The 1960s was called the golden age of Korean films, as high-quality movies adapted from acclaimed literary works flooded the screens. As the Korean film industry began to flourish, Korea came to have a greater presence in the Asian and international cinematic scene. The subjects portrayed in the Korean films changed over time, covering such topics as the devastations of war in the early 1960s to adolescent angst and rebellion in the late 1960s and 1970s. Korean films enjoyed their golden age in the 1960s by featuring fast-changing Korean society and today's thriving film industry in Korea would have been impossible if not for the movies that made Koreans laugh and cry half a century ago.