I knew Kim Jong-il wrote some eccentric volumes on art decades ago; it never occurred to me they might be eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime. Does the revenue really flow back to him?
From what I can glean, just one of those reviews is written by an actual, interested (sympathetic?) individual:
Certainly, fans of North Korean Classics like “A River of Blood” or the later (1985) DPRK-science-fiction “Pulgasari” will find in Kim Jong Il’s film theoretical work much food for earnest discussions. Kim Jong Il also gives advice to aspiring North Korean directors by stipulating three essential principles of cinema: “seed theory” (the “proper” revolutionary themes that should be presented), “modeling” (the “proper” portrayal of working class struggles to achieve class liberation), and “speed campaign” (the quick production of films to meet The Party’s needs). “On the Art of the Cinema” is arguably a twentieth century classic, albeit with a frank and radical twist.
