RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2025
On March 26, 2025, Australian label Imprint Films is releasing the Blu-ray (Region B) for The Monkey Goes West, a 1966 classic Shaw Brothers film from director Ho Meng Hua (Vengeance is A Golden Blade).
In the vast body of Chinese literature, there is no novel more famous than Journey To The West, and its familiar characters – from the rambunctious Monkey King to the lecherous Pigsy.
The Monkey Goes West presents a unique interpretation with a unique cast. Ho Fan plays the monk who undertakes a journey to the west to search for Buddhist scriptures. Among the creatures he encounters are Monkey (Yueh Hua), Pigsy (Peng Peng), and a damsel in distress (Diana Chang Chung-wen, nicknamed “The Most Beautiful Creature in China”). It’s the Tang Dynasty with a 1960s sensibility, and one of the more unusual costume pictures of its era.
Emperor Tai Tsung orders Tripitaka to journey west in search of sacred scriptures. After he is captured by the King of Demons, he escapes, frees the imprisoned Monkey from Five-Finger Mountain, and gains Monkey’s loyalty as they embark together on the perilous journey to the West.
Features:
- Limited Edition 1500 copies only!
- NEW Audio Commentary by film historian Samm Deighan
- NEW Interview with film historian Paul Fonoroff
- Interview with director Ho Meng-Hua by Frédéric Ambrosine (2003)
- Interview with actor Yueh Hua by Frédéric Ambrosine (2007)
- Trailer
Watch the film’s Trailer:
Only 1500 copies?! What’s the point of such exclusivity when you’re going through this much hassle to remaster? A copy should be in every library. Such backwards thinking.