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Monkey! - Episodes 1-3 [1979] [DVD]
 
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Monkey! - Episodes 1-3 [1979] [DVD]

DVD ~ Masaaki Sakai
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
RRP: £19.99
Price: £14.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

Monkey! - Episodes 1-3 [1979] [DVD] + Monkey! - Episodes 4-6 [1979] [DVD] + Monkey! - Episodes 7-9 [1980] [DVD]
Total RRP: £59.97
Price For All Three: £54.16

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Monkey! - Episodes 1-3 [1979] [DVD]
84% buy the item featured on this page:
Monkey! - Episodes 1-3 [1979] [DVD] 4.9 out of 5 stars (15)
£14.98
Monkey! - The Complete Series [DVD]
7% buy
Monkey! - The Complete Series [DVD] 4.8 out of 5 stars (11)
£51.88
Monkey! - Episodes 1 To 13 [1978] [DVD]
4% buy
Monkey! - Episodes 1 To 13 [1978] [DVD] 4.5 out of 5 stars (2)
£28.98
Monkey! - Episodes 4-6 [1979] [DVD]
3% buy
Monkey! - Episodes 4-6 [1979] [DVD] 4.7 out of 5 stars (3)
£19.59
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Product details

  • Actors: Masaaki Sakai, Toshiyukai Nishida, Masako Natsume, Shiro Kishibe
  • Directors: Yusuke Watanabe
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: All Regions
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 12
  • Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 29 April 2002
  • Run Time: 168 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000066CSH
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 20,717 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

A loose (very loose) Japanese TV adaptation of Wu Ch'eng-en's 16th-century collection of Chinese fables, Monkey! was re-dubbed into English in the early 1980s and became required viewing for a whole generation of school children. The titular monkey (played with great enthusiasm, not to mention athleticism by Japanese comic actor and former rock star Masaaki Sakai) accompanies boy-monk Tripitaka (confusingly, a pretty actress called Masako Natsume) on his/her quest for the Indian Sutras. They pick up Sandy (Shiro Kishibe), Pigsy (Toshiyuki Nishida) and a dragon that becomes a horse along the way.

The appeal of Monkey! is easier to experience than explain. It's an occasionally surreal blend of Oriental fable, knock-about martial arts, pop Buddhism and slapstick comedy. The frequent comic fight scenes are accompanied by a 70s disco-fusion soundtrack, and a narrator (English voice: Frank Duncan) uses gaps in the action to deliver inscrutable snippets of wisdom ("Even a starving camel is still bigger than a horse", "Does love mean labour even for the carp-hearted?"). Best of all, though, is the dialogue: without regard to any lip-synch niceties the English script (by David Weir) is full of idiomatic delights, jokes and double entendres. All are delivered by British actors in hilarious cod-Japanese accents (distinguished thesp Miriam Margolyes is the voice of Tripitaka). Bad special effects crown the show's cheesy, retro appeal.

On the DVD: Monkey! volume 1 on DVD features the same first three episodes as the VHS incarnation--"Monkey Goes Wild About Heaven", "Monkey Turns Nursemaid" and "The Great Journey Begins"--but also a bonus previously unseen episode from the second season, "You Win Some You Lose Some", which is subtitled not dubbed, so if nothing else is an opportunity to hear the actors' real voices. Extra features are a stills gallery, text pieces on the principal cast, characters and episodes, Weblinks, trailers for The Water Margin and Blake's Seven and a pop-video version of the show's irrepressible main title song.----Mark Walker



DVD Description

DVD Special Features
You Win Some, You Lose Some (Bonus episode never seen on UK TV, with English subtitles)
Principal cast/character biographies
Still galleries
Web links
See all Reviews

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (14)
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 (1)
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars monkey magic, 25 Mar 2003
By A Customer
I was a bit dubious about buying this as i remember it as being the BEST thing on TV when I was a little lass... I was not disappointed, in fact I enjoyed it even more when I remembered how impressed I was with the special effects then to see how truly dreadful they are now. Plus I won a bet about the reason why Monkey got thrown out of heaven!
Absolutly fabulous trip down memory lane and stll made me laugh out loud!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The Spirit of Monkey was Irrepressible!, 10 Sep 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Monkey! - Episodes 1-3, Monkey Goes Wild About Heaven / Monkey Turns Nursemaid / The Great Journey Begins [VHS] (VHS Tape)
At last on video, these classic episodes are the first three of the Monkey series, including "Monkey Goes Wild About Heaven", and the story of how he meets up with Sandy, Pigsy and Tripitaka to journey to India.

I have to confess that although I loved Monkey when I was a child, I remember very little of it because I was always too busy chasing my brother around the front room pretending to "be" in the program. Now at a more sober age, the programs are just as good as I remembered, as the arrogant Monkey and his cohorts battle against themselves and numerous assailants to reach India. Although the Kung Fu is a little dissappointing (rather too much stick waving and not much martial arts), the dialogue is brilliant and bizzare, ably filling in for the lack of sofa aerobics.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It affected me deeply when I was a kid. I still love it., 5 Aug 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Monkey! - Episodes 1-3, Monkey Goes Wild About Heaven / Monkey Turns Nursemaid / The Great Journey Begins [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This slightly skewed British dub of a Japanese TV series based on a Chinese legend has a unique place in the hearts of myself and many of my generation.

If you've never seen it, it's full of bizarre martial arts action, strange special effects, odd lessons on Buddhist wisdom, a lot of weird slapstick and surreal dialogue terribly dubbed.

If you like Hong Kong action movies or anything influenced by them (Hercules and Xena, for example) you'll probably find something to like here.

The nature of Monkey was irrepressible!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious adventure & example of classic TV.
Monkey! is one of those TV programmes common to those in the 80s- usually shown on BBC2 in the slot which also saw stuff like The Waltons, Harold Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy & Buck... Read more
Published on 31 Jan 2003 by Jason Parkes

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure 1980s Nostalgia
Monkey was a classic from the early 80s, I can remember rushing home from college to watch it. The characters that play the parts of Monkey, Pigsy & Sandy had me in hysterics... Read more
Published on 3 Nov 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Another certification of international appeal.
This television program shows what television can and should be. Pure entertainment and fantasy. I was a young U.S. citizen living in Aberdeen when this aired. Read more
Published on 20 Aug 2000 by exexpat93@aol.com

5.0 out of 5 stars It changed my life! (Corny but true!)
Monkey...For years I have waited for the BBC to run the series again, alas to no avail. Now it is on video, I can't wait to get every episode. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Monkey Magic
I got this video for my 30th birthday and it still made me laugh as much as the first time.

Any child of the early eighties must remember playing monkey in the playground; I had... Read more

Published on 14 Aug 2000 by richardjbush@lineone.net

5.0 out of 5 stars Monkey is pure MAGIC!
Hello, I live in America and I saw this magical TV show in England when I was a kid. What more could you ask for in a TV show? Read more
Published on 23 Jul 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Monkey is Magic!
When I saw this in my local shop , I thought "oh Wow!" Fantastic. I loved this first time around on the tv and thought I'd never see it again. Read more
Published on 8 Jun 2000 by D. Bode

5.0 out of 5 stars Nostalga Rush and then some
Watching the first one of these three videos was excellent, the cloud! the stick! Piiiiiigsseeeeeey - too funny - grab a copy of this if you even have the vaguest memories of... Read more
Published on 26 May 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Monkeeee..... Pigseeeeee.....
Monkey blowing on his fingers and flying about on magic clouds was the highlight of my TV youth.. What with Chalton and the Wheelies coming soon, all thats missing are The Kids... Read more
Published on 19 May 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars monkey magic: golden days
I bought this video simply out of curiosity. I'm 23 so can only just about remember when it was on. This however is a must for any twenty-something who got dis-illusioned with... Read more
Published on 3 May 2000 by andrew.bonnington@ft.com

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