Blu-ray Debut: THE MONKEY GOES WEST (1966)

Australian viewers who grew up during the early 90s will likely remember regular airings of the cult TV series, Monkey Magic, which became so popular at my primary school that one aspiring lyricist came up with a catchy rhyme. “Monkey Magic. Monkey Magic. His balls are plastic. Monkey Magic” If you’re familiar with the theme song, it works beautifully. Adapted from a 16th-century Chinese novel, Journey to the West, there have been numerous films about the mischievous monkey. Arguably, the most energetic is The Monkey Goes West, which has been brought to Blu-ray for the first time by Imprint Films under the sub-label Imprint Asia.

When a young monk is sent on a journey to India to bring back Buddhist sutras, he picks up a couple of companions along the way: a monkey king, pledging to curb his bad behaviour, and the gluttonous Pigsy, who has a wandering eye for the ladies.

The Monkey Goes West is a very frivolous adventure that almost seems distracted by itself, as the journey aspect never really gets underway. There are encounters after encounters, which often result in lengthy musical numbers. Granted, though, the film does feature some wonderful sequences of traditional Chinese opera. Visually, there’s a noticeable Western influence of 1960s style and colour. It’s effective in creating a party-like atmosphere, even during skirmishes with the various demons whom Monkey quickly puts back in their place.

Special effects, while a little clumsy, are commendable in effort, which did conjure up some fond memories of the TV show I rarely missed. One such scene featuring a water dragon was especially reminiscent.

Unfortunately, I feel the subtitles do the film a disservice, and while Mandarin has a very different language structure from English, there is an impression that considerable dialogue is being lost in translation due to a lack of effort. At times it’s almost broken English and certain nouns don’t seem fitting, such as Monk Tang Tseng (Tripitaka) being referred to as a “mentor” by Monkey, whereas he’s commonly referred to as “master”.

SPECIAL FEATURES

1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
NEW Audio Commentary by film historian Samm Deighan (2025)
NEW ‘Journey to the West’: Folklore to Film – Interview with film historian Paul Fonoroff (2025)
Archival interview with director Ho Meng-Hua by Frédéric Ambroisine (2003)
Archival interview with actor Yueh Hua by Frédéric Ambroisine (2007)
Trailer (in Mandarin)
Limited Edition Slipcase with unique artwork

Commentaries can sometimes be hit or miss, but Imprint’s newly commissioned track by Samm Deighan is a highly recommended listen for those unfamiliar with the Journey to the West series. Presented in a conversational manner, Deighan details omissions from the film’s source material, adding much-needed context to some head-scratching narrative beats. The new interview with film historian Paul Fonoroff gives a brief history of on-screen Journey to the West adaptations, and also goes over some differences between the novel and the 1966 film in a much more condensed manner.

Archival interviews with director Ho Meng-Hua and Yueh Hua (Monkey) are worth watching for those interested in exploring Hong Kong cinema from the 1950s-1980s, as they both discuss their expansive careers during that time. – by Hannah Lynch

VIDEO AND AUDIO

Imprint has once again gone the extra mile for yet another Blu-ray debut with slick colourful packaging, unique artwork plus some newly commissioned bonus material. However, the 1080p presentation is on the softer side of sharp, to the point where it’s a little frustrating. Colour is certainly not lacking from the 2.40:1 image but given how high the bar is now for physical media releases from boutique labels, the transfer looks dated. Mandarin LPCM 2.0 does not have much base, but the audio is crisp, high in volume, and naturally, optional English subtitles are included.

The Monkey Goes West was sadly an underwhelming experience for me, but I appreciated being able to see an early piece lifted from a “vast body of Chinese literature” to quote Imprint Films. It’s fascinating culturally, but as a movie, it’s a kind of a hot mess.

THE MONKEY GOES WEST
(1966, director: Meng Hua Ho)