us to examine the narrator-accompanied method of 16mm films__QUOTE__ (Chung Jong-wha)
A Public Prosecutor and a Teacher is familiar to us for the performance of Shin Chool, Korea__APOS__s last silent movie narrator (known as __QUOTE__byeonsa__QUOTE__in Korean). Numerous critics have recommended the film, praising it as __QUOTE__a silent movie that allows us to examine the narrator-accompanied method of 16mm films__QUOTE__ (Chung Jong-wha), __QUOTE__the work of Korea__APOS__s last silent movie narrator__QUOTE__ (Kim Hong-joon), a movie that __QUOTE__reflects the public__APOS__s consciousness and has great historical value__QUOTE__ (Lee Seung-hun), and __QUOTE__the archetypal new-school film__QUOTE__ (Chung Sung-il). As evidenced by such commentary, A Public Prosecutor and a Teacherenjoys greater recognition for its historical value as the only surviving silent movie in Korea than for its artistic or technical aspects. What is ironic is the fact that this recognition derivesfrom a production and screening method that fell behind the times, as sound films (or __QUOTE__talkies__QUOTE__) had already become the norm when the movie was first made. Its inclusion in the list is therefore based on its historical, social context rather than on the film itself.
Afterword:
- Narrated by Shin Chool, who is known as Korea__APOS__s last silent film narrator, A Public Prosecutor and a Teacherhas been screened at several film festivals since the latter half of the 1990s.