Produced by movie buff Kim Jong-Il, Pulgasari is a giant-monster movie directed by kidnapped South Korean director Shin Sang-ok. When a blacksmith is imprisoned, he creates a doll out of rice, which comes alive with a drop of blood. A fable on the power of the collective in the fight against evil Capitalism?

THE FILM
Pulgasari is a North Korean-Japanese co-produced feature film produced in 1985, a giant-monster film similar to the Japanese Godzilla series. And no wonder! On the orders of Kim Jong-Il, South Korean director Shin Sang-ok (and his wife, actress Choi Eun-hee), were kidnapped by North Korean intelligence.

Ordered to set up a North Korean film industry, to sway international opinion regarding the views of the Workers' Party of Korea, Shin Sang-ok attempted escape, was caught and imprisoned, and then forced to make Pulgasari.

Money that should have fed North Korea's starving was diverted into a massive project, which employed Teruyoshi Nakano and the staff from Japan's Toho studios, the creators of Godzilla (who participated in creating the film's special effects). Kenpachiro Satsuma - the stunt performer who played Godzilla from 1984 to 1995 - portrayed Pulgasari.

The battle scene includes more than 10,000 extras from the Korean People's Army.

THE CONTEXT
Kim is said to be a huge film buff, owning a collection of more than 20,000 video tapes.

His reported favorites are the Friday the 13th, Rambo, James Bond, and the Godzilla series, as well as Hong Kong action cinema, and any movie with Elizabeth Taylor.

He is the author of the book On the Art of the Cinema and in 2006 he was involved in the production of the Juche-based movie Diary of a Girl Student – depicting the life of a girl whose parents are scientists – with a KCNA news report stating that Kim "improved its script and guided its production".

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The film has been met with derision and disgust by both East and West, leading to its banning by Kim Jong-Il himself, fearing international ridicule. Sadly, this seems more important to Kim than the derision and disgust felt by the international community over North Korea's human rights record and nuclear programme.

TRAILER (sorry, in Japanese, but you'll get the point)