Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Inchon

 Inchon
type
TVTItem
 Inchon
label
Inchon
 Inchon
page
Inchon
 Inchon
comment
Inchon is a 1981 film directed by Terence Young about The Korean War, set during the 1950 Battle of Inchon between the U.S., led by General Douglas MacArthur, and the North Koreans.The plot concerns USMC Major Frank Hallsworth (Ben Gazzara), an American soldier stationed in South Korea, who, along with a Sergeant under his command, Augustus Henderson (Richard Roundtree), gets drawn into the conflict when the North Korean forces invade. Meanwhile, Frank's estranged wife, Barbara (Jacqueline Bisset), is trapped in the combat zone and tries to get to safety, and General MacArthur (Laurence Olivier) settles into his new role as the lead General of the upcoming military operation, while struggling with fears of being too old to handle such an undertaking. Throughout the movie, we also get glimpses of Park (Won Namkung) and Mila (Lydia Lei), a young Korean couple who are about to be married, but get separated by the war. All in all, it is a mixture of action, romance and drama.The movie was a Propaganda Piece funded almost entirely by Rev. Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church. Its followers being known as "Moonies," they are one of the largest and most famous cults in the western world, right behind Scientology. Moon was one of the richest men in the world, owned The Washington Times, claimed to be the messiah, and was famous for his mass weddings, in which devotees were led into a room where the Rev. Moon randomly paired up people. His son, named Kook Moon, more often known as Justin, also owns a pistol manufacturer.Why make a movie about the battle of Inchon? Well, it was apparently a choice between this or making a movie about Jesus or Elvis Presley. That is not a joke. Then a fortune teller claimed that she spoke to MacArthur, who gave Moon the personal go-ahead for Inchon. Moon wanted to show a pivotal moment in Korean history as well as portray MacArthur as a deeply spiritual man. The end goal of Inchon was to be the start of a series of ten or so movies about the Bible.Following a long and very difficult production, the film only had a limited theatrical release, getting pulled from theaters quickly because of poor box office returns. Laurence Olivier in an interview declared that the only reason he took part of this picture is "Money, Dear Boy", which became a Trope Namer for this wiki. Moon wanted to keep his involvement a secret since the Unification Church is perceived as a cult, so all of the actors and crew were paid in cash, including Olivier, who was paid $1.25 million, plus overtime, in deposits of several briefcases. It has never been released on home video, and is only available in VHS recordings ripped from the Unification Church's former TV network, the GoodLife Network (now YTA TV).
 Inchon
fetched
2023-08-28T11:44:54Z
 Inchon
parsed
2023-08-28T11:44:54Z
 Inchon
processingComment
Dropped link to AdaptationalNameChange: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 Inchon
processingUnknown
AdaptationalNameChange
 Inchon
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Inchon / int_112daba0
type
Retired Badass
 Inchon / int_112daba0
comment
Retired Badass: Lim's father, a veteran of World War II.
 Inchon / int_112daba0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_112daba0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_112daba0
 Inchon / int_1b65dfad
type
The Cameo
 Inchon / int_1b65dfad
comment
The Cameo: Omar Sharif pops up as Indian Army Colonel A.G. Rangaraj.
 Inchon / int_1b65dfad
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_1b65dfad
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_1b65dfad
 Inchon / int_225527db
type
Cult Soundtrack
 Inchon / int_225527db
comment
Cult Soundtrack: Despite the actual film being a notorious flop, Jerry Goldsmith's score was popular enough to have been continuously in print for years.
 Inchon / int_225527db
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_225527db
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_225527db
 Inchon / int_259d5879
type
Anachronism Stew
 Inchon / int_259d5879
comment
Anachronism Stew: At the time of the war, Kim Il-Sung was about 40 and definitively more younger-looking than the official portraits in the film. One scene features a shot of a digital watch, which wasn't even invented until 25 years after the film takes place. Take a shot everytime you see someone dressing in more modern outfits, despite the film taking place in 1950. Justified for the North Koreans, who still dress like that even after this film was made!
 Inchon / int_259d5879
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_259d5879
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_259d5879
 Inchon / int_2a44899
type
Plot Armor
 Inchon / int_2a44899
comment
Plot Armor: Barbara and the schoolgirls to a near-absurd extent. Despite being in a large heavy station wagon on Hangang Bridge when it was blown to smithereens, the car not only survives with not even a scratch but just so happened to be on what precious little was left of the bridge with not even a single crack in the windows, despite the fact that their proximity to the blast would've, at the very least, completely obliterated every single window in the vehicle. On top of all that, the wagon almost rolls backwards off the bridge and into the water but several South Korean soldiers are there to help pull the wagon and the girls to safety.
 Inchon / int_2a44899
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_2a44899
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_2a44899
 Inchon / int_2aff6a25
type
Death of the Hypotenuse
 Inchon / int_2aff6a25
comment
Death of the Hypotenuse: Frank's mistress, Lim, is killed while assisting in the raid on the lighthouse.
 Inchon / int_2aff6a25
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_2aff6a25
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_2aff6a25
 Inchon / int_31c4280
type
Conscription
 Inchon / int_31c4280
comment
Conscription: The North Koreans are shown forcing some South Korean prisoners, including the groom in the couple to be wed, to "volunteer" for the Red Army.
 Inchon / int_31c4280
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_31c4280
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_31c4280
 Inchon / int_34dcfc96
type
Kick the Dog
 Inchon / int_34dcfc96
comment
Kick the Dog: North Koreans are shown killing Southern civilians gratuitously and demolishing their homes.
 Inchon / int_34dcfc96
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_34dcfc96
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_34dcfc96
 Inchon / int_35b241c0
type
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
 Inchon / int_35b241c0
comment
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Olivier's attempt at an American accent sounds rather like a bad W. C. Fields impression. This is especially apparent in the final scene when the film segues into footage of the real Gen. MacArthur.
 Inchon / int_35b241c0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_35b241c0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_35b241c0
 Inchon / int_3931557e
type
Storming the Beaches
 Inchon / int_3931557e
comment
Storming the Beaches: The climax of the movie depicts the storming of Wolmido, a beach near Inchon.
 Inchon / int_3931557e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_3931557e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_3931557e
 Inchon / int_3d2c6d30
type
Skewed Priorities
 Inchon / int_3d2c6d30
comment
Skewed Priorities: Played for a quick joke in MacArthur's first scene. His assistant starts briefing him on the ongoing conflict and messages from the President, but MacArthur first asks for "the real news": the score of a baseball game between the Army and Penn State.
 Inchon / int_3d2c6d30
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_3d2c6d30
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_3d2c6d30
 Inchon / int_3f11ef74
type
Parental Substitute
 Inchon / int_3f11ef74
comment
Parental Substitute: Barbara becomes a temporary mom to the Korean children she escorts away from the war.
 Inchon / int_3f11ef74
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_3f11ef74
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_3f11ef74
 Inchon / int_4023b8c8
type
First-Name Basis
 Inchon / int_4023b8c8
comment
First-Name Basis: MacArthur tends to address people working under him by their first names, including his current secretary, Lieutenant Haig, and Frank, who used to fill the same position for him.
 Inchon / int_4023b8c8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_4023b8c8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_4023b8c8
 Inchon / int_4eaa9b84
type
Author Tract
 Inchon / int_4eaa9b84
comment
Author Tract: This film is a thinly disguised propaganda vehicle for Rev. Moon's ideology.
 Inchon / int_4eaa9b84
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_4eaa9b84
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_4eaa9b84
 Inchon / int_55f5d33
type
We Only Have One Chance
 Inchon / int_55f5d33
comment
We Only Have One Chance: MacArthur argues for the expedient date of the invasion of Inchon because the only oppurtunity they have to enter the bay is a tide that lasts an hour.
 Inchon / int_55f5d33
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_55f5d33
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_55f5d33
 Inchon / int_56515a39
type
Artistic License – History
 Inchon / int_56515a39
comment
Artistic License – History: Admitted in the opening disclaimer: For one thing, there was indeed a lighthouse raid performed during the real operation, but it wasn't as vital to its success as the film portrays it. The film's depiction of the Hangang Bridge bombing. In real life, the bridge was blown up at 2:30am, and the hundreds of civilian casualties were the result of the South Korean military demolishing the bridge to stop the North Koreans from taking it without evacuating the bridge first, killing somewhere between 500 and 1000 civilians and accidentally cutting off the retreat path for one of their own divisions - despite the North Koreans still being six to eight hours away. Apparently, the one who gave the order was the South Korean army's chief of staff, General Chae Pyong-duk, who did so as soon as he himself had crossed it, while a scapegoat, Colonel Choi Chang-sik, was officially blamed and executed, despite following the orders of superior officers. In the movie, the demolition happens in broad daylight, and the bridge is being overrun by North Korean troops when the explosives are detonated, portraying the decision to blow it up with civilians still on it as a painful, but necessary sacrifice. The film's description of the death of Douglas MacArthur's father, Arthur MacArthur, gets a stunning number of details wrong. According to the film, MacArthur was known as "the Boy General" and was attending a reunion of his Civil War regiment at the Smithsonian Institution when he suffered a fatal stroke; his comrades sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" before wrapping him in a flag he had planted on a hilltop at Cemetery Ridge and carrying him to Arlington National Cemetery. In reality, he was known as "the Boy Colonel",note  He was promoted to colonel in 1864 at the age of 19; he was not promoted to general until he was in his 40s. his flag-planting happened at the battle of Missionary Ridge,note  Which is in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Cemetery Ridge is in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. the reunion of his regiment (the 24th Wisconsin Infantry) happened in Milwaukee, and he left specific instructions that he was not to be buried in Arlington but in Milwaukee, a request that was honoured until his body was moved to Arlington fourteen years later. Whether or not MacArthur's fellow veterans sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" as he died can only be guessed.
 Inchon / int_56515a39
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_56515a39
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_56515a39
 Inchon / int_5663a595
type
Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole
 Inchon / int_5663a595
comment
Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole: In the scene depicting the Hangang bridge bombing, the North Korean troops are firing at the bridge with tanks to kill civilians; in real life, the North Korean forces hadn't even gotten to the bridge when it was blown up. If they are intent on actually seizing control of the bridge for their own use, why are they hitting it with tank shots?
 Inchon / int_5663a595
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_5663a595
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_5663a595
 Inchon / int_6eb4e408
type
Artistic License – Military
 Inchon / int_6eb4e408
comment
Artistic License – Military: Throughout the movie, Frank, a U.S. Marine, is in contact with MacArthur, a General in the U.S. Army, and served under him prior to the events of the movie. Even though MacArthur was in charge of the operation as a whole, Frank would be expected to get his orders from another Marine higher in the chain of command. In a conversation between Frank and Henderson, it's simply explained as him having a "token Marine".
 Inchon / int_6eb4e408
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_6eb4e408
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_6eb4e408
 Inchon / int_6eeaa3c4
type
Bus Full of Innocents
 Inchon / int_6eeaa3c4
comment
Bus Full of Innocents: While fleeing away from the combat, Barbara gets roped into transporting a group of orphaned Korean children by their grandfather.
 Inchon / int_6eeaa3c4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_6eeaa3c4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_6eeaa3c4
 Inchon / int_7426582d
type
Token Minority
 Inchon / int_7426582d
comment
Token Minority: Sgt. Henderson (played by Richard Roundtree) is the only non-white American main character.
 Inchon / int_7426582d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_7426582d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_7426582d
 Inchon / int_7831c048
type
So Much for Stealth
 Inchon / int_7831c048
comment
So Much for Stealth: The nighttime raid turns into a full-on firefight when Frank and the others are exposed.
 Inchon / int_7831c048
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_7831c048
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_7831c048
 Inchon / int_79fa704c
type
Training the Peaceful Villagers
 Inchon / int_79fa704c
comment
Training the Peaceful Villagers: The interactions between the American forces and the South Korean locals and military have undertones of this. In the beginning of the movie, they are portrayed as hopelessly inexperienced and underequipped. Later, Frank is seen leading a group of South Korean guerrilla forces as they attack a North Korean convoy.
 Inchon / int_79fa704c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_79fa704c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_79fa704c
 Inchon / int_8cb844c6
type
Mr. Exposition
 Inchon / int_8cb844c6
comment
Mr. Exposition: The team of journalists that appears throughout the movie is really just there to tell the backstory of General MacArthur.
 Inchon / int_8cb844c6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_8cb844c6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_8cb844c6
 Inchon / int_8f9f71a8
type
Crazy Enough to Work
 Inchon / int_8f9f71a8
comment
Crazy Enough to Work: MacArthur's justification for why the invasion of the Inchon harbor will work: because it's such a difficult operation that nobody will expect it.
 Inchon / int_8f9f71a8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_8f9f71a8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_8f9f71a8
 Inchon / int_90c018ac
type
Justified Trope
 Inchon / int_90c018ac
comment
Take a shot everytime you see someone dressing in more modern outfits, despite the film taking place in 1950. Justified for the North Koreans, who still dress like that even after this film was made!
 Inchon / int_90c018ac
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_90c018ac
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_90c018ac
 Inchon / int_9751f6eb
type
Tanks, but No Tanks
 Inchon / int_9751f6eb
comment
Tanks, but No Tanks: The North Korean tanks are obviously American M47snote Ironically enough, M47 almost did see American service during the war, had it lasted longer; meanwhile its direct precursors, M26 and M46, did serve in the war. with Korean flags on top.
 Inchon / int_9751f6eb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_9751f6eb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_9751f6eb
 Inchon / int_99390db0
type
Saintly Church
 Inchon / int_99390db0
comment
Saintly Church: The St. Mary's Mission that takes in Barbara, the Korean children and Mila and gives the group shelter and the children a school education.
 Inchon / int_99390db0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_99390db0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_99390db0
 Inchon / int_a39d6056
type
Nice to the Waiter
 Inchon / int_a39d6056
comment
Nice to the Waiter: Despite being rather hard-charging around other generals, MacArthur is quite pleasant to civilians and those serving under him, including Frank, whom he still addresses by his first name, and his assistant.
 Inchon / int_a39d6056
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_a39d6056
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_a39d6056
 Inchon / int_ac1e30d8
type
Red Scare
 Inchon / int_ac1e30d8
comment
Red Scare: The North Koreans are made to be as evil and repressive as possible
 Inchon / int_ac1e30d8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_ac1e30d8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_ac1e30d8
 Inchon / int_bc00493f
type
Precision F-Strike
 Inchon / int_bc00493f
comment
Precision F-Strike: MacArthur's first scene has one (that's unfortunately blanked out in the GoodLife TV airing):
 Inchon / int_bc00493f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_bc00493f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_bc00493f
 Inchon / int_bec0417c
type
Happily Married
 Inchon / int_bec0417c
comment
Happily Married: MacArthur and his wife.
 Inchon / int_bec0417c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_bec0417c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_bec0417c
 Inchon / int_c3286b8e
type
Uptown Girl
 Inchon / int_c3286b8e
comment
Uptown Girl: Barbara and Frank, in the past. She is said to have come from an upper-class family, Frank is a career Marine; he later blames this on the decay of their marriage.
 Inchon / int_c3286b8e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_c3286b8e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_c3286b8e
 Inchon / int_c515d358
type
America Saves the Day
 Inchon / int_c515d358
comment
America Saves the Day: Even though the movie shows soldiers of other nationalities being part of the effort against North Korea (and the film proudly notes that over 20 countries were involved in the war), the Americans, MacArthur in particular, are firmly placed in the foreground and do pretty much everything of actual consequence.
 Inchon / int_c515d358
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_c515d358
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_c515d358
 Inchon / int_ca5d7b66
type
Pre-Climax Climax
 Inchon / int_ca5d7b66
comment
Pre-Climax Climax: Frank and Barbara, the night before Frank takes part in the lighthouse raid.
 Inchon / int_ca5d7b66
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_ca5d7b66
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_ca5d7b66
 Inchon / int_df41acb
type
Casual Danger Dialogue
 Inchon / int_df41acb
comment
Casual Danger Dialogue: A pretty glaring one early in the film, when Hallsworth and Henderson have a rather leisurely stroll to their truck while a battle between the North Korean forces and the ROK rages in the background.
 Inchon / int_df41acb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_df41acb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_df41acb
 Inchon / int_e4b69188
type
Very Loosely Based on a True Story
 Inchon / int_e4b69188
comment
Very Loosely Based on a True Story: The events portrayed in the film are only superficially adapted from history.
 Inchon / int_e4b69188
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_e4b69188
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_e4b69188
 Inchon / int_f4b744f5
type
Unkempt Beauty
 Inchon / int_f4b744f5
comment
Unkempt Beauty: Barbara throughout most of the first half of the film. Stands out particularly in a scene when she arrives at a United Nations military camp and stops to fix her makeup when a journalist tries to take a photo of her.
 Inchon / int_f4b744f5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_f4b744f5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_f4b744f5
 Inchon / int_fb3576b2
type
The Dog Bites Back
 Inchon / int_fb3576b2
comment
The Dog Bites Back: Park. After having been forcibly drafted into the North Korean forces, he seizes an opportunity when his unit is ambushed by a South Korean guerrilla to kill the commissar who forced him to join when he is injured and unable to move.
 Inchon / int_fb3576b2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_fb3576b2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_fb3576b2
 Inchon / int_name
type
ItemName
 Inchon / int_name
comment
 Inchon / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Inchon / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inchon
hasFeature
Inchon / int_name
 Inchon / int_name
itemName
Inchon

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Inchon
hasFeature
Bury Your Art / int_883a5fa3
 Inchon
hasFeature
Cult Soundtrack / int_883a5fa3
 Inchon
hasFeature
Excited Show Title! / int_883a5fa3
 Inchon
hasFeature
Historical Hero Upgrade / int_883a5fa3
 Inchon
hasFeature
Storming the Beaches / int_883a5fa3
 Inchon
hasFeature
The '50s / int_883a5fa3