Nearly a thousand years ago in ancient China at the time of the Sung dynasty there was a cruel and corrupt government. These men riding are outlaws heroes driven to live in the water margins of Liang Shan Po far to the south of the capital. Each fights tyranny with a price on his head in a world very different from our own... Nine Dozen Heroes And One Wicked Man: ""One man can move a people and a wronged people can move the world."" None Will Ever Escape Alive:
`Do not despise the snake for having no horns for who is to say it will not become a dragon?' Undoubtedly the ""Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"" of its day the classic cult TV series 'The Water Margin' is a timeless epic and very much a touchstone for anybody who grew up in the mid-to-late 70s. Now for the first time ever the entire 26-episode serial is being made available on this complete DVD box set. It is ancient China one thousand years ago; the time of the Tsung Dynasty.
Nearly a thousand years ago in ancient China at the time of the Sung dynasty there was a cruel and corrupt government. These men riding are outlaws heroes driven to live in the water margins of Liang Shan Po far to the south of the capital. Each fights tyranny with a price on his head in a world very different from our own... Episodes 15 and 16.
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
`Do not despise the snake for having no horns for who is to say it will not become a dragon?' Undoubtedly the ""Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"" of its day the classic cult TV series 'The Water Margin' is a timeless epic and very much a touchstone for anybody who grew up in the mid- to late-70s. Now for the first time ever the entire 26-episode series is being made available on DVD in a choice of two box sets or individual box sets courtesy of Fabulous Films/Fremantle Home Ent
Nearly a thousand years ago in ancient China at the time of the Sung dynasty there was a cruel and corrupt government. These men riding are outlaws heroes driven to live in the water margins of Liang Shan Po far to the south of the capital. Each fights tyranny with a price on his head in a world very different from our own... Epsiodes 3 and 4.
The main story of the film is based on the life of a Japanese academic and author Hyakken Uchida (1889-1971). The film opens with him resigning as a professor of German in the period immediately before the Second World War. The plot of the film is centered around his relationship with his former students who care for him in his old age. The title 'Not Yet' in English is an allusion to an ancient Japanese legend mentioned in one scene of the film of an old man who refuses to die. This story is constantly referred to in the movie as every year on the professor's birthday his students throw him a party in which they all ask him ""Mada kai?"" (""Are you ready?""). He responds by drinking a large ceremonial glass of beer and shouting ""Mada dayo!"" (""Not yet!"") implying that death may be near but life still goes on!
Episode titles included in this DVD are: A Concubine's Dowry Liang Shan Po And The Millionare.
Nearly a thousand years ago in ancient China at the time of the Sung dynasty there was a cruel and corrupt government. These men riding are outlaws heroes driven to live in the water margins of Liang Shan Po far to the south of the capital. Each fights tyranny with a price on his head in a world very different from our own... Episodes 7 and 8.
Nearly a thousand years ago in ancient China at the time of the Sung dynasty there was a cruel and corrupt government. These men riding are outlaws heroes driven to live in the water margins of Liang Shan Po far to the south of the capital. Each fights tyranny with a price on his head in a world very different from our own... Episodes 5 and 6.
Nearly a thousand years ago in ancient China at the time of the Sung dynasty there was a cruel and corrupt government. These men riding are outlaws heroes driven to live in the water margins of Liang Shan Po far to the south of the capital. Each fights tyranny with a price on his head in a world very different from our own... Episodes 9 and 10.
A convicted rapist Ikuo released from prison goes in search of the woman he raped. He sees her in every woman he meets and after vicious attacks on two women he finally meets Mieko...
Nearly a thousand years ago in ancient China at the time of the Sung dynasty there was a cruel and corrupt government. These men riding are outlaws heroes driven to live in the water margins of Liang Shan Po far to the south of the capital. Each fights tyranny with a price on his head in a world very different from our own... Episodes 19 and 20.
Nearly a thousand years ago in ancient China at the time of the Sung dynasty there was a cruel and corrupt government. These men riding are outlaws heroes driven to live in the water margins of Liang Shan Po far to the south of the capital. Each fights tyranny with a price on his head in a world very different from our own... Epsiodes 13 and 14.
Nearly a thousand years ago in ancient China at the time of the Sung dynasty there was a cruel and corrupt government. These men riding are outlaws heroes driven to live in the water margins of Liang Shan Po far to the south of the capital. Each fights tyranny with a price on his head in a world very different from our own... Epsiodes 17 and 18.
Violent Cop: Japanese superstar Beat Takeshi Kitano makes his directorial debut in this critically acclaimed action film in which he also stars as Azuma an urban cop at the end of his rope. Not above using violent tactics in order to punish the lawless Azuma's daily routine involves a new partner and a mentally challenged sister. When his violent ways cause the death of a friend his short fuse comes dangerously close to reaching its' end... Boiling Point: When Masaki a gas station attendant and local baseball player incurs the wrath of the local yakuza the notorious Japanese criminal organization he heads to Okinawa to buy a gun so he can stand up for himself. While there he is joined in his quest for revenge by a former gangster (Kitano) who seemingly has his own reasons for revenge. Violence escalates until the mild-mannered Masaki takes an oil truck from his gas station and drives it straight into yakuza headquaters... A Scene At The Sea: Kitano relates a touching story about a deaf-mute garbage collector who takes a passion in surfing. His mute girlfriend accompanies him and even though he is hindered at every point he never lets this dampen his passion. The couple does not exchange a single word throughout the entire film Kitano embracing the power of silence and love that transcends words. Sonatine: Takeshi is Murakawa an established and ruthless Yakuza sent outside his usual turf to intervene in a gang war on the tropical island of Okinawa. Things go badly wrong and he and his gang get caught in the crossfire. Forced to retreat to a seaside hideaway they kill time and fool around on the beach but then their enemies start picking them off one by one. Murakawa decides to go on the offensive for a final and breathtaking showdown... Getting Any?: Middle-aged Asao's sole goal in life is to have sex but in order to achieve his dream he is thrown from one wacky situation to the next. From robbing banks to becoming invisible to transforming into a super-sized fly monster Asao will do anything to get any! Kids Return: Two old friends revisit their old schoolyard to remember the times they shared together at school before they left and found their own ways in life one as a boxer and one as part of a local gang. They have done well but revisiting their memories reminds them of their undisciplined ways.
Nearly a thousand years ago in ancient China at the time of the Sung dynasty there was a cruel and corrupt government. These men riding are outlaws heroes driven to live in the water margins of Liang Shan Po far to the south of the capital. Each fights tyranny with a price on his head in a world very different from our own... Epsiodes 11 and 12.
Episode titles included in this DVD are: Knight Of The Long Sword The Dynasty Of Kao.
Episode titles included on this DVD are: Death Of A Great Man Lin Chung Is Beaten
Hypnosis: Three apparently unrelated suicides occur on the same day in Tokyo. A middle aged detective investigating one of the cases begins to suspect a connection between the three when he discovers that each person mentioned the words 'green monkey' before they died... Pyrokinesis: Junko Aoki has always kept away from other people. Held to be rude and unfriendly her co-workers make no effort to associate with her. But Junko's remote appearance hides a deadly secret
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