The first 15 minutes, or thereabouts, of 'Nora Noh' progress much as one would expect; the early stages of preparations for the exhibition/retrospective peppered with short photo-shoot segments and 'talking head' statements - from designer Seo Eun-young and several of Nora Noh's clients and customers from over the years - referencing some of the numerous landmark moments in this iconic fashion designer's illustrious career, from her holding of South Korea's first fashion show in 1957, to Macy's in New York devoting its entire ground floor to her designs, to her being behind the controversial move to dress singer Yoon Bok-hee in a miniskirt in 1967, and more.
Though these lauding comments give a general idea of the importance of Nora Noh to Korea's fashion industry and history, they are largely teasers for the ensuing story of the designer's incredible life told by the lady herself (more on this shortly) and far more telling at this early stage are almost passing mentions of Nora and Eun-young's somewhat critical perceptions of each other's generation (for example, Eun-young claiming that those of Nora's generation are "just growing old and reminiscing, clinging onto past glories" juxtaposed with Nora stating her belief that "Youngsters don't value my generation's stories or experience, and always start their replies with 'No'") as well as their differing attitudes to both fashion in general and the form the exhibition should take specifically. These differing opinions deftly foreshadow the tensions between the two that will grippingly underpin almost the entire anniversary event.

Within the present-day documentary, Nora Noh's life story (as previously mentioned narrated by Nora herself) is stunningly told; combining archive footage, stills and reconstructed scenes to tell a true-life tale as exciting as any factual, or indeed fictional, narrative a scriptwriter could ever hope to write:
From her marriage at 17 and her divorce just two years later leading directly to, and continually underlining, Nora Noh's lifelong 'nothing to lose' attitude; to her studies in the US and her embracing of Western fashion aesthetics enabling her to create ready-made garments (prior even to Paris) mixing modern and traditional fashions at a time when the Korean Government had just begun advising the adoption of such attire by the female workforce rebuilding the country after the War, instead of extravagant and cumbersome traditional garb; to her intelligent decision to affiliate herself with Yoon Bok-hee - a singer utterly idolised by Korean women in her heyday - and convince her to be seen performing in a Nora Noh designed miniskirt (a highly controversial style at the time as the accompanying newspaper headlines attest: "Don't be fooled by minis, the product of misogyny and perverted designers"; "Minis trigger sex crimes"; "Woman goes on Summary Trial for wearing Ultramini, 17cm above the knees"; etc.) each historical landmark in Nora Noh's career positively screaming of how utterly deserving she is of the numerous accolades she has received over the years and pointing to a woman whose total conviction held steadfast through struggles that would have made most run and hide; all perfectly linked by director Kim Sung-hee to the ongoing present-day retrospective creation.

However, unmissable though each of the above sections unquestionably is, for me personally (perhaps unsurprisingly considering my obsession with Korean film) the greatest highlight of the entire 'Nora Noh' documentary is the detailing of the designer's importance to the Korean Cinema Golden Age:
Video clips and stills from a myriad of classic Korean films of the 50s and 60s (full details/listings of which can be found at the end of this review) are combined with insightful interviews with veteran actresses Eom Aen-gran, Choi Ji-hee and Choi Eun-hee in which they each cite instances where Nora Noh and her fashions influenced not only specific films and cast/character portrayals but also served to gradually bring a change to Korean Cinema as a whole.
Numerous and well-placed these references are one and all, but one quoted statement (originally said by Eom Aen-gran's grandmother) about these hugely famous actresses sums up Nora Noh's importance to both them and the entire film industry, to a tee:
"Don't think you became famous just because of your looks; it's Nora Noh's clothing designs that made you a star."

Cast: Nora Noh, Seo Eun-young, Choi Eun-hee, Choi Ji-hee, Eom Aen-gran

Directed by: Kim Sung-hee


Summary:

Not only is 'Nora Noh' an insightful documentary telling of the iconic designer's efforts to create an exhibition to celebrate her 60 years in the fashion industry, but it also equally stands as a history of post-war Korea; an overview of the changing place of women in Korean society, over the years; and a detailing of the influence one woman's fashion designs had on both the Korean film industry of the 50s & 60s and its stars. In depth throughout, 'Nora Noh' steps behind the veil of fame to celebrate the life of a deeply talented woman as strong in spirit as she is in conviction.