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The Water Margin - Episodes 1-13 [1976] [DVD]
 
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The Water Margin - Episodes 1-13 [1976] [DVD]

DVD ~ Burt Kwouk
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
RRP: £69.99
Price: £54.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Customers buy this item with The Water Margin - Season 2 - [1976] [DVD] DVD ~ The Water Margin

The Water Margin - Episodes 1-13 [1976] [DVD] + The Water Margin - Season 2 - [1976] [DVD]
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Water Margin - Episodes 1-13 [1976] [DVD]
52% buy the item featured on this page:
The Water Margin - Episodes 1-13 [1976] [DVD] 4.9 out of 5 stars (7)
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The Water Margin - Complete [DVD] 4.3 out of 5 stars (3)
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Monkey! - The Complete Series [DVD]
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Monkey! - The Complete Series [DVD] 4.8 out of 5 stars (11)
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The Water Margin - Vol. 1 [1976] [DVD]
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The Water Margin - Vol. 1 [1976] [DVD] 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)
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Product details

  • Actors: Burt Kwouk
  • Format: Box set, Dubbed, PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: All Regions
  • Number of discs: 6
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 3 Feb 2003
  • Run Time: 565 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00007LZ7A
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 55,821 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

The Water Margin is a sprawling Chinese television series from 1977 that tells the story of a group of legendary heroes who battled corruption at the time of the Sung dynasty 1,000 years ago. Made in two seasons of 13 episodes and shown on BBC television in a dubbed version narrated by Burt Kwouk, the central figure is Lin Chung (Atsuo Nakamura), an army officer who comes, Robin Hood-style, to lead a rebellion against the evil Kao Chiu (Kai Satu). The result plays like something somewhere between Seven Samurai and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Though not without humour, this is a much more serious saga than Monkey (1978), adapted by the same team and similarly a hit for the BBC.

Bolstered by wirework in the excellent fight scenes, this is traditional Kurosawa-influenced adventure, a saga of rebels against an oppressive empire with as much appeal to Star Wars fans as to martial arts devotees. Each episode tells a self-contained tale within the wider framework and the strong production values and compelling storytelling are not too compromised by the dubbing, which is carefully done to a high standard. This is a lavishly made TV epic that remains hugely entertaining a quarter-century after it first aired.

On the DVD: The Water Margin is presented in a beautifully designed fold-out package with a small poster and an episode guide leaflet. The 13 43-minute-long episodes are spread across six DVDs. The extras are identical throughout, apart from episode-specific photo galleries, reflecting the fact that each disc is also sold separately. There are 16 character profiles, synopses of all 26 episodes, production notes and previews of the Monkey DVDs and Blake's Seven videos. Other than the restoration of some violence, the episodes are exactly as they were shown on the BBC; there's no option to watch the original Chinese versions. The sound is unexceptional mono, the picture grainy, a little soft and shows some print damage. Unfortunately the 4:3 transfers also demonstrate obvious pixilation in fast moving and visually complex scenes, the quality being more like digital TV than state-of-the-art DVD. --Gary S Dalkin



Special Features

Character biographies

Still galleries

The Water Margin information booklet

Synopses

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars peerless, 27 Jul 2004
By A Customer
In some respects The Water Margin may have dated: some of the video transfer could be better and the sound is only in the original broadcast quality mono but to me none of this matters at all.

Watching this show was a major highlight in my childhood, with such vivid stories and characters that, even now, many years later I could picture them all still, even without the benefit of these DVDs. Some people may criticise the English vocal dubbing but that would be to traduce it rather unfairly, seeing as a serious amount of good voice talent was used to do it. The dub is part of what made it special and it would not be the same for me without it.

In the story the honourable Lin Chung is drummed out of the army for standing against the corruption of the emperor's regime, specifically that of Kao Chiu, the emperor's favourite. As a result he is exiled and imprisoned before coming to join the rebels of Lianshan Po. He becomes their totem though not, at first, their leader.

The storytelling is wonderful and, unusually for the time, there are no easy resolution. The characters are more complicated, with many moral dilemmas to face though, in the end, the enemy is clear and the goal simple. How each of the heroes deals with this is one of the show's particular delights.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Martial Arts Epic, 2 Feb 2003
This series is one of the most lengthy Martial Arts Epics out there. The main character Lin Chung, is disbanded from the army, when he lets a local outlaw beat him. He then decides to gather an army of 'nine dozen heroes' and defeat 'one wicked man'. With constant action from beginning to end, this is one of my favourite martial arts series: but with the equivalent of 13 2 hour videos, I hope you have a lot of time to spare!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Can't be beaten!, 3 April 2003
By Keith Grant "Gymreject" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The Water Margin is a must have for any DVD Collection. The Story line is strong and gripping and the visuals well above average. I was gripped the first time around watching this series on BBC when I was 12. It has to be one of the best 70's series on DVD. My favourite character has to be Hu San-niang, the first true tv female kung fu heroe.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Youth sentiment
I first saw this series on Dutch television during the eighties. It was the time when I imagined being the lead character Lin Chung: a righteous soldier who becomes an outlaw... Read more
Published on 6 Jul 2004 by Peter Delagaye

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost ruined five stars
This is a very good series. So good that a gave it five stars. However the series was almost ruined by the dubbing. The series is japanese. Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2004 by Francisco Coutinho

5.0 out of 5 stars this is a japanese Serie
I have been really big fan from this series since I was a child and watched it on TV. Therefor I immidiately bought the 2 boxes last summer. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2003 by Dragon12

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Chinoisery
Ok, first of all I recall this series as a child. I was about 9 or 10 when it was first aired in the UK (in the 70's, maybe v. early 80's). Read more
Published on 2 Feb 2003 by n0rthern_exp0sure

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