FETURES 'NEVER SEEN ON BRITISH TELEVISION' EPISODES OF MONKEY, PIGSY AND SANDY CAUSING MAYHEM
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COSTS £18 . 00 FOR FOUR EPISODES ON DVD
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Being a great fan of ‘Monkey’ I know a lot more about it than I wrote in my first opinion. I just didn’t realise I would receive such a great response from people wanting to know more about it – so here is a more in depth opinion of the classic TV show ‘Monkey’. ‘Monkey’ is based on a novel by Wu Ch’eng-en who wrote his book with close association to local legends and folklore which the Chinese community hold close to their hearts. Ch’eng-en wrote this in the middle of the 16th century using ideas and revelations from as early as the 10th century as the basis for his contemporary adaptation of the pilgrimage of Tripitaka to India. Tripitaka is a real person from history who lived in the 7th century although better known as Hsuan Tsang. As a child viewing this cult classic I could never distinguish whether Tripitaka was a boy or a girl because he had such feminine qualities (and I think was actually played by a girl in this series). The only thing giving his gender away was the fact that he was a Buddhist priest because he rarely got off his horse – the lazy shmuck! When watching ‘Monkey’ you will adore the evil spirits and demons which try to halt Tripitaka’s pilgrimage but will even more so adore the kung-fu-stylee of his trusty ‘bodyguards’. Monkey is quite an exhibitionist with his magical staff as is Sandy with his beloved pole and Pigsy is just brute strength. Together they ensure Tripitaka’s well being to the best of their ability and endure to make sure the pilgrimage is completed. Lots of astonishing magic and martial arts is performed by Monkey which is amazingly very pleasing on the eye considering it was filmed nearly a quarter of a century ago. Throughout the series you will come to realise that Tripitaka symbolises an average man struggling through the trials of life, Monkey stands for the restless instability of genius, Pigsy stands for irrational thought and cumbrous patience and that Sandy symbolises sincerity and commitment, even though he is kept quite a mysterious character throughout. Anyone with an interest in Chinese politics may realise certain parallels between the real Chinese government and that of the hierarchy in Heaven portrayed in ‘Monkey’. This anti-bureaucratic, satirical view of the hierarchies is accepted throughout China , just as our own ‘Spitting Image’ is in England, except China is a very melancholy place whereas England is a very vain country which ridicules its own government and will inevitably be its own downfall. I loved this TV show as a child for the magical lands they visited and the mix of martial art with comedy – I now love this show as an adult, but on a slightly different plain. Being 24yrs old I shouldn’t but I love the magic and the martial arts too but I now also appreciate the original concept and the satire involved which is unrivalled to this day. Take my advice and invest in this series on DVD and I guarantee you’ll fall in love with it too. Contemporary, classic and cult – ‘Monkey’ is a timeless piece of entertainment.
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