SHANE SMITH: So this is the scene of a film that the
General Kim Jong-Il directed?
MR. KIM: Yes.
He likes the film very much.
SHANE SMITH: The first thing you realize is this isn't a
film studio, it's a museum.
No one's making any films here.
It's yet another shrine to this guy.
[SPEAKING KOREAN]
SHANE SMITH: So, the North Koreans believe that he
invented the whole concept of multi-camera shoots in 1964.
In fact, they believe he's so great at making films that
they made a film about how great he is at making films.
MALE SPEAKER: Visiting the filming [INAUDIBLE]
he taught the cameraman and actors how to shoot and act.
This resulted in the creation of masterpieces that teach man
the truth of life and destiny.
SHANE SMITH: And my favorite thing is, if you're a little
unsure as to what exactly Kim Jong-Il did on this film, what
was his role, there's a list.
[SPEAKING KOREAN]
SHANE SMITH: So he gave on-the-spot
guidance how many times?
[SPEAKING KOREAN]
MALE SPEAKER: 350.
More than 350 times.
SHANE SMITH: He came here 350 times, but he gave 11,000
phone calls?
[SPEAKING KOREAN]
SHANE SMITH: We got it now.
The General Kim Jong-Il came here 350 times.
He gave 1,770 directions, but also 11,890 guidances.
And these are all of those things categorized here.
I'm not going to ask what 8941 is, because when I asked what
the 11890 was, it caused quite a stir.
It's kind of like Twentieth Century Fox or something.
They took us rapidly from room to room to room.
Some rooms we could shoot, some rooms we couldn't.
I don't know why.
We could shoot the camera room, but we couldn't shoot
the Soviet Mixing Board.
No more shooting?
MR. KIM: From this moment.
SHANE SMITH: From this moment?
OK.
They've got recreations of their meals that they used to
eat when they were filming in the 1960s.
[SPEAKING KOREAN]
MR. PAK:
SHANE SMITH: He played the guitar?
MR. PAK:
SHANE SMITH: But he saw the guitar?
MR. PAK:
SHANE SMITH: He was giving on-the-spot guidance with this
camera, and they kept this camera here.
Can I look?
MR. KIM: Yes.
MR. PAK: Yes, you can.
SHANE SMITH: Thank you.
So I'm looking into the same camera that the General Kim
Jong-Il looked through.
I can see things.
I can see marvelous things.
So this is kind of like their equivalent of [INAUDIBLE], the
Wild West town.
And they'll have the saloon and whatever.
This is their equivalent to make Asian history films.
And do they have a Japanese or American street?
MR. KIM: Yes.
There is the Chinese street, the Japanese street, and
European street, and also the [INAUDIBLE]
street.
SHANE SMITH: Can we see a European street?
MR. KIM: They are repairing now.
SHANE SMITH: Repairing it?
MR. KIM: If they see a disliking to see you.
SHANE SMITH: They don't want to see us?
MR. KIM: Right, they don't want to see you.
SHANE SMITH: OK.
MR. PAK:
SHANE SMITH: We have to go?
MR. PAK:
SHANE SMITH: They're now kicking us
out for some reason.
We asked to see the European street and the American street
which they blow up when they blow up America, but they
won't let us see it.
And now we have to go [INAUDIBLE].
But we're on the film set in Pyongyang Studios.
When we finally got into the film studios in North Korea, I
expected to be taken to a sound stage, or see people
filming, making movies.
But we just got another museum.
It was a facade.
And like the Arirang Games, it's just a show.
And you realize they're doing all of this
for the Dear Leader.
It's Nero.
As Rome is burning, we need the spectacle.
The DMZ, the People's Library, the Juche Ideals, the Arirang
Games, it's just a bunch of sound and fury
that signifies nothing.
MALE
SPEAKER:
