The Pedlar

Venice, 1596. Bassanio begs his friend Antonio, a prosperous merchant, to lend him a large sum of money so that he can woo Portia, a very wealthy heiress; but Antonio has invested his fortune abroad, so they turn to Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, and ask him for a loan.

In 17th-century Pohjola, young Antti Puuhaara is looking for himself, because he has grown up with no knowledge of his childhood. Two actors, the tragedian and the comedian, who were banished from Tsarist Russia to Karelia, had predicted to the crooked merchant Markki Bohattov that Antti's fate would become intertwined with his own. When Antti falls in love with Bohattov's daughter Darja, the father has to arrange for her to marry the tar merchant Arho Mustahatu.

In a hospital waiting room, a group of men arrive and meet one another. Choe, is the upbeat fellow who always thinks of the nation and its people. Cheon was wounded in the war and has fallen into despair. Then there's the dentist, run ragged by his hectic life. They commiserate over each man's lot in life and exchange stories about their love affairs.

Tragic pages in the history of the formation of the independent Lithuanian state in 1918-20.

Despite mixed emotions, Frederick Winterbourne tries to figure out the bright and bubbly Daisy Miller, only to be helped and hindered by false judgments from their fellow friends.

We all carry our leaves, some of winter, some of spring and summer. But all leaves grow, breathe and wither with time; and so do we.

Chun-sam is working as a servant at Bong-pil's home to be his future son in-law. His daughter, Jeom-sun has grown enough to get wed. But her father thinks she is too young. But in reality he doesn't want to set her daughter with Chun-sam to begin with. Jeom-sun finds out, and picks up a fight with her father. When Chun-sam decides to play hard on his master, Jeom-sun takes Chun-sam's side.

Adada's poor husband suddenly strikes it rich. He changes his hovel for a beautiful home, but his character changes as well. He becomes overly proud and shows off his wealth. Adada, despising the money and what it has done to her husband, throws their savings into the river

An old member of Namsadang (a wayfaring group of Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910)) leaves his daughter Gye-yeon at a tavern of Hwagye Market, a traditional market located in Gurye, Jeollanam-do. Son of the tavern owner Seong-gi and Gye-yeon love each other, but the madam owner tries to separate them by sending Seon-gi to a temple. The old man comes back to take Gye-yeon and disclose a secret that the tavern owner is in fact his daughter, therefore Seong-gi is his grand son. Frustrated to hear that he cannot love Gye-yeon, Seong-gi goes for a long journey without destination as his ancestors of Namsadang have done.

Chor Yuen started his directorial career with a bang. From its very first image, The Natural Son establishes Chor as a filmmaker of stylistic flourish, which would be sustained in various forms throughout his long tenure. Adapted from '30 cents' pulp fiction, it is a Kong Ngee melodrama made in the studio's mould, with Westernised characters and trendy middle-class lifestyles. Yet, Chor's first film is not exempt from the social urgency that characterises the Cantonese cinema of his father, Cheung Wood-yau. The film cloaks its entertainment in a moral deliberation on blood ties, its story about the raising of a bastard child a head-on challenge of archaic family values. An ostentatious start for a colourful and eventful career.